October 2026
Community Connectors is a monthly series highlighting Ohio State staff members who have shown leadership in partnering with our communities to make an impact.
Carrie Elvey
Program Specialist
College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences Department of Entomology
As a program specialist with the College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences Department of Entomology at the United Titanium Bug Zoo, Carrie Elvey builds community partnerships to connect the public with entomology and highlight the importance of insects in our ecosystems. She partnered with The Lyric of Wooster, a nonprofit independent cinema, to host Bug Days, featuring live insect encounters and screenings of A Bug’s Life and Them! She also collaborated with Wayne Center for the Arts to offer summer bug camps for school-age students, combining insect education with art projects and presentations focused on insect conservation. Additionally, Elvey partnered with the Environmental Education Council of Ohio to provide insect-themed programming and entertainment at conferences for environmental educators and naturalists from across the state.
Why is engaging the community important to you and your work?
The bug zoo exists for the public, whether that is schools that come for formal visits or families that stop in for spontaneous learning opportunities. We are often the public face of the campus for visitors and take pride in providing a safe, welcoming and fun experience for visitors. Many students who are interested in entomology take their first steps toward becoming Ohio State students by visiting or volunteering at the bug zoo.
What lessons have you learned from the community that have helped you as a university staff member?
One of the best lessons I ever learned when trying to reach broader cross sections of the community is to find partners the community already trusts. For us, that has been local businesses, art centers, theaters and schools, and conservation organizations. Those groups all have similar agendas of creating happier, healthier communities, and we believe entomology and connection to nature are a big part of that.
What has been your favorite moment from your community-engagement work?
When we partnered with a local school, they created public service announcement skits to present to their school and families. The skits were brilliant and hilarious, and I’m sure the students will remember that experience for a long time. We certainly will.
Another great moment was unplanned but amazing. We were asked to set up at a family event hosted at a local hardware store. They happened to set up in front of the paint sample cards, and we had a blast color matching our insects. The staff even borrowed our bugs to do computer color matching, and now we are hoping to do a whole bug zoo-themed color palette.
What advice do you have for other staff members who are interested in getting involved in community engagement?
Find a local organization with shared values and then find a way to partner with them. Be creative and think outside the box. And allow yourself to have fun with your subject material. It’s easy to forget to get bogged down in the minutiae of our work — community engagement will help keep the spark alive.