OUR STORY
30 YEARS OF TURNING
“EW!” INTO “WOW!”
It started with a simple idea: put an extraordinary creature in a child’s hands and see what happens next.
That idea grew into a nationwide movement of curiosity — and it’s still going.
Small creatures.
Big adventures.
Excite!
Educate!
Inspire!
OVER
1 MILLION
STUDENTS
THREE
DECADES
OF OUTREACH
NATIONWIDE
SCIENCE
SCHOOLS, LIBRARIES, MUSEUMS & EVENTS
A MORE
CURIOUS WORLD
FOR GENERATIONS
A JOURNEY OF CURIOSITY
Different times. Same mission.
1995
THE ZOO BEGINS
Tony’s Creepy Crawly Zoo starts bringing live invertebrate encounters to schools, libraries, and communities.
It’s not just a show…
it’s a spark.
2005
WHO WANTS TO BE
AN ENTOMOLOGIST?
We produce our award-winning educational film “Who Wants to Be an Entomologist?”, helping even more kids discover the wonder of insects.
5 international film festival awards.
Thousands of inspired students.
2020
EVERYTHING STOPS
The pandemic brings the live program to an abrupt end. A webcam could show an insect, but it couldn’t recreate the magic of the encounter.
How do you create a personal and engaging experience, without being there to personally engage?
TODAY
Something Ends,
Something New Begins
Tony’s Creepy Crawly Zoo 2.0 puts you inside the world of insects through immersive 8K macro virtual reality. Explore at two inches tall and discover the Dan Capps collection.
New tools.
New horizons.
Same mission.
THE ANIMALS WERE NEVER REALLY THE POINT.
The insects got everyone through the door. What happened next mattered more.
Moments of wonder led to questions. Questions led to investigation.
And investigation is where science begins.
Entomology is a gateway science.
Wonder
Questions
Discovery
A brighter tomorrow.
Same passion.
New generations.
MEET THE BUG WHISPERER
Tony Gustin
ENTOMOLOGIST. EDUCATOR. FILMMAKER. AUTHOR.
PROFESSIONAL TROUBLEMAKER FOR THE CHRONICALLY CURIOUS.
Our history — scroll to follow the whole journey ↓
The Gateway Science Project, Inc. began in 1995 as Tony’s Creepy Crawly Zoo, built around intimate, fun, exciting, and unforgettable encounters with live insects and other small creatures. The goal was simple: Excite, educate, and inspire. This simple formula lit wildfires of scientific curiosity. Students would always leave wanting more. They would run home and tear apart their own yards looking for more, or run to the library and find all the books on insects that they could. This is what scientific curiosity is! Over the years, those experiences reached more than 1.5 million students nationwide.
“The cure for boredom is curiosity. There is no cure for curiosity.”
– Dorothy Parker
For over a decade, I was unaware of my own impact and contribution to science. Then I would meet parents that chastised me about the day I came to their child’s school. They would jovially complain about how they could not go anywhere without packing nets and jars for years after. I would hear about how their children went into fields related to insects because of my visits.
This inspired a swelling of pride that I could have hung my hat on. Every educator dreams of the day a child will come back as an adult and tell them how something they taught them inspired their life.
“Science begins with curiosity. Insects are weird, exciting, mysterious, and awe-inspiring. They are the roller coaster in the theme park. They are everywhere and affect everything! By using insects to inspire curiosity in children, their questions may lead to chemistry, evolution, biology, zoology, physics, botany, history, agriculture, medicine, genetics, math, and even astronomy. Entomology is a gateway science!”
— Antonio Gustin
As the organization evolved into a nonprofit, our focus sharpened on what those encounters consistently ignited: questions, investigation, and a desire to learn more. Today, we no longer run live animal programs. The pandemic brought the live shows to an end, but from the ashes of defeat, a new idea was born. I could not bring insects to audiences, but what if I could put my audience in with the insects?
This led to the invention of a proprietary 8K macro virtual reality camera that lets you see the world as if you were only 2″ tall. I partnered with my old friend Dan Capps to bring his stunning collection to virtual reality as well. Six years later, that project is a reality — Tony’s Creepy Crawly Zoo 2.0! This is not the end of the story; it’s the beginning of a new one.
Entomologist
Entertainer
Educator
Filmmaker
Author
Inventor
Science Evangelist
Step inside.
See their world.
Enter the World of Tony’s Creepy Crawly Zoo
Scroll to read the full story ↓
When the pandemic hit, it had a devastating impact on everyone, especially those who depended on live audiences for their livelihoods. Antonio Gustin, the visionary director of the Gateway Science Project, was not immune. His nonprofit — which used insects in a thrilling live show called Tony’s Creepy Crawly Zoo to ignite scientific curiosity in children — was brought to its knees. Despite years of work toward a permanent home for his mission, Gustin’s dream of a natural science park themed around insects and reptiles was on the brink of collapse.
In 2019, Gustin appeared to be on the brink of success. He had joined forces with his close friend Dan Capps, who possessed one of the most impressive insect collections in the world. He had finally garnered multiple sponsors, and his live show was scheduled for the entire year. To top it off, he released a complementary science activity book, “My Science Diary” — the same day the stay-at-home order was issued.
“From the very beginning, I knew this would never work. I did one virtual show over Zoom and it was just awful. My live show was never about me, or my animals, or any educational information. It was about the experience. ‘Virtual’ was like standing in a corner and mumbling to the wall.”
— Antonio Gustin
Gustin couldn’t escape the problem of generating an “experience” during the pandemic. That thought led him back to a concept he had considered years prior — virtual reality. “I was introduced to VR by an old high school friend. When I took the goggles off, I looked at him and said, ‘Do they make a macro 360 camera?’ I immediately knew what I was going to do with it.”
The problem: a macro 360 camera did not exist. Gustin devoted two years to intense research and development. In early 2022 he succeeded — a camera compact enough to fit inside a terrarium, capturing his tarantulas, scorpions, and other creatures in stunning 8K.
“When I saw the first video using my phone and an $8 pair of Google Cardboard goggles, I was stunned. I was less than 2 inches tall and inside the terrarium with one of my tarantulas. I got goosebumps.”
With Brett Waterhouse of the Grove Gallery, the three spent a week 3D-scanning Dan Capps’ collection — some specimens dating to 1872 — to preserve it in virtual reality. The science park Gustin had dreamed of would be built, with a twist: in virtual reality.
OUR MISSION
Excite! Educate! Inspire!
Lighting wildfires of scientific curiosity
and building scientific literacy.
Our mission and approach — scroll to read every chapter ↓
Mission
EXCITE! EDUCATE! INSPIRE! To take fear and malice for the misunderstood and change that to curiosity and respect. Empowering youth with a science that is as accessible as their own backyards. A science that leads to all other sciences. Entomology is a gateway science!
The Problem
Let’s be honest and point out the obvious: most of us don’t even know what science is. We hear that science people do research and tell us things we might need to know. We know it has to do with math, stars, nuclear energy, and things — but WHAT IS IT? At the same time, pseudoscience spreads faster than ever, making it harder for young people and adults to separate evidence from opinion and develop durable critical thinking habits.
Carl Sagan said it best: “Science is a way of thinking.” What we think of as science is better described as the “sciences” — subjects we have applied science to. Science is a verb! We question everything, we test our ideas, and we follow the evidence. How we test those ideas is what we know as the scientific method. It isn’t about being right; it is about being accurate and following the evidence.
Our Solution
Every great scientist who made a discovery that elevated humanity began as a curious and inspired child. We begin with an experience that lights the fires of curiosity. We still use insects as instruments of awe, and we have evolved to make those experiences available on demand, with a reach that is now global.
Our virtual reality experience is only the beginning of a larger journey — a tool that opens the door. As these adventures inspire new questions, we created a science activity book to help learners record their observations. Scientific observation is the fundamental skill of every scientist, and anyone can do it.
If we can accomplish only this, we can help create generations of children who grow up with a real understanding of science. In today’s world, that understanding alone would be a major contribution to humanity.
“The only difference between screwing around and science is writing it down.”
— Adam Savage
Who We Are
We are a nonprofit science education organization that uses curiosity as the entry point into real scientific thinking. We believe science becomes accessible when learners first experience wonder and then receive tools that help them explore, question, and understand what they discover.
Immersive Virtual Reality Science Exploration
Tony’s Creepy Crawly Zoo 2.0 is an immersive VR experience built for extended, self-guided discovery. Learners step inside intricate environments, examine details up close, and follow their curiosity as often as they wish.
My Science Diary
A guided workbook that helps learners develop the core habits behind scientific literacy: careful observation, accurate recording, thoughtful questioning, and recognizing patterns. It turns curiosity into a repeatable scientific process.
How It Works
Our approach begins with wonder. VR sparks the initial curiosity through immersive exploration, while My Science Diary provides the structure that helps learners capture what they notice, think critically about it, and build long-term evidence-based reasoning skills.
Who We Serve
We support educators, schools, families, and lifelong learners who want science to feel accessible, engaging, and relevant.
Mission Support
Proceeds from Tony’s Creepy Crawly Zoo 2.0 and My Science Diary directly support our attendance at public events, conventions, and community programs. At these events, we demonstrate the virtual reality experience and give away copies of My Science Diary to attendees.
“Tony Gustin is simply one of the best science educators/entertainers I have ever seen. His ability to connect with kids and get them excited about whatever he’s excited about is amazing. If one in ten teachers could make kids science as easily as he can, there would be no science crisis in the world today. I am delighted to give Tony my highest recommendation.”
— Shawn Carlson, Ph.D., Physicist, MacArthur Fellow
STEP INSIDE
THE ZOO
Experience Tony’s Creepy Crawly Zoo 2.0 in immersive virtual reality.
START YOUR OWN
INVESTIGATION
Turn everyday curiosity into observations and big questions with the My Science Diary app.