Led by UCF Professor of Biology and developed by undergraduate students, the new game blends research with interactive learning.

“My work on parasitic wasps and their symbiotic viruses forms the foundation for the game and other outreach efforts designed to engage the public with biology in a fun and accessible way,” Sharanowski says.

The game was created by computer science senior students as part of their capstone project under the supervision of Associate Lecturer of Computer Science Matthew Gerber, with Sharanowski providing the concept. It represents the second phase of development, with an earlier senior group of students building the original concept and the second group advancing it into a fully playable desktop version.

“The students coded, designed and refined the game, which was initially envisioned as a virtual reality experience but shifted to a desktop game  due to delays from the COVID-19 pandemic,” Sharanowski says.

In the game, players take on the role of scientists tasked with protecting a national park by designing custom wasps to control invasive pests.

“The goal as a scientist is to save the park by releasing specially designed wasps with beneficial features like paralytic venom, long ovipositors or even mind control, that make them more effective at targeting host species such as caterpillars, beetles and aphids,” she says.

Along the way, players encounter educational blurbs that explain these traits and reinforce the idea that not all wasps sting and many are actually beneficial to humans and ecosystems.

“These wasps can be endoparasitic, developing inside their host, or ectoparasitic, developing outside the host,” Sharanowski says. “You can find them all around the world, including in our backyards, and they serve an important role in nature as natural agents of pest control, thereby reducing the need for pesticides.”

The project was funded through the U.S. National Science Foundation’s (NSF) Rules of Life Initiative, which brings together multiple NSF divisions to address the fundamental questions about how living systems function and evolve.

According to Sharanowski, parasitic wasps are one of the most varied lineages on Earth, with more species than all vertebrates combined.

“For every insect that’s out there, there’s likely one or more parasitic wasps that attack it,” she says.

Her research explores the unique symbiosis between wasps and viruses.

“Over time, some viruses have become integrated into the genomes of certain parasitic wasps, effectively making the virus and wasp a single organism,” Sharanowski says. “The virus no longer replicates independently — its reproduction is tied to the wasp’s. When a female wasp lays an egg inside a host, the virions enter the host and activate viral genes that manipulate the host’s immune system and behavior, benefiting the developing wasp.”

This wasp-virus relationship has evolved multiple times and remains a central focus of her research.

As a first-generation college graduate, Sharanowski says this project has been a way to share her passion for entomology and science, as well as to provide educational opportunities for people to learn about wasps in a fun way.

“One of my core values as an educator is to make science engaging,” she says. “I enjoy doing campus and community outreach to show how fascinating these insects are, and I believe this game does that.”

She also highlighted UCF’s Collection of Arthropods, commonly known as the , as a public resource preserving and showcasing the biodiversity of insects in Central Florida.

Looking ahead, Sharanowski says a third group of students is currently working on a mobile version of the game, expected to launch later this year.

“There is so much beauty out there, and I want people to see how fascinating bugs are and the important role they play in ecosystems,” she says.

Researchers, led by UCF Associate Professor of biology Barbara Sharanowski, have developed the Mobile IPM app, which allows farmers to quickly identify crop pests and suggests effective integrated pest management strategies.

“The app helps farmers avoid unnecessary pesticide treatments to minimize negative effects to the ecosystem.”

“The app helps farmers avoid unnecessary pesticide treatments to minimize negative effects to the ecosystem, preserve pollinators and beneficial organisms, and minimize economic damage and maximize profits,” Sharanowski says.

The IPM strategies, around since the 1970s, are eco- friendly and help prevent unnecessary chemicals from entering the food chain and harming both the natural habitat and consumers who eat the products. The strategies also recognize that farmers have to bring crops to an international market.

The three components to the app are:

• An interactive identification tool for quick crop pests (insects and weeds to come soon)
• A real-time pest monitoring tool to discover the pest risk for your region
• A crop management tool to log information about your crop fields and storage units

Some of the crops covered by the app are significant exports for Canada including oilseeds, cereals, and pulses such as peas, lentils and beans.

Identification uses interactive key technology with high resolution images that makes identification very simple. Each pest has detailed information on its biology and control tactics, including economic injury levels and registered pesticides. The app is simple enough that specialists and non-specialists alike can use it. It also has a push notification feature to get updates about emerging pests in real time.

“We wanted to create an app that provides quick and convenient access to information.”

The app is free and is available on and Google Play.

“We wanted to create an app that provides quick and convenient access to information so farmers can make sustainable pest management decisions for their crops,” Sharanowski says.

The app was created with financial support from Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, Growing Forward2, Western Grains Research Foundation and the şŁ˝ÇÖ±˛Ą of Manitoba. Additional collaborators on the app include: Researchers at Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, Manitoba Agriculture, Saskatchewan Agriculture, Alberta Agriculture and Forestry and the Prairie Pest Monitoring Network.

“Our designation as a Bee Campus USA builds on our ongoing commitment to address global concerns over the decline in pollinators, especially in urban settings,” UCF’s Arboretum director Patrick Bohlen says. “It also builds on other pollinator initiatives we have joined, including the Million Pollinator Garden Challenge and the Nature Conservancy Monarch Initiative.”

“Our designation as a Bee Campus USA builds on our ongoing commitment to address global concerns over the decline in pollinators.”

In 2016, the Arboretum worked with UCF’s Landscape and Natural Resources to plant the campus’s first pollinator gardens. Since then the campus has established another large pollinator garden near Colbourn Hall. The university’s horticultural staffers are using these areas to test different native and non-native pollinator plants to determine which species perform best on campus.

Last year, the university also placed three honeybee hives in the Arboretum to help improve pollinator activity on campus. Honeybees are responsible for pollinating 80 percent of worldwide pollination.

“Imperiled pollinators are responsible for the reproduction of 90 percent of the world’s wild plant and tree species,” Bee Campus USA director Phyllis Stiles says. “UCF is a stellar example of the influence educational institutions can have on their students and the broader community. Their talented faculty, staff and students offer an invaluable resource for Central Florida residents in seeking ways to manage ornamental landscapes in more wildlife-friendly ways.”

Chase Mason and Barbara Sharanowski, two professors from the Department of Biology, also serve on UCF’s Bee Campus USA committee with Bohlen. The Arboretum supports student research projects and internships, which helps the campus meet the expectations of the Bee Campus USA program.

“Imperiled pollinators are responsible for the reproduction of 90 percent of the world’s wild plant and tree species.”

The Bee Campus USA program requires the university to develop policies and procedures to minimize hazards of harmful chemicals to pollinators. Experts in UCF’s Integrated Pest Management program are working to develop more environmentally sustainable pest-control practices. Landscape and Natural Resources is also working to find alternatives to certain pesticides and other chemicals that are harmful to pollinators and other beneficial insects.

The UCF Arboretum will soon publish a webpage with information about UCF’s Integrated Pest Management Plan, native plants on campus and links to student research on pollinator issues. In the meantime, the Arboretum will also post information about upcoming events through its and other UCF media outlets.

Each certified campus must reapply each year and report on accomplishments from the previous year, Stiles says.