{"id":101956,"date":"2026-09-03T08:36:00","date_gmt":"2026-09-03T12:36:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cals.ncsu.edu\/applied-ecology\/news\/beemore-program-kept-research-buzzing-all-summer\/"},"modified":"2026-09-03T08:36:00","modified_gmt":"2026-09-03T12:36:00","slug":"beemore-program-kept-research-buzzing-all-summer","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cals.ncsu.edu\/applied-ecology\/news\/beemore-program-kept-research-buzzing-all-summer\/","title":{"rendered":"BeeMORE Program Kept Research Buzzing All Summer"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\n\n\n\n

Pollinator research labs across NC State University\u2019s College of Agriculture and Life Sciences were buzzing this summer, as 12 undergraduate students from colleges across the country teamed up with faculty, staff and graduate student mentors for BeeMORE<\/a> (Bees and Microbes in Organized Research Experiences), a 10-week summer research experience. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Spanning four departments across CALS and the College of Sciences, the program is highly interdisciplinary and collaborative. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cOne of the real strengths of the program is that each participating student gets paired with a faculty mentor and a research supervisor, like a graduate student or a postdoc, with whom they work directly,\u201d says David Tarpy, a University Faculty Scholar specializing in apiculture and project director of the BeeMORE program. \u201cThat way, students are able to hit the ground running right when they arrive on campus.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Funded for 10 years by the U.S.Department of Agriculture-National Institute of Food and Agriculture, BeeMORE provides students the opportunity to explore a wide range of science topics related to bees, from microbiology to landscape ecology. While the program is broad, students work with their mentors to create a tailored experience. Earlier this year, the BeeMORE program received the 2026 Spirit of the Land-Grant Mission Award<\/a> from the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences for work that exemplifies the land-grant mission through impactful projects or programs in discovery, engagement and learning.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI am always impressed by the breadth of research projects, ranging from the obvious, like honey bee and bumble bee diseases, to the unexpected, like yeasts that naturally ferment the pollen of carpenter bees, to the unorthodox, like microbes in beehive pests that can help digest microplastics,\u201d Tarpy says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cSome students join their mentors on an ongoing research project, while other students are given a project specific to them,\u201d explains Claudia Roller, a post-baccalaureate lab technician with the program. \u201cThere is a wide variety of opportunities.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While the program focuses heavily on research, BeeMORE students also participate in professional development opportunities throughout the summer that expose them to career paths related to pollinator science. For example, students met with Extension agents at the Forsyth County Extension Office to learn about possible careers in extension, presented research to hundreds of attendees at the North Carolina State Beekeepers Association meeting, and toured Greenlight Biosciences, a private Research Triangle Park company that developed a product called Norroa that combats destructive varroa mites without using chemicals.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhat I enjoyed most about BeeMORE was the variety of experiences it provided,\u201d says Lucas Hall, an NC State student majoring in agroecology, whose BeeMORE research focused on automated bioacoustic monitoring as a way to passively track pollinator activity. \u201cI was able to experience field research, laboratory work, data analysis, extension and academia.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At the end of the summer, every BeeMORE student presented their research at the Summer Undergraduate Research & Creativity Symposium<\/a>. Some students will continue working with their NC State mentors to publish their data in a peer-reviewed journal. All will return to their respective schools knowing a lot more about bees. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Meet the 2026 BeeMORE Student Researchers<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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Dinela Dedic<\/h2><\/a>
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\"Dinela
 Dinela Dedic examines a bee sample collected in her hand net while standing in a field with a few cosmo flowers<\/em>.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n