SAU Fish and Wildlife Club welcomes new biology faculty with a black-light bug survey
News from Southern Arkansas University
MAGNOLIA, AR (09/26/2026) When the Fish and Wildlife Club approached faculty about a black-light survey excursion at the Biological Preserve, biology professor Dr. Sofie Varriano grabbed her equipment and met 23 students for an evening of introductions, refreshments, and insect gazing.
The club trekked into the remote, wooded area of the preserve and beamed a black light onto a stretched white sheet, drawing nocturnal and aquatic insects to their location. When the bugs landed on the canvas, attendees could more easily identify and study the elusive critters.
Dr. Varriano, who is from Memphis, TN, joined SAU’s biology faculty as an assistant professor in August. With an interest in community ecology and agroecology, Dr. Varriano earned her BA in biology from Hendrix College and her PhD in entomology from the University of Athens, GA. She is generally interested in trophic and disease ecology on farms, with a special focus on insects and birds. In other words, she felt right at home surrounded by night-flying beetles and moths.
Before arriving at SAU, Dr. Varriano conducted a post-doctoral entomology research project in Athens, studying the impact of poultry grazing habits on floral and faunal crop pests.
“One of the draws of SAU was its working farm and the poultry industry in Arkansas,” said Dr. Varriano. “It was feasible for me to pick up my pastured chicken work and continue my entomology studies here.”
In addition to SAU’s well-established agriculture programming, proximity to the Biological Preserve has opened up more possibilities for future research and given Dr. Varriano’s students a natural lab of their own.
“It’s hard for students to connect the bullet points on a PowerPoint slide without using their hands,” Dr. Varriano said. “The Biological Preserve gives students an opportunity to study this little slice of nature that’s relatively untouched and apply that to what they see outside of their residence halls-to make nature less abstract.”
One of the most rewarding aspects of working at SAU for Dr. Varriano has been the community. In addition to welcoming administrators and supportive faculty, her students’ curiosity and excitement have made SAU feel a little more like home.
“The students came to me early, requesting to help me with research, volunteering their time to work on projects,” Dr. Varriano said. “I really enjoy their enthusiasm.”
That student enthusiasm has manifested in an insect zoo that Dr. Varriano and her students will exhibit on Family Day, September 26th. Their collection of pinned and live insects includes a few tarantulas and a giant millipede named Slinky. Dr. Varriano aims to expand the zoo and provide science outreach to local schools and community events.
If you would like Dr. Varriano to bring her zoo to your classroom or upcoming event, contact her at savarriano@saumag.edu.