Zoë Simmons
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pselaphacus.bsky.social
Zoë Simmons
@pselaphacus.bsky.social
Head of Life Collections @ OUMNH
Collections Manager of Arachnida
President of BENHS 2024-25

Entomologist, Arachnologist, Natural Historian, Museum and Collections Nerd
All views my own
Pinned
Every year in January BENHS (@britentsoc.bsky.social) and LNHS jointly host the Brad Ashby Memorial Lecture.

In case you missed this years fabulous talk on electrostatic ecology by @samjakeengland.bsky.social, I am pleased to report that it can be found here youtu.be/e3R5T1jVcfU?...
Reposted by Zoë Simmons
Thanks to our amazing contributors we have the Spring newsletter to share with you, full of fascinating #biologicalrecording stories which we hope you'll enjoy www.nfbr.org.uk/sites/defaul...
April 29, 2025 at 5:01 AM
Calling all UK PhD students with an interest in Entomology. Open now: Insect Taxonomy and Field Sampling Skills Course. It's a fully funded, residential 1 week field course in Oxford, based at OUMNH @morethanadodo.bsky.social
Full details can be found at the link below. Application deadline May 9th
Insect Taxonomy and Field Sampling Skills
5-day free course for doctoral students and early career researchers in ecology/entomology, seeking an essential overview of taxonomic theory, insect identification skills, basic field sampling and sp...
conted.ox.ac.uk
April 24, 2025 at 9:28 AM
Reposted by Zoë Simmons
Any presentation that starts with a Star Trek reference has my FULL attention!! 🖖

We had an EPIC talk this morning by @pselaphacus.bsky.social on what the Life Collections team gets up to @morethanadodo.bsky.social

(A LOT, is the take home message…)
April 1, 2025 at 10:55 AM
I have been prompted and so you are prompted:
The #CETAF E-SCoRe Award deadline is in a week!
FOR: #natural collections based #researches
WHO: PhD #students PRIZE: 1.000 € 💶 + 1.500 € for research trip
Check this page out 👇
cetaf.org/template-act...
#taxonomy
CETAF E-SCoRe Award - Consortium of European Taxonomic Facilities - CETAF
The E-SCoRe Award for Excellence in Scientific Collections-based Research6th edition: apply before Sunday, 30th of March,...
cetaf.org
March 25, 2025 at 9:55 AM
It's Wednesday afternoon and it's time for a mid week reward. Presenting the shiny blue wasp that you didn't know you needed in your life #hymenoptera #museumcollections
March 12, 2025 at 4:31 PM
Delighted to be hosting @colsocbi.bsky.social today at @morethanadodo.bsky.social for a day of talks and visits to the collections. Lovely to see so many keen beetle people, with old faces and new in the audience #coleopteristsday2025
February 22, 2025 at 12:33 PM
Reposted by Zoë Simmons
Hello, internet!

Things are bad for our trans & queer friends in the US, so I teamed up with bsky's nature artists to create this pack containing 80 wallpapers and growing.

1. Donate to one of the two orgs below
2. DM me your receipt
3. I'll give you a download link

Valid til the end of the month
February 7, 2025 at 7:52 PM
This feels like a Chrysis moment #hymenoptera #museum #collections
February 6, 2025 at 12:01 PM
Every year in January BENHS (@britentsoc.bsky.social) and LNHS jointly host the Brad Ashby Memorial Lecture.

In case you missed this years fabulous talk on electrostatic ecology by @samjakeengland.bsky.social, I am pleased to report that it can be found here youtu.be/e3R5T1jVcfU?...
February 4, 2025 at 2:23 PM
Our fantastic NERC DTP student finished up yesterday and I got the chance to see some of the collections that they've been working on. In a highly scientific fashion I picked out all my favorites based on objective parameters such as: bling, fluffiness, pattern & cuteness.... #hymenoptera #museum
January 31, 2025 at 9:33 AM
January 30, 2025 at 7:01 AM
Unsolicited insect picture for your feed
January 18, 2025 at 1:59 PM
This is a nice list! And who doesn't need more bug friends?
Hey all, I made a Bug Friends starter pack a while ago and have added a few accounts since then. If you enjoy insects, spiders, and other arthropods then this is a nice list for you.

go.bsky.app/DCu5DxX
January 16, 2025 at 7:21 AM
Today, I have mostly been thinking about beetles #coleoptera
January 15, 2025 at 7:51 PM
What I did today: meetings and emails
What I WANTED to do today: play with bugs
Goal for tomorrow: less emails more bugs 🪲
January 13, 2025 at 6:58 PM
The light was beautiful in the heavy frost yesterday. Took a walk around the reservoir as the sun was setting. Fog was so thick that if it weren't for the birds, you wouldn't have known where the sky stopped and the water began
January 12, 2025 at 5:36 PM
Been diary planning this morning, and wowsers it's going to be a busy year! Lots of projects at the museum and BENHS events to look forward to. Here goes it with 2025 then!
January 11, 2025 at 11:09 AM
Reposted by Zoë Simmons
I'm very excited to give this talk in January! It's free to attend via zoom if you're interested! :)
Electric Ecology: How Invertebrates Capitalise on Static Electricity
Join us and Dr Sam England for our next Brad Ashby Memorial Lecture
Thursday, January 23, 2025 · 7 - 8:30pm over Zoom
Booking open now: www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/electric-e...
December 19, 2024 at 4:30 PM
Am feeling under immense pressure to make my first post on a new platform really cool, but that would be so out of character that I just don't think there's anyway it can happen. Please be distracted by this nice #fungus
January 9, 2025 at 5:42 PM