Bridgeport, CT - Today, Representative Jim Himes (CT-04) announced Sacred Heart University's Bee Health and Ecology Research Objective (Bee-HERO) will receive a $400k grant from the National Science Foundation. The Bee-HERO initiative will provide undergraduate students from historically marginalized groups with an international research experience focused on studying bee-related viruses and parasites.

"As an avid beekeeper, I am thrilled to hear Bee-HERO will receive funding from the National Science Foundation to study biological threats to pollinators and expand access to advanced STEM research," said Congressman Jim Himes. "About 35% of all crops in our food supply are pollinated by bees, underscoring the critical nature of protecting these insects. Research facilitated by the Bee-HERO initiative will help safeguard our pollinators and prepare these young scientists for fruitful careers in the scientific community."

Over four years, Bee-HERO will provide three cohorts of six U.S. undergraduates the opportunity to engage in research related to bee pathogens at the Centre for Honey Bee Research within the Swedish University for Agricultural Sciences. The program includes personalized mentorship, research training, and professional development to foster participants' success. Students will also present their findings at the Eastern Colleges Science Conference, as well as share their knowledge with the local community at Sacred Heart University's Living Shoreline Pollinator Garden. In its fourth year, Bee-HERO program alumni will reunite to share their experiences and grow their professional networks.

Bee-HERO principal investigators and Sacred Heart University Assistant Professors Alyssa Woronik, Ph.D. and Torrance Hanley, Ph.D. said, "We are absolutely elated to bring this program to life. It will not only be a life-changing learning experience for the students, but also their research will have important implications for the fields of disease ecology, agriculture, and evolution."

Congressman Jim Himes represents Connecticut's 4th District, which includes the communities of Bridgeport, Darien, Easton, Fairfield, Greenwich, Monroe, New Canaan, Norwalk, Oxford, Redding, Ridgefield, Shelton, Stamford, Trumbull, Weston, Westport and Wilton.

Permalink: https://himes.house.gov/2024/8/himes-celebrates-400-000-grant-for-sacred-heart-university-bee-research