An 8-Year-Old Girl, Bullied for Loving Bugs, Just Got Published in a Scientific Journal

From Redbook

Eight-year-old Sophia Spencer, from Ontario, Canada, was often teased by other kids for her love of bugs. But a strong passion for science has led her to become one of the youngest published authors in the Annals of the Entomological Society of America, NPR reports.

After being bullied for so long, Sophia's mom Nicole Spencer decided to reach out to The Entomological Society of Canada in the hopes that they would encourage her daughter and help educate her more about insects.

"I have an eight year old daughter who loves to learn and explore the world of bugs and insects," Nicole wrote in a letter the scientific society tweeted. "She is often teased at school by her peers because she will proudly display her current bug friend on her shoulder."

"I was wondering if a professional entomologist would speak to her over the phone to encourage her love and explain to her how she could make this into a career," she added. "I am constantly looking for articles and information on the species and how to recognize them, but find the lack of answers to her questions unhelpful."

The Entomological Society of Canada paired Sophia with entomology Ph.D. candidate Morgan Jackson, who was working on a paper about how Twitter can be a powerful tool for science and the promotion of women in science. Sophia then became a junior author for the article, titled "Engaging for a Good Cause: Sophia's Story and Why #BugsR4Girls."

"I'm really proud of this piece, and am thrilled to share the publishing experience with Sophia, who I met & collected bugs with this summer," Jackson said on Twitter.

Sophia told NPR that the experience has only encouraged her even more to continue her scientific pursuits. "I see myself growing up to become an entomologist," she said. "It's going to take a lot of hard work, but the more hard work you do, the better the thing you're working for is."

"Before ... I really thought loving bugs wasn't the best hobby," Sophia told NPR. "But after I realized bugs are for girls I thought to myself, 'Well, I think I should start loving bugs again, because just because people say they're weird and gross doesn't mean I shouldn't like them.'"

Thanks to the buzz Sophia's contribution has received, other little girls are following in her footsteps.