 Her mother, when asked by Alice to keep insects she had caught, agreed under the condition that Alice learn what they ate by dinnertime, leading her to become an amateur entomologist at a young age.While still in high school she knew she wanted to work at the American Museum of Natural History, and called its Insects and Spiders Department to ask about employment.Based on the advice she received from then-chairman, Frank E. Lutz, she applied to and attended Cornell University, studying biology and entomology, and training in scientific illustration.