ConFusion on January 17!

ConFusion is a local/regional science fiction convention based in the Metro Detroit area, this year being held at the DoubleTree in Dearborn January 16-18.  In addition to programming about sci-fi books/movies/etc, the annual convention makes sure to highlight scientists as well.  This year I have been asked to participate in the scientific programming!  I am very excited because the scientists represented at these sorts of events tend to fall in line more with physics and astronomy than they do anthropology!  But one thing is for sure, sci-fi people are forward thinkers, and I hope to drum up some interest in the future of insect-based foods.

I will be participating in a panel called "Bugs, Magic and Protein" at 1:00 on Saturday January 17th.  In addition to discussing my research in paleoanthropology, I will be highlighting the research presented by the UN Food and Agriculture Organization on the benefits of insects as foods.  One thing I will be presenting are the amazing info-graphics created by the Austin-bsed nonprofit, Little Herds.  These images capture the striking amount of resources our traditional livestock use to produce just one kilogram of food.  Below is the one that startles me the most.  Fresh water is a very limited resource.  People love to blow through it like it is infinite; watering "lawns" in Nevada and taking hour-long showers.  I always say that wars will be fought over water one day just as they are fought now over oil.  It takes so little water to raise crickets as feed.

Also very exciting is that I will be bringing Hopper Bars, cricket-flour based protein bars, to the Con for people to try!  You may have heard of them from their successful $30,000 Kickstarter campaign.  I am working with them to bring bite-size samples for people to try.  The Hopper mission:

"Hopper Food's mission is to help normalise entomophagy (eating insects) by creating great tasting, nutritious and healthy products that people will want to eat every day. We believe this is important because insects are a sustainable source of high quality protein which we need to capitalize on if we are to feed our growing population. In addition insects are a delicacy which are highly prized in the native cuisines of many cultures. We want to introduce this to a wider audience at home. Our first offering, the Hopper Bar, is an all natural energy bar which is perfect for anyone with an active lifestyle who is conscious of what they put in their body and where it came from."

I am honored to have been embraced by the "entomophagy community."  We are a small, but growing group.  It is exemplary of the community that I can just reach out and then receive the resources I need to put together an amazing presentation.  We are all working toward a common goal, whether we are academics, business owners, or just socially engaged members of society, and that is to bring awareness to insects as a sustainable food source that should be cultivated at greater scales in order to create a better tomorrow.

So if you are a geek in metro-Detroit, I suggest you check out ConFusion.  It's going to be an amazing couple of days and it just so happens that I will be there talking about eating bugs.