Aug. 3, 2026- High School East teacher Jessica Kurtz recently spent two weeks this summer studying entomology at Penn State University under top American ecologist Gary Felton.

The research venture took place in July at the Felton Entomology Lab at PSU. The lab's namesake professor is the head of the Entomology Department at the school, the Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Entomological Society of America, and one of the clear leaders in his field. In addition to learning from one of entomology's top experts, Kurtz worked side by side with four-year PhD students. Of the six teachers selected from across the country to take part in this prestigious scientific professional development, Kurtz was the only one from New Jersey.

During her research, Kurtz studied the helicoverpa zea (tomato fruitworm) and the microplitis croceipes (braconid wasp), as well as plant diversity and chemical defenses. It's knowledge she'll take back to the classroom during the 2026-2027 school year and beyond.

“Agriculture needs are shifting with climate-change demands,” Kurtz said. “Research like what is being conducted in the Felton Entomology Lab is paving the way for future developments in pest control and temperature/drought resilient plants, among others.

“The significance in my classroom is huge. I scoured their lab identifying how safety and waste is handled. I observed carefully what was recorded in their lab notebooks—which looks a lot like what I ask my students to keep—and also discussed how proposals are written, how research is showcased in published papers or poster presentations, and how they are funded. It was a phenomenal experience to compare high school research with graduate research. I can't wait to implement some new tools into my classroom, as well as remind them of the importance of repeatable procedures and detailed documentation.”

The purpose of the program is to immerse teachers in real world research and expose the systems of research lab operations in a purposeful and sustainable way. Kurtz was introduced to key roles that support the lab through interviews and guest speakers, and visited facilities that keep the lab running smoothly, including the compost center, water treatment facility, recycling center, and data center.

View more photos of Kurtz's summer research experience below.