WHO IS BEHIND THE HUB...

Sally-Ann Spence is an informed and engaging science educator who has spent many years enthusing children and adults alike with all the wonders of Natural History, specializing in particular with invertebrates. She is the founder of Minibeast Mayhem, a specialist teaching company established to address the lack of scientific entomological provision for Key Stage 1 and 2 students. She takes great delight in delivering lively material on this often misunderstood and underrated section of Biology. She is a fellow of both the Royal Entomological Society and The Linnean Society and a council member of the British Entomological and Natural History Society. Sally-Ann was the principal organiser of EntoSci16, the world's first entomological conference specifically for Key Stage 4, sixth formers and college students held at Harper Adams University. As an Honorary Associate of Oxford University Museum of Natural History, Sally-Ann is an active researcher, specialising in land management, biodiversity and eco-system functioning. She is a co-founder of the Dung beetle UK Mapping Project (DUMP), focusing on one of Britain's most endangered and yet highly useful insect groups. Her work with the DUMP project has seen her surveying field sites all over the UK including its many outlying islands. This practical experience has been translated into collaborative projects working on sustainable land management plans within the farming community to promote dung beetles as important bio-indicators for soil, pasture and livestock health. Passionate to encourage the next generation, Sally-Ann mentors many young people and has set up a network of fellow scientists to support and guide them in their various chosen fields. Keen to increase factual engagement with wider audiences, Sally-Ann also works as a consultant on many books including the Dorling Kindersley range and even on the subject of eating insects with the BBC's food scientist Stefan Gates. Splitting her time between outreach events and the many collections at the Museum, teaching in schools, lecturing in universities and her own farm based research centre, Berrycroft Hub, Sally-Ann is an enthusiastic and inspiring advocate for the wildlife which is overlooked, yet vital to our survival.