Hi, my name is Kim Stephensen and I am the Northern NSW presenter for Bugs Ed.

From a very young age I have had a love of nature and went on to complete a degree in Natural Systems Management at the University of Queensland, where I studied the ecological interactions of plants and animals and became interested in collecting insects and preserving them. 

After completing my degree I went on to work in the conservation industry and became involved in the restoration of degraded ecosystems, working on a variety of remote and local projects including tree planting, plant propagation & weed management.  I worked on the Rainforest CRC beetle project, where I provided technical support for the preparation and cataloguing of the diverse array of beetles collected in the canopy of tropical forests.

My interest in insects drove me back to University to study a Masters degree in Entomology, where I carried out a research project on Invertebrate diversity in restored tropical ecosystems (funded by the Rainforest CRC).

Since the birth of my son in 2004 I have learnt to juggle family commitments with part-time study and work responsibilities.  I have been employed by AQIS (Australian Quarantine Inspection Service) where I provided technical assistance on weeds and insect pests, and have also worked for the DPI (Department of Primary Industries) in providing technical support in preserving the QDPI Mareeba (North Qld) insect collection, one of Australia’s premier collections of tropical insects.

I am very passionate about education and have interacted with children of all ages on a variety of conservation activities, and most recently, visited local kindergartens where I provided talks to the local kids about bugs.  My family and I have relocated back to Northern NSW and live on family property that focuses on organic farming, native bushfood orchards, and where we operate our own nursery business (specialising in native plants).  

I am very excited to introduce Bugs Ed. to the kids of Northern NSW and look forward to bringing a workshop to your school.