Philadelphia Team
Hannah Michelle
Hannah Michelle
Hannah Michelle
Hannah Michelle ("HM") Brower (she/her) got her start in nature education when she worked at the Audubon Zoo in New Orleans in middle and high school. One of her favorite jobs there was bringing insects and arachnids to libraries and camps to teach about these incredible creatures. After more than a decade-long hiatus from this work, HM joined Insectopia as an Invertebrate Educator in 2025. She loves learning and teaching about the amazing and varied adaptations that invertebrates have developed to survive in all sorts of habitats. In addition to her work with Insectopia, she is a Co-Founder and Tour Guide with Philly Pigeon Tours, where she educates people about pigeons, another group of misunderstood and maligned creatures. She lives with her partner and her pet pigeon, Primrose, in Philly.
Emilie
Hannah Michelle
Hannah Michelle
I'm Emilie and I love all creatures! I happily care for the animal team that travels the Philadelphia/NJ region. There's a special place in my heart for the unseen and under appreciated beings in this world. It brings me immense joy to share the knowledge and love for fascinating creatures, such as bugs. When I'm not sharing my love for animals I'm sharing my love for art. I enjoy finding new ways to stretch my creativity, especially when that means bringing all of my interests together to create something new. I design insect necklaces that are sold at the Insectopia table around the country. There are so many unique and fun ways to spread knowledge and I'm happy to be part of a team that is finding ways to do so with insects and arachnids.
Michigan Team
Trisha
"Hi! My name is Ms. Trisha and I LOVE BUGS," is how Ms. Trisha starts most of her programs. Her passion is sharing the love of insects with students and adults both. While studying at MSU, she worked in a variety of research labs and the AJ Cook Arthropod insect collection. She graduated from Michigan State University (MSU) in 2013 with an entomology degree. She stayed at MSU for 3 years managing a research lab while teaching undergrads. She started Insectopia as a small business in Michigan in 2015 producing YouTube content and traveling to schools. She was offered a full time job as the Director of Education at the Philadelphia Insectarium and Butterfly Pavilion. She resigned her position 4 years later. Now, she happily runs Insectopia full-time creating educational programs and sharing her love of insects with students, parents, and the public.