Fashion shows and magazines proclaim big, chunky jewelry is all the rage this fall, but Oregon State University student Rachel Mourek took accessorizing to an extreme when she donned a giant African millipede at Thursday’s “Buggin’ Out” exhibit.

“They make beautiful adornments,” she said, watching admiringly as the long, black insect crawled around her wrist on its myriad tiny legs. “It’s a lovely bracelet.”

Every term, BugZoo, OSU’s entomology club, hosts events on campus to introduce the community to the wonderful world of creepy crawlies. The group will offer Bug Fest in February and Bug Day in April.

BugZoo members also take live and preserved specimens, such as walking sticks and cockroaches, to local schools, libraries and community events to educate the public about insects.

Missie Scherr, a first-year graduate student in entomology, helped staff the Buggin’ Out tent on the Memorial Union Quad. Scherr has a lot of respect for bugs and finds them fascinating.

“They’re so different. There’s no one type of bug. They’re so diverse and adaptable. You think you know everything there is to know about bugs, and then you come across something totally different,” she said.

Although she likes all arthropods, Scherr favors the dragonfly.

“They’re really ancient and so well-adapted for how they live. They’re impossible to catch, and I respect that,” she said.

Emma Sandago, 4, especially enjoyed holding a silk worm.

“Daddy, do you want to touch it? It’s very soft,” she said.

Emma came to Buggin’ Out with her parents, Allyson and Michael Sandago. While Emma played with the caterpillar, her mom got up close and personal with a millipede.

“He has — wow — the most feet ever,” she said, holding the insect out for Emma to touch.

“That tickles. It’s sticky,” Emma said, bursting into laughter.

Sujaya Rao, associate professor of entomology and BugZoo advisor, was on hand to give explanations of the different insects. When asked what bug she’d most want to be, Rao didn’t take long to deliberate.

“I’d pick a bee because they work really hard. They have a community and a social life, and I’m really into community building,” she said.

Jason Ziegler, a senior majoring in horticulture, spotted the BugZoo tent on his way to buy coffee in the Memorial Union.

“They’re really cool,” he said, cradling a walking stick. “Bugs are our friends. They can be kind of freaky sometimes, but with BugZoo, we can learn about them and don’t have to be afraid of them anymore.”

Mary Ann Albright covers higher education. She can be reached at maryann.albright@lee.net or 758-9518.