YALE HONOURS YOUNG SCIENTISTS AFTER A NEIGHBOUR FALSELY REPORTED HER TO POLICE

Recently, the spotted lanternfly has received a lot of media attention. The vividly coloured, highly invasive, and destructive species has rapidly proliferated. The public was even urged to stomp them whenever they saw the flash of red and speckled wings, causing damage to a variety of plants, including apple and maple trees. In her hometown of Caldwell, New Jersey, a young scientist decided to carry out a variation of that. A neighbour reported a "suspicious" person to the police while she used a homemade, non-toxic spray to eradicate the animals. Bobbi Wilson, a 9-year-old Black child, experienced a horrific instance of racial profiling that many people of colour are familiar with.

Despite this traumatic experience, Yale University has taken the initiative to ensure Bobbi understands how unique and valued she is as a young Black woman scientist. Hayden, Bobbi's 13-year-old sister, bravely spoke up in a town council meeting following the racist incident in October 2022 to condemn the injustice her sister and other children of colour experienced in their community. News organisations like CNN took notice of her strong remarks. After reading the narrative, Ijeoma Opara, an assistant professor at Yale School of Public Health, extended an invitation to Bobbi and her family to come to Yale. The girls returned to the prestigious campus on January 20, 2023, for a unique ceremony that honoured Bobbi and her love of science and her community.

Bobbi gave her own collection of mounted spotted lanternflies to Yale's Peabody Museum during the event. Her name will always be in the museum catalogue thanks to the donation. Professor Opara remarked, "Yale doesn't typically do anything like this...this is something unique to Bobbi." "We just want to make sure she continues to feel honoured and loved by the Yale community, and we wanted to show her bravery and how inspiring she is."

Bobbi was then asked to label one of her 27 specimens by Lawrence Gall, the manager of the Peabody Museum's Entomology Collections, and Nicole Palffy-Muhoray, the assistant director of student programs. Gall remarked, "We're so appreciative of all the work you've done down in New Jersey and your interest in conservation and checking out the lanternflies' advance. There aren't many of them in Connecticut at the moment. They have only recently begun to arrive here. However, we're thrilled to have these specimens since I'm sure we'll see them."

During the honour ceremony, Bobbi's mother, Monique Joseph, gave a speech. She described the anxiety she experienced for all children who are stereotyped, as well as for her family, as victims of the racist incident. She commended Hayden for her courageous remarks. She remarked, "Dr Opara, you have been a blessing." "Your heart and your love for the work you do are more significant than anything else. You are a part of our narrative and what it means to have a community of outstanding, gorgeous, Black, intellectual scientists and doctors. We were able to alter the course of that day thanks to you.

"This happened because of what happened to Bobbi, but it also happened because the entire science community came together and said, 'She's one of us, and we're not going to let her lose her steam for STEM,'" she continued. We're going to help the family, we're going to help this girl, and we're going to make sure Hayden, her older sister, doesn't lose that brightness."