Fashion shows and magazines proclaim big, chunky jewelry is all the rage this fall, but Oregon State University student Rachel Mourek took accessorizing to an extreme when she donned a giant African millipede at Thursday's "Buggin' Out" exhibit.

"They make beautiful adornments," she said, watching admiringly as the long, black insect crawled around her wrist on its myriad tiny legs. "It's a lovely bracelet."

Every term, BugZoo, OSU's entomology club, hosts events on campus to introduce the community to the wonderful world of creepy crawlies. The group will offer Bug Fest in February and Bug Day in April.

BugZoo members also take live and preserved specimens, such as walking sticks and cockroaches, to local schools, libraries and community events to educate the public about insects.

Missie Scherr, a first-year graduate student in entomology, helped staff the Buggin' Out tent on the Memorial Union Quad. Scherr has a lot of respect for bugs and finds them fascinating.

"They're so different. There's no one type of bug. They're so diverse and adaptable. You think you know everything there is to know about bugs, and then you come across something totally different," she said.

Emma came to Buggin' Out with her parents, Allyson and Michael Sandago. While Emma played with the caterpillar, her mom got up close and personal with a millipede.

Sujaya Rao, associate professor of entomology and BugZoo advisor, was on hand to give explanations of the different insects. When asked what bug she'd most want to be, Rao didn't take long to deliberate.

"They're really cool," he said, cradling a walking stick. "Bugs are our friends. They can be kind of freaky sometimes, but with BugZoo, we can learn about them and don't have to be afraid of them anymore."

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