Justin Schmidt of the Southwest Biological Institute in Tucson, Arizona is perhaps best-known for his creation of the Schmidt Sting Pain Index, a relative pain scale based on his personal experiences with very close encounters with an impressive number (around 83) of species of Hymenoptera (ants, bees, and wasps). Take a moment to watch and listen as Derek Woller asks him about the origins of the index, his 2015 Ig Nobel Prize, his other research interests (which are many!), his recent interview on Jimmy Kimmel Live!, and more!

Read more at:

– Schmidt Sting Pain Index visual version

– 2015 Ig Nobel information

– Jimmy Kimmel Live! appearance

– Sting of the Wild book

Derek A. Woller is a PhD Candidate in the Song Lab of Insect Systematics and Evolution at Texas A&M University. His research is focused on investigating the evolutionary history of a fascinating group of scrub-lovin’ grasshoppers (Orthoptera: Melanoplinae) confined to xeric habitats in the southeastern U.S.A. He has aspirations of working in an insect collection or teaching at a university one day soon (he graduates with his PhD in Spring of 2017). Until then, in his spare time (of which he typically has none), he makes videos like these, enjoys doing outreach events with the public, and likes searching for (and describing) new species.