Sometimes money from stimulus packages and research grants simply doesn’t pay the bills. Sometimes it takes a petting zoo to make ends meet.

The Bohart Museum of Entomology in 1124 Academic Surge has expanded its collection of insects that visitors can “pet,” bringing in a steady stream of visitors, free of charge but open to donation.

“We’re basically a shoestring operation,” said museum director and professor of entomology Lynn Kimsey. “The museum donations don’t bring in much, but any little bit helps.”

Kimsey estimated that donations, including private donations, bring in approximately $20,000 every year. This, in addition to the $100,000 per year in grants and government contracts, covers most of the projects that the facility runs, including the museum’s collection of over eight million insects.

The insects are kept in boxes with glass tops, pinned with labels and stored in movable file cabinets. The cabinets practically fill the facility, along with the books and reports about the insects.

And though this may be the main attraction for researchers and collectors from around the world, the crowd often seems to be focused on a small corner of the exhibit – the petting zoo.

The exhibit contains walking sticks from around the world, millipedes, a Malaysian walking leaf and hissing cockroaches. Along the wall, there are jars of donated live spiders, ants and other backyard critters. Kimsey is, in fact, pet-sitting a praying mantis for an elementary school student who figured she would be the most responsible caretaker, being a professor and all.

Larry Axelbaum brought his grandson, Brendon, to the exhibit last week after seeing pictures of the petting zoo in the paper. Brendon, a youngster with a possible future in biology, was particularly enthusiastic about the hissing cockroaches.

“Look at this big sucker over here!” he beckoned to his grandpa.

Larry himself was equally amazed by the bin full of cockroaches, each about two inches long and vocal with their trademark hissing mating call.

“I’ve never seen anything like this,” he said. “I mean, I could live without the cockroaches, but all these others are just so unusual in their own way. They’re not just insects.“

Aside from helping to raise money, the department also hosts various outreach programs. They visit classrooms, libraries and hold camps for the public. The museum also holds an annual Halloween open house.

“We consider it kind of an informal science education,” Kimsey said. “Plus, it’s just a heck of a lot of fun!”

Kimsey’s hope is that she can raise awareness for the insects she has made a career out of studying. She wants people to not be afraid of bugs, and perhaps even convince a few young visitors to one-day study entomology at the center.

“They’re not lusting after our blood or anything,” she said. “They’re harmless. People spend so much time and money trying to get rid of insects, and for what? All they really need to do is just pay attention to them.“

Knowledge is key to becoming comfortable with insects, she said – that, and holding the big suckers, as Brendon would say.

The museum is open Monday through Thursday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and is located within the Academic Surge, next to the geology building.

LAUREN STEUSSY can be reached at features@theaggie.org.

Editor’s Note: Megan Ellis studied abroad this summer through the UC Davis Summer Abroad program. This is her personal perspective on her experience.

There are seven simple rules to surviving studying abroad. It took five weeks touring the United Kingdom with 23 fellow students for me to realize that not everyone has been tutored in the art of tourism.

I had the privilege of participating in the Education Abroad Program’s Summer Abroad Program, Shakespeare – Live. For four weeks, I lived in London and studied Shakespeare. I saw five of The Bard’s plays, four Broadway plays, and traveled all over the United Kingdom, even spending an additional week touring Scotland.

During this trip, I wondered why some students seemed to struggle with traveling abroad. Homesickness and actual sickness put aside, I think that no amount of educational orientation can prepare one for the disorientation that they feel from living in a different country. That’s when I came up with these seven simple steps to follow when you’re traveling abroad to help with the stupefaction.

Don’t forget your passport. While this may seem trite, a missing passport is no laughing matter. When traveling, it is a good idea to keep your passport on you at all times. Put it somewhere on your person, but nowhere near your back pocket! Stores that sell luggage often sell passport holders, which you can wear around your waist, chest or neck. Also, it is good to photocopy your passport so that if the worst should happen you have a copy to present to the American Embassy in whichever country you’re in. I am not suggesting that you wear your passport 24/7. If you are staying in the same place for a long duration of time, feel free to put it in a safe spot, just don’t forget where that safe spot is. The same goes for subway passes, bus tickets, or tickets to plays. Put these items where you won’t leave them behind, that way, you don’t have to destroy your room looking for the misplaced tickets.

Travel when you’re traveling. Keeping your eyes glued to the computer screen and planting roots in a sofa can be done in the comfort of your own home – for free. While studying abroad, travel! Explore the city you’re in, go to museums, parks or restaurants that you won’t be able to find in America. Talk to the locals, be brave and adventurous. While clubbing is a wonderful weekend activity, spending every night nursing a drink can get pretty pricey. Change it up by taking in a play or a movie or visiting the holiday hotspots in the countryside.

Time-manage your time abroad. If you’re taking a course while traveling abroad, you will get a syllabus outlining your class schedule. Take that syllabus and fill in your free-time with the sites that you want to see. Write it down, that way you have a tentative plan that will prevent the aforementioned couch potato syndrome.

Research is a wallet-friendly action. Be sure to research the sites that you want to visit before you get in line to purchase your ticket. Often, museums or tourist attractions like the London Eye or the Tower of London will have discounted prices for groups, students or pre-purchased tickets. You can either Google it, ask your professor or use brochures. Tour guide books are a good investment: I recommend Rick Steves‘ books because he’s funny and fantastically frugal.

Be sensitive to the needs of fellow students. Traveling takes its toll on everyone – eventually. Some people get homesick, others can get burnt out by culture-overload. Whatever the reason, try to be sensitive to fellow travelers. No one handles the same situation in a similar manner. If you feel like you’re coming down with a case of the cranky-ness, take a walk, go to a museum by yourself or take a nap. Living, studying and traveling together can cause emotions to run high. In order to avoid tension in your living situation, keep common areas clean and label your food so as to avoid accusations of uncleanliness and thievery. In a typical travel abroad living situation, there is no maid to clean up after you, so clean up after yourselves!

Cell phones and e-mail are the best means of communication. While Skype – an online voice and video chatting program – is a wonderful invention, if your housing situation does not have adequate Internet connection, you won’t be able to use it. Purchasing international calling cards is a good idea; typical costs in London were $0.17 per minute for international calls. If you are traveling within the United Kingdom, you can purchase what is called an Orange cell phone for as little as nine pounds, and making calls to the United States only costs six pence per minute. Orange cell phones can be purchased at any Orange store and you can “top up” your cell phone minutes at any store that says “top up“. Having a cell phone is convenient, as you can call your friends if you get lost or use it as an alarm clock.

Don’t make dumb decisions. Though this may seem obvious, some people need to be reminded. Be safe, don’t go home with people you don’t know, don’t leave your drink unattended, and don’t wear a fanny-pack or anything else that simply screams “I’m a tourist, please mug me“. Getting mugged or kidnapped would put a serious damper on your traveling abroad experience.

Traveling in the United Kingdom for five weeks was one of the best experiences of my college career. Not only will you learn about a foreign culture, you’ll learn more about yourself. The best advice I can give any student traveling abroad isn’t an original thought. Douglas Adams gave the best traveling advice that anyone could give, “don’t panic“. You’re not going halfway across the galaxy; you’re just going out of the country.

For more information on UC Davis Education Abroad Program, go to eac.ucdavis.edu.

MEGAN ELLIS can be reached at features@theaggie.org

Editor‘s note: Kelly Krag-Arnold has been a lifeguard at the UC Davis Recreational Pool for over two years. This is her perspective as an employee.

It‘s 110 degrees outside in Davis, my air conditioning has been broken for days and the thermostat in my apartment is steadily creeping toward the triple digits. Man am I glad to head to work at the UC Davis Rec Pool!

It‘s easy to overlook the lifeguards at the Rec Pool. We hide out under umbrellas in hopes of avoiding as much sun as possible – and to ward off future bouts with skin cancer. Life at the Rec Pool – short for Recreational Pool – is not quite as dramatic as you might imagine after watching “Baywatch.“ We certainly do more than just work on our tans: us lifeguards and head guards can be found yelling at kids to walk and the grown adults who dive into three feet of water, scooping poop out of the pool and repairing dozens of bloody toes.

The Rec Pool, often described as a “meat market“ during spring quarter – mainly due to testosterone induced diving board competitions watched by scantily clad UC Davis students – transforms during the summer to include lap swimmers, summer campers, families, a lone, a fearless duck and of course the requisite UC Davis students.

The Rec Pool has that certain summery atmosphere to it during this time of year. The staff survives off Otter Pops from the office freezer while the testosterone fest at the diving boards is punctuated by small children being convinced to make the leap by anxious parents waiting in the water below.

What keeps the droves of kids coming? “The diving boards,“ said May Lan, age seven.

“Touching the bottom of the deep end,“ said Trey, age six, in the Youth Programs Rectopia camp.

Milt Williams, a senior communication major and UC Davis Youth Programs camp counselor, said he too enjoys life under the Rec Pool sun.

“It‘s a great place to enjoy the sun and meet people,“ Williams said.

Ask any Rec Pool staff member and they‘ll tell you it‘s not all just fun in the sun. It‘s not entirely surprising to see a lifeguard leap in the pool for a red shirt drill – a mock drowning initiated by student managers.

“Jumping in for a double redshirt when it‘s cold is definitely not my favorite,“ said Lauren Henning, recent UC Davis alumna.

“People not listening and scooping poop [out of the pool],“ said Matt Barret, also a lifeguard, about the list of less satisfying aspects of working at the pool.

But the dynamic patrons and laidback atmosphere keep the staff, and patrons, happy. Henning said her favorite part about the Rec Pool is that it is “chill and easy going“ and many of the female employees place the “cute diver boys“ as a staff favorite.

Personally, I love my job – the uniform is a swimsuit, my workspace is outside surrounded by water and happy swimmers and my co-workers are fun fellow students.

While the pool offers some serious family fun we still manage to maintain the distinct college feel (read: chill, relaxed and fun) thanks to the student half of the Davis population.

The Rec Pool is open every day until Oct. 11 Monday through Thursday from 2 to 7 p.m., Friday through Sunday noon to 7 p.m. and is free to active students and ARC members.

KELLY KRAG-ARNOLD can be reached at features@theaggie.org.