Research Assistanceships for Minority High School Students

Sebastian Patino
Lubbock High School
Lubbock, Texas

Alma Solis, Ph. D.
Supervising Scientist
Department of Entomology

"A great opportunity to learn new things. The people I worked with were very nice, I truly enjoyed it."

Databasing moth genitalia facts

Databasing of scientific facts makes it easier for scientists to find and share information. On-line access is simple and fast; it can be done from anywhere in the world. The subjects of this databasing project are the snout moths (Family Crambidae). Specimens were collected from many countries around the world and catalogued into the Smithsonian collections. Microscope slides were made of the moth genitalia after they were dissected to determine their identity. All facts relating to the moths were written in a notebook. These facts include the family, subfamily, genus and species of the moth; the slide number; the sex of the moth; and the locality where the specimen was found. The tools used in this research include a data notebook and computer. Handwritten information from the notebook was entered into an electronic database using File Maker Pro. The entries generated will be available worldwide to any scientist or any one else who wishes to have information about the U.S. National collection of snout moths.

This research was supported by a grant from the National Science Foundation Research Assistanceships for Minority High School Students Award Number DBI-0243512, Supplement #1

Letter of gratitude