This 8-year-old girl co-authored a scientific paper after being bullied for her bug obsession

The INSIDER Summary:

• Sophia Spencer, 8, was teased by her classmates for her obsession with bugs.
• Her mother wrote a letter asking for support from the Entomological Society of Canada, which received dozens of responses.
• Sophia ended up co-authoring a published scientific paper on helping girls become interested in science.
• She is no longer bullied.

You might make a bee-line for the fly swatter when you see a critter in your house, but Sophia Spencer, 8, from Ontario, Canada, actually wants to get up-close and personal with insects. The budding entomologist (that means "bug scientist") used to be bullied for her obsession with bugs, but that all changed when her mother sent a passionate letter to the Entomological Society of Canada looking for guidance, and received a mountain of support. Now, Sophia is now a published scientist.

"Before ... I really thought loving bugs wasn't the best hobby,"Sophia told NPR. "But after I realized bugs are for girls, I thought to myself, 'Well, I think I should start loving bugs again, because just because people say they're weird and gross doesn't mean I shouldn't like them.' "

The letter from Sophia's mother Nicole explained that her daughter is "often teased at school by her peers" for her insect obsession, and asked if a "professional entomologist would speak to her on the phone to encourage her love and explain how she can make this into a career."

After the heartfelt note was tweeted out with the hashtag #Bugsr4Girls, it received a flood of responses from female and male entomologists alike, all clamoring to help young Sophia and her budding scientific curiosity.

Sophia was able to collaborate with Morgan Jackson, a PhD candidate and the original author of the #BugsR4Girls tweet, on a scientific paper that discussed how Twitter can play a role in helping women cultivate an interest in science.

"After my mom sent the message and showed me all the responses, I was happy," Sophia wrote in her part of the paper, according to NPR. "I felt like I was famous. Because I was! It felt good to have so many people support me, and it was cool to see other girls and grown-ups studying bugs. It made me feel like I could do it too, and I definitely, definitely, definitely want to study bugs when I grow up, probably grasshoppers."

After her paper was published in an entomological journal, Sophia said she is no longer bullied at school.

"Kids now, after I told them the whole story, they're like, 'Oh, well — could you teach me more about bugs?'" Sophia told NPR. "And I'm like, 'Sure.'

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