Jennifer C. Girón, Ph.D.

Curator of Invertebrate Zoology

I oversee all activities at the collection: processing loans and new accessions, curation and identification of specimens, training of students and volunteers.

I also participate from several research projects at TTU and elsewhere.

I became a STEM Core Affiliate in 2024. More information about my research can be found on my personal website.

Current student workers

 

Elizabeth Carlson

Graduate student, Heritage and Museum Sciences

I am currently pursuing my master’s degree in Museum Sciences focusing on education. I started working in the Invertebrate Zoology Collection in the fall of 2025, cataloging, digitizing, and updating the Membracidae (treehopper) collection using Ecdysis and macrophotography equipment. Once I complete updating the treehopper collection, I’m planning to help with the Lepidoptera collection.

 

 

 

Lee Harris

Graduate student, Heritage and Museum Sciences

I’m pursuing a master's degree in Museum Sciences. I began working at the Invertebrate Zoology Collection in the Fall 2024 , sorting and identifying the miscellaneous Curculionidae (weevil) collection.

In the spring of 2025 I took over digitizing and imaging specimens from a project dedicated to inventorying the arthropod species recorded from the Davis Mountains Preserve.

In the summer and fall of 2025 I have been working on assembling a Species Index and assessment of the curatorial status of the beetle holdings of the Invertebrate Zoology Collection.

Lillian Prescott

Undergraduate student, Department of Natural Resources Management

I’m currently a senior pursuing my B.S. in Natural Resources Management. I started working with the Invertebrate Zoology Collection in the fall of 2023. I started sorting, identifying, and databasing the specimens in our mantis collection using the ecdysis portal, then did the same for the stick insect collection.

I presented a poster about the process and main results of the mantis project at the TTU Undergraduate Research Conference in April 2024 and tied for the First Place of the LEDA Outstanding Presenter Energy & Environment Award.

For the fall of 2024 I started working on educational materials to aid teachers coaching student teams for the Entomology Contest of the Future Farmers of America. We presented the beginnings of this work at the Annual Meeting of the Entomological Society of America in November.

Hugo Casas

Undergraduate student, Department of Biology

I'm a junior pursuing a bachelor's in biology along with a minor in forensics. I started working with the Invertebrate Zoology Collection in the spring of 2025. Here I focus on organizing and sorting the miscellaneous beetle collection to improve access to this material and learn identification skills.

In the fall of 2025 I started a project with forensically important beetles with the advise of Dr. Joshua Smith from the Texas Tech Department of Environmental Toxicology.

Jennifer Smith

Undergraduate student, Texas Tech University

I joined the Invertebrate Zoology Collection in Spring 2025. I am currently working on digitizing and sorting the confiscated butterfly collection. My work involves sorting, organizing, and photographing specimens.

I developed a web tool using Google Apps Script to streamline the cataloguing of the collection. By using filters based on custom tags, the tool improves efficiency and transforms outdated processes accelerating the production of more accessible data for biodiversity research. I presented this project during the Transformative Undergraduate Experiences Symposium and at the annual meeting of the Entomological Collections Network in the fall of 2025.

 

Past student workers

Shelby Hernandez

Current position: Collection Manager of Recent Invertebrates, Sam Noble Museum

B.Sc. in Plant and Soil Science

I graduated in the fall of 2024. During 2021 and 2022 I worked on digitizing and organizing the leaf beetle specimens in the Invertebrae Zoology Collection. I presented a poster about my work with the leaf beetle collection at the Undergraduate Research Conference at TTU in the spring of 2022.

I was awarded the 2022 Undergraduate Travel Award by The Coleopterists Society, and got a chance to present my project at their annual virtual meeting in December, 2022.

During 2024 I led a team of undergraduate students to curate and digitize bee specimens on a Texas Parks and Wildlife grant. Along with students Reannah Hollaway and Joshua Winsauer, directed by Dr. Scott Longing, we presented a poster about digitized sweat bees at the TTU Undergraduate Research Conference in April, with an update presented at the Annual Meeting of the Entomological Society of America in November.

 

Alyssa DeWaele

Graduate student, Heritage and Museum Sciences

I’m pursuing a M.A. in Museum Sciences with minors in Anthropology and Heritage Management. I have been working in the Invertebrate Zoology Collection since February 2021, digitizing the bee collection and helping with various other collections tasks. During this time I developed a protocol for digitizing insect specimens using free online tools, which I presented as a poster at the Mountain-Plains Museums Association meeting in 2021.

I also created some educational content on invertebrate pollinators and presented the talk: "Expanding Access: Creating Outreach Tools from Entomological Collections" at the Annual Meeting of the Entomological Collections Network in November 2021.

Sofia Rodriguez

Undergraduate student, Department of Plant and Soil Science

I’m currently a freshman Plant and Soil Science major at Texas Tech. I'm working with the entomological collections team to sort, catalog, and mount confiscated butterflies from all over the world. I presented a poster about the work that we have been doing with this exceptional collection at the 2023 Texas Tech University Undergraduate Research Conference and earned the First Place Impact Award in the Energy and Environment category. Here is a link to the poster.

 

Trier Hodge

Former undergraduate student, Department of Biological Sciences

I completed a B.S. in Biologyin the spring of 2023. I started working with the Invertebrate Zoology Collection as a volunteer, sorting beetles at the end of 2022 and continued in the Spring of 2023 enrolled in Undergraduate Research (BIOL 4300). My focus at the collection was an exciting project aimed at creating a comprehensive catalogue for arachnid species in the mesmerizing Virgin Islands. I presented this work at the 2023 Texas Tech University Undergraduate Research Conference. The poster can be viewed here.

 

Rachael Johnston

Undergraduate student, Department of Plant and Soil Science

I’m a Plant and Soil Science major at Texas Tech. I joined the Invertebrate Zoology Collection of the Natural Science Research Laboratory in the spring of 2023, databasing the robber fly collection (Diptera: Asilidae) using the ecdysis portal. I presented a poster with the main results of this effort at the TTU Undergraduate Research Conference in April 2024.

 

 

 

Alan Ramirez

Undergraduate student, Department of Biology

I am pursuing my Bachelor of Science in Biology with a minor in Chemistry. I worked with the Invertebrate Zoology Collection in the fall of 2024, on organizing, identifying, and databasing the butterflies and moths in the collection.

 

 

 

 

 

Volunteers

We welcome anyone with the time and interest to work with the collection. No experience is needed and you will be trained for the activities that you will develop.

We currently have two volunteers who are retired TTU professors and wish to remain anonymous. One of them identified and digitized the hover fly collection (Diptera: Syrphidae) and is now assisting with imaging projects; the other is imaging the Medical Zoology slide collection and updating those records in ecdysis.

Isabella Pettiet

Undergraduate student, Department of Biology

I am a biology student who volunteered at the Invertebrate Zoology Collection starting in the fall of 2023 until the fall of 2024. I worked on sorting and organizing the longhorn beetle collection. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Gyliana Larracuente

Undergraduate student, Department of Biology 

I worked at the Invertebrate Zoology Collection during the summer of 2024 on sorting, cataloging, and mounting confiscated butterflies donated by US Fish and Wildlife Service. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

During the fall semester 2022 one additional undergraduate student volunteer from the Biological Sciences Department joined the team: Quentin Fleming started digitizing our robber flies (Diptera: Asilidae).

Additional Resources

• Back to overview of the Collection
• Background and History of the Collection
• Insect Exhibit: Tiny and Mighty Creatures
• Opportunities
• Curatorial basics
• Our specimens in publications
• Our specimen database via ecdysis
• Our specimen database via GBIF
• Documenting Invertebrates around the Museum using iNaturalist
• Guide to commonly observed invertebrates at the Lubbock Lake Landmark