Big Give 2022 - Time is running out for Biodiversity

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Dear Friend of the Essig,

Biodiversity is in crisis!

Insects and spiders make up much of known and unknown biodiversity - the multiplicity of life that forms an integrated whole to support life on Earth. Never has it been more important to understand how these organisms interact to support our planet. Over the last year, the Essig Museum has been working on the impacts of fire and climate change, disease and invasive species, and shifting ecosystems. Combined with new tools of high throughput genome sequencing and artificial intelligence, the Museum collections provide the frame of reference to anchor our understanding of how biodiversity responds to change. Simply put, the museums are foundational for building a sustainable future.

Join in the Big Give and support the Essig Museum today

A key component in all of our research is to provide training opportunities for the next generation, and the Essig Museum plays a key role in this training. For example, as part of a project on arthropod biodiversity genomics, our graduate students are engaging citizen scientists to collect spider specimens and training undergraduate students in the laboratory through our Eight-eyed Expedition. The museum has had a long-term commitment to diversity equity, and inclusion and the empowerment of under represented groups, and these kinds of outreach efforts allow us to reach diverse and under-served communities across California.

The Essig Museum endeavors to engage students of all ages and backgrounds in the critical biodiversity research of the Museum. Your support allows us to expand this role and bring the understanding of biodiversity into communities where the relevance is often the most tangible.

Please consider donating to the Essig Museum as part of the Big Give today.

Your gift helps the Essig:

Train the next generation of entomologists and biodiversity scientists; engage these students and provide them with the tools they need to address the biodiversity crisis.
Build tools for connecting with a broader audience, in particular allowing us to expand our virtual presence and reach.

Your gift will make you part of a new biodiversity movement that can empower the next generation of entomologists and scientists. As the world changes around us, the role of the Essig Museum in providing the needed knowledge, has never been more important, and a gift from you will allow the needed connection between knowledge and training.

Sincerely,
Rosemary Gillespie, Professor
Director, Essig Museum of Entomology

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