Meet the Staff: Jace Porter

Hello fellow caterpillar enthusiasts!

Many of you might be wondering "Who's this cool new guy we've been seeing lately?" Well...

My name is Jace, the new Rearing Specialist & Outreach Educator, and I'm wicked excited to be here! One of my main goals will be to make sure our caterpillars are able to feast like royalty every day and live a life of luxury at our lab. So I am basically caterpillar room service - which involves cleaning LOTS of frass (caterpillar poop). I will also be making appearances at some of our shows, helping to educate anyone that's willing to listen about the incredible diversity, biology, and natural history of our native caterpillars. I am a self-study with a background in invertebrate rearing; caring for several generations of Mantids, Myriapods (millipedes & centipedes), and Arachnids, but I've loved all insects and other invertebrates since I was at least 4 years old. I come to The Caterpillar Lab from previous employment at UNH, where I assisted with parasitoid wasp research and moth surveys as well as performing various lab duties with the UNH insect collection. I'm an overall science enthusiast, advocate for STEM programs, and an active volunteer for New Hampshire's native wildlife and habitats with UNH Cooperative Extension as a NH Coverts Cooperator & Coastal Research Volunteer.

I look forward to seeing you at our lab during open hours, and at our many great events coming up this year! If there's anything you'd like to learn about myself or my role at The Caterpillar Lab, feel free to reach out to me!

See you soon! Jace Porter Invertebrate Rearing Specialist & Outreach Educator