Antonio J. Rodriguez-Torrado
This Science With Practice project consisted of obtaining honey samples from different Honeybee colony locations that were integrated in prairie strip areas under the mentorship from Dr. Matthew O’Neal and supervision from graduate student Ge Zhang, with meeting the end goal of collecting data on the amount of pollen particles found in it to make sure if the honeybee’s found in it are “fatter” than those on the control groups and in the end, identify from where do the different honeybee colonies obtain their pollen which is found on the honey. The whole process consisted of taking the honey samples from the colonies, then we had to separate any unwanted amount of thing and wax found extra in the honey so that it was cleaner and better for observation. Once the Honey was cleaned then it was taken to the centrifuge where the pollen on the sample would descend and stick to the bottom, then a special liquid was added so that the pollen could be colored and be easier for observation. Then the pollen was removed from the bottom of the sample where it would then be prepared into a microscope slide where it would go under close inspection to count and identify the different amount of pollen particles that it contained.
Duration: 12/11/2019
Principal Investigator(s): Dr. Matthew O'Neal, Ge Zhang