Bee-HERO: Grant Propels Students Into Global Bee Research
The National Science Foundation awarded Sacred Heart University a $400K International Research Experience for Undergraduate Students grant for the project Bee Health and Ecology Research Objective (Bee-HERO).
The co-primary investigators, Alyssa Woronik and Torrie Hanley, both assistant professors in Sacred Heart’s biology department, will work with three cohorts of six students each and the Swedish University for Agricultural Sciences (in Swedish: Sveriges Lantbruksuniversitet; SLU) in Uppsala, Sweden. For three summers, students will travel to SLU to conduct a variety of experiments that focus on factors affecting bee health and how bees defend themselves against disease.
Approximately 35% of the human diet relies on insect pollinators—crops such as cocoa beans, melons, blueberries, almonds, avocados, apples, mangoes and vanilla to name only a few. An estimated 90% of these species are primarily pollinated by the Western or European honey bee.
The research addresses ecologic, agricultural and economic concerns. “They are one of the most important pollinators and our food supply is heavily dependent on pollinators,” explained Woronik. “They are also important for support of the natural ecosystem.”
Hanley added, “This is also a timely period to be studying bees, since there’s been a global decrease in both the abundance and the diversity of colonies.”
Among the six students in each cohort will be SHU students, as well as students recruited from colleges and universities in New York, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Rhode Island and New Jersey. The Bee-HERO program is designed to recruit and admit a culturally and academically diverse pool of participants, creating novel research and mentorship opportunities beyond their current academic program. Bee-HERO provides personalized mentorship, research training and professional development support that will increase students’ confidence in academics, research, and general life experiences, and hopefully increase their sense of belonging in STEM. The grant removes financial barriers for students to conduct research abroad by providing a stipend and covering all expenses, opening the experience to anyone who has taken at least college-level introductory biology classes and has an interest in the research.
Over the last two summers, two cohorts of two Sacred Heart students have traveled to Uppsala to work in the lab of Barbara Locke-Grandér and research the reason bees there are resistant to a mite that has been decimating bee colonies worldwide—essentially forming a pilot program for the Bee-HERO grant.
During the summer of 2023, Alexander Besnilian ’25 and Kevin Cullinan ’25, both biology majors, worked in the Uppsala lab. They assisted in sampling pupae from the resistant and susceptible bees in six-hour intervals after they were exposed to the mite to test what compounds were present and gauge differences that might contribute to the bees’ immunity.
This past summer, neuroscience major Benedetto Galluzzo ’26 and pre-med biology major Justin Hillis ’26 traveled to SLU as part of the Bee-HERO team. They observed bee behavior, such as how quickly worker bees were able to remove an infected individual from the colony, checking for mites and checking on the hives. They also extracted DNA and RNA and conducted PCR tests to determine if a virus was present in a hive.
“No two days were ever the same,” said Hillis of his research experience. “We were able to work with different post-docs and Ph.D. students, allowing us to see various perspectives of research.”
Both Galluzzo and Hillis appreciated working alongside researchers from varied backgrounds from countries around the world. “In a setting where so many diverse perspectives converged, it allowed for an enriching exchange of ideas,” said Galluzzo. “It was inspiring to see how people from different cultures and experiences could come together, collaborate and learn from one another.”
In addition to Locke-Grandér’s lab, some of the students in the next three cohorts will be researching disease transmission between wild and domestic bees in the lab of Joachim de Miranda within SLU.
Mark Beekey, dean of Sacred Heart’s College of Arts & Sciences, is excited about the opportunities the Bee-HERO grant provides. “Securing a grant to support students conducting research in an international setting offers profound benefits that extend beyond traditional academic
Beekey continued, “The Bee-HERO grant will allow these students to explore part of the world through research where they will expand their horizons, connect with different ways of life and integrate these experiences into their academic work. Ultimately, such international research experiences cultivate well-rounded individuals who are not only adept thinkers but also empathetic global citizens, enriching their own lives and contributing meaningfully to the global community.”
After completion of each cohort’s research assignment, students will educate the public by engaging in talks and demonstrations either at SHU’s Living Shoreline Pollinator Garden or in their local communities. They will also present their research at the annual Eastern Colleges Science Conference and participate in a program reunion to further expand their peer and professional networks.
