Members: Sarah Wieller, Jada Ansley, and Zachary Townsend
What Professors Think
Dr. Sola Gracia
Biology Lecturer
University of North Georgia, Dahlonega
"Many cultures already consume insects as part of their standard diet. I think that eating insects should be adopted by developed countries to become more sustainable in their agriculture. Cockroaches can and are being used in China to reduce waste production, but can also be used to create high protein bread."
Timothy May, Ph.D.
Associate Dean of Arts & Letters
niversity of North Georgia
“I would say it sounds better than Brussel sprouts. I don’t know if they would be more ecologically viable considering the die-off of bees, etc. But also, what happens if they break containment. There is a reason why many texts refer to a plague of locusts. I would also have some concerns about commercial insects based on data related to commercial salmon. There is also the issue with agro-industrial livestock and making them bigger. How long before Cargill or Tyson breeds giant bugs? Well, at least we now have a Space Force to counter that.”
Evan Lampert
Associate Professor, Biology Department
University of North Georgia
“I am pro-entomophagy. I have eaten such products and also prepared them for other people.” In response to the question do you think insects are a more ecologically viable option to beef, chicken, and pork; “This is a very complex answer for an email, but potentially ‘yes insects are more efficient, use less water, and are less likely to be reservoirs for food-borne diseases.”
Dr. Jennifer L. Mook
Associate Professor of Biology
University of North Georgia
“Many societies already eat insects as a food resource, so it is understandable we would want to explore options in using them as a more sustainable resource than current agricultural practices for raising beef, pork or chicken. Overcoming societal norms or delicacies may prove to be a challenge in addition to making the exoskeletons of the insects more palatable.”
Susan Brantley, M.S.
Biology Lecturer
University of North Georgia - Oconee
“I do eat foods with insects as a key ingredient. I also use cricket flour for some recipes and put roasted mealworms on pizza. I have brought cricket flour brownies and chocolate chirp cookies for my Biology 1260 students to try. Of course, if you are allergic to shellfish, you should not eat insects. Really the perception between it being ok to eat shrimp and crazy to eat mealworms, is cultural. They are all arthropods.
I do think there is a good chance that this could change. I have seen sushi go from something not eaten by the average person in the US in the 90's, to being pretty mainstream today. It is just a matter of perception and perceptions change.
Raising insects requires so much less space, water, and energy compared to poultry and beef. As our human population continues to grow, we need a protein source that can grow with it. I believe insects are the answer.”
Alexander E. Olvido, Ph.D.
Department of Biology
University of North Georgia - Oconee
“If you can convince yourself to eat lobster, crayfish, crab, or shrimp (pink, white, tiger, prawn, etc.), then why not try cooked insect larvae?”
Dr. Richard Byers
Professor of History
University of North Georgia – Dahlonega
“My opinion on this is that in general it is a good idea to substitute insects for other meat food sources. However, given the current declines in insect populations worldwide we would need to think very carefully about how such a program would be implemented.”
Shane A. Webb
Professor of Biology
University of North Georgia - Dahlonega
“I think if you raise a generation of kids eating hexapods without making a big deal about it, we can break the cycle of thinking it is taboo, gross, or just something that marginalized peoples should do.”
Rachel Hughes
Biology Lecturer
University of North Georgia
“I wholeheartedly believe we will see much more of this in the future. Insects produce far less greenhouse gas emissions and waste products than most traditional forms of livestock production. They also use far less water. Their feed to protein production rate is also higher.
My mentor, Marianne Shockley, was at the forefront of this work here in the state of Georgia. In fact, we used to serve insects as food at the UGA Insect Zoo open house. What I always found most interesting was that children never had a problem with eating insects. It was the parents who really freaked out.
I believe this industry will continue to grow as our population continues to rise. It is more or less inevitable. In fact, some protein powders are already made with insects. You can also find them in the shiny coatings of things like candy as well as in certain food colorings. Most processed grains have a certain percentage of bug bits. You are probably already eating insects and just don't realize it yet.”
Frank Crittenden, Ph.D.
Department of Biology
University of North Georgia – Dahlonega
“When you take a look under the rocks and plants and take a glance at the fancy ants and maybe try a few, the bare necessities of life will come to you!”
Candice N. Wilson, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor of Film & Digital Media
University of North Georgia
“All I can think about is that moment in director Bong Joon-ho's film Snowpiercer (2013) when the characters realize that the food they had been consuming for years, as their main source of nutrition, was actually crushed roaches. This is all to say, it would really depend on the insect, and humankind would have to be on the brink of extinction.”