Lunchtime Lecture 4/19: The Decline and Fall of Bees
Dr. James C. Nieh speaking on:
“The Decline and Fall of Bees: Pollinators in Peril”
Tuesday, April 19, 2011
12:00-1:00 pm
Events Room, Biomedical Library
Honey bees face multiple natural and manmade dangers in their
environment. Ironically, they are highly successful because of their use
in modern agriculture, yet are suffering because modern agriculture
imposes stresses from pesticides, diseases, parasites, and management
practices such as mobile beekeeping. The research in Dr. Nieh’s
laboratory explores natural threats and, more recently, the effects of
pesticides on honey bee foraging. Come learn about the amazing solutions
that bees have evolved in response to natural perils and how our use of
pesticides may be contributing to their decline.
Dr. Nieh was born in Taiwan, but grew up in Southern California. He
received his B.A. at Harvard in 1991 and his PhD from Cornell University
in 1997. He subsequently received a NSF-NATO Postdoctoral fellowship to
study at the University of Würzburg in Germany after which he received
the prestigious Harvard Junior Fellowship. In 2000, he joined the
faculty in the Division of Biological Sciences at the University of
California San Diego where he is currently a professor in the Section of
Ecology, Behavior, and Evolution. Dr. Nieh’s interests focus on bee
communication and cognition. He studies many types of social bees,
including honey bees, bumble bees, and stingless bees. Currently, his
laboratory is interested in exploring the evolution of bee language, how
bees communicate and recruit nestmates to food, and how pesticides and
disease affect bee behavior, navigation, and communication. More
information about his laboratory’s research on bees can be found at:
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