Rosie the tarantula crawled along Carl S. Barfield's left arm at a table on the Reitz Union Colonnade Tuesday.
Barfield, a UF professor of entomology and nematology who teaches the popular biological science course called Bugs and People, was one of more than 65 representatives from every undergraduate college at the first Majors Fair, which was held from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Barfield represented the College of Agricultural and Life Sciences with students from the UF Entomology Club.
With an emperor scorpion, hissing cockroaches and tarantulas, Barfield hoped he would draw students to inquire about the college.
More than 600 students showed up to ask questions about majors, minors, careers and extracurricular activities during the fair, according to the Career Resource Center, which co-sponsored the event with Student Government.
Marcus Dixon, the director of the SG Career Development Cabinet, conceptualized the fair and said he thought it was successful based on the amount of positive feedback he received from students and faculty.
Representatives from some of the larger departments at the fair, such as the School of Business, hoped to clarify critical tracking and course requirement questions from students, as well as offer advice on extracurricular activities.
Derek A. Guffin, an academic adviser in the School of Business, said he hopes undergraduates in his college take advantage of some of the "intangibles" it offers. He encouraged students to travel as part of a study abroad program or join a professional organization.
Feionne Fullerton, a health education and behavior junior, said she approached Barfield's table because she thought the insects looked interesting but then realized a career or major involved with insects was not for her.
"I would be scared to go to work every day," Fullerton said.
