BEE Ambassadors for Pollen

Abstract

During this lesson, students engage with the phenomenon of the coevolution of structures of pollen and pollinators and their functions. Students collect pollen, prepare pollen slides, and make observations of the features and structures of pollen. Next, students investigate the various structures of pollinators and consider the efficiency of native bee dry pollination techniques. Students consider the field of engineering by designing and building a prototype of a native bee and consider the role that pollen hairs and electrostatic charges play in increased pollination efficiency. Finally, students write an argument based on evidence that native bees should be used as pollinators in gardens and farms to mitigate human caused pollinator decline and to increase pollinator biodiversity.

Keywords:

• Biodiversity
• pollinators
• engineering design
• pollen
• structures

DISCLOSURE STATEMENT

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

SUPPLEMENTARY MATERIAL

Supplemental data for this article can be accessed online https://doi.org/10.1080/00368555.2024.2337557

FUNDING

This work was funded by: Using Smart Foodscapes to Enhance Sustainability of Western Rangelands Agriculture and Food Research Initiative, Sustainable Agricultural Systems Competitive Grant No. 2021-69012-35952, USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture, and Using Smart Foodscapes to Transform Cowherd Nutrition on Western Rangelands, Utah Agricultural Experiment Station Seed Grant Program, Utah State University.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Laura Wheeler

Laura Wheeler ([email protected]) (ORCID: 0000-0002-2231-7127) is Assistant Professor in the department of Teacher Education at Brigham Young University. She received her PhD in Education: curriculum and instruction from Utah State University. Through mentorship and advocacy, Dr. Wheeler actively works to dismantle systemic barriers and create pathways for underrepresented individuals to pursue and thrive in STEM fields, ensuring that equity remains at the forefront of both teaching and research endeavors. Her ongoing research projects encompass the intersections between teacher beliefs and praxis, including STEAM-based teaching through school gardens and international teacher climate change. She promotes STEM enactment through the novice teacher self-efficacy developmental model which includes a phase of peer-to-peer negotiation of teaching practice.

Rita Hagevik

Rita Hagevik (ORCID: 0000-0002-6417-1349) (https://www.facebook.com/UNCPGRADSCIEDU/) is Professor and Director of Graduate Programs in Science Education, Biology Department, UNC-Pembroke. Dr. Hagevik completed her degrees at North Carolina State University with a Ph.D. in Science Education and Forestry. Her research focuses on sustainability education, preservice science teacher education, and teacher support systems. She has conducted studies and published books and articles on the use of STEM in the out-of-door environment, using Geographic Information Systems and mobile technologies in teaching and learning, agriculture education, citizen science, and place-based learning. Her current work focuses on integrating technology and art into STEM (STEAM) learning with adolescents. She currently serves as co/PI on the Smart Foodscapes USDA-NIFA grant, and co/PI on an S-STEM grant from NSF called COMPASS2, which investigates creating science identity in undergraduate STEM majors.

Kathy Cabe Trundle

Kathy Cabe Trundle (ORCID: 0000-0003-4281-3782) is a professor of Early Childhood Science Education at Utah State University. Dr. Trundle’s leadership in science education spans 40 years and includes 10 years of public school teaching in the state of Tennessee. Before joining the faculty at Utah State University, she served as a Department Head and Professor at North Carolina State University (5 years) and as a Professor at The Ohio State University (13 years). Her current work includes the integration of art into STEM learning (STEAM), and recent United States Department of Agriculture (USDA-NIFA) funding allows her to explore school garden-based learning, biodiversity, and sustainability. With more than 200 scholarly publications, she has delivered more than 60 invited presentations and keynote addresses at national and international conferences. Her numerous awards include Outstanding Teacher Educator of the Year and the Outstanding Longtime Service Award presented by the Association for Science Teacher Education, and two Fulbright Fellowships supported her work in Indonesia.