Marla Spivak, Distinguished McKnight Professor in the Department of Entomology, stands in front of the Bee and Pollinator Research Lab at the University of Minnesota. Photos by Patrick O’Leary, University of Minnesota
The University of Minnesota’s new, state-of-the-art Bee and Pollinator Research Lab celebrated its grand opening on Oct. 29.
After a multi-year fundraising campaign and building construction, the new facility, a part of the College of Food, Agricultural and Natural Resource Sciences (CFANS), will centralize and facilitate bee-research projects currently under way. The facility will expand the Bee Lab group’s internationally recognized research and teaching program. The lab is located on Gortner Avenue, on the north side of the St. Paul campus.
The 10,000-square foot laboratory includes lab space, honey-extraction equipment, observation hive space, offices and equipment space. State-funded bonds covered two-thirds of the $6 million project. The balance was funded through private gifts.
Cutting the ribbon at the new Bee and Pollinator Research Lab are Gene Brandi, president of the American Beekeeping Federation; Gary Reuter, a Bee Lab researcher; Minnesota State Rep. Alice Hausman; U of M Regents Michael Hsu and Thomas Devine; Marla Spivak; Brian Buhr, dean of the College of Food, Agricultural and Natural Resource Sciences; Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community (SMSC) Chairman Charlie Vig; and Andy Vig, an SMSC member.
The goal of bee research at the U is to promote the health of bee pollinators. The Bee Lab research team is driven by the research of Dr. Marla Spivak, MacArthur Fellow and Distinguished McKnight Professor in Entomology, who conducts research on honeybees with support from Gary Reuter and graduate students and Dr. Dan Cariveau, who conducts research on the ecology and habitat needs of native bees.
Want to learn more? Go to cfans.umn.edu.
