Meet a Scientist: Peter Oboyski (Patreon)

Hey Deep Peeps,

It takes a lot of time and effort to produce each episode of Deep Look, and we couldn’t do it without the help of scientists and other valuable collaborators who have closely worked with us over the years. We’re introducing several of these wonderful partners to you in a series of short profiles so you can get a deeper look at their expertise.

Meet Peter Oboyski: He’s the Executive Director of the Essig Museum of Entomology at the University of California at Berkeley. “As manager of a natural history museum, I support other researchers by providing specimens and data, train students in specimen collection and preparation, and engage the public with outreach events like tours and lectures.”

Oboyski is also a research biologist who studies insects from the Pacific Islands –– such as Hawaii, Tahiti, the Marquesas, Micronesia and Sulawesi. “I am particularly interested in how diversity is produced and maintained - that is, why some species diversify into many new species while others remain just a single species. I am also interested in food webs, or who eats who and why.”

Producer / cinematographer Josh Cassidy and UC Berkeley undergraduate researcher Edward Ramirez film Indian walking sticks on UC Berkeley’s campus at night. Photo credit: Jenny Oh/KQED.

He’s been an invaluable collaborator with Deep Look over the years by suggesting ideas, introducing producers to scientists, procuring specimens, identifying unknown insects that make a guest appearance in original or acquired footage and patiently answering numerous questions about insect biology and terminology. Oboyski has generously provided support on videos about walking sticks, galls, earwigs, hissing cockroaches, dandelions, as well as an upcoming episode on Cydia saltitans, also known as Mexican jumping beans.

Oboyski also closely worked with producer Gabriela Quirós on her recent silk-swinging caterpillars video. “This episode was the first time he came to us with a story idea and then worked closely with us to get it filmed,” Quirós said. “He also filmed footage for the episode with Aaron Pomerantz's gear and assistance.” (Side note: Pomerantz is currently a Ph.D. candidate at the University of California at Berkeley and was an important collaborator on the glasswings episode.)

“These caterpillars are part of my research to understand why some moth species choose particular trees and why their outbreaks are so hard to predict,” said Oboyski.

A California oak moth caterpillar crawls along a stem on a coast live oak. Photo credit: Josh Cassidy/KQED.

“I’m impressed by the amount of time, energy and people that goes into producing each episode, and how quickly the whole process moves,” Oboyski said. “One of the greatest challenges scientists have is translating their work into something the general public would understand and enjoy. I have had a chance to see a few stories under development –– particularly the script –– and how to express certain ideas. It is clear that Deep Look staff make great efforts to be biologically accurate while making the story fun. Insects often move quickly and erratically, making video capture challenging to say the least.”

Oboyski isn’t just a frequent contributor, though –– he’s also an educational ambassador for Deep Look and touts the series on campus and elsewhere. “I often point friends and students to Deep Look videos when trying to explain something like structural color. Deep Look's four-minute videos save me twenty minutes of talking and still getting quizzical looks. No wonder they are so popular.”