BU grant funds Bee Research

Graduate student Heather Llewellyn conducts bee research.
Bee researchers at BU!
Dr. John Hranitz, principal investigator, and co-principal investigators Drs. Kristen Brubaker and Cindy Surmacz, have received a Bloomsburg University Faculty Research, Scholarship, and Creative Activities Grant for $6,760. The grant funds a research project entitled Hypothesis-Driven Gene Expression Studies of Acute Sublethal Imidacloprid Exposure in Honey Bees.  The overall goal of the lab is to advance our understanding of how imidacloprid, a widely-used neonicotinoid pesticide, affects honey bees. Honey bees pollinate crops that are are essential for food production. The economic impact is staggering, with the managed honey bee industry worth at least $15 billion annually in the United States. Unfortunately, honey bee populations are experiencing global declines in their populations. Among the suggested causes are exposure to pesticides such as imidacloprid. This research project will use the RT-qPCR.technique to investigate pesticide-induced changes in gene expression and gene networks. These alterations will be related to biological functions and connected to organism-level responses. This work expands upon the thesis research of Heather Llewellyn, a BAHS master's candidate and will involve undergraduate students. 

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