Middle School Students’ ‘Bee Aware’ Campaign Lands At White House Science Fair

A team of North Carolina middle school students who developed a public outreach campaign to help protect honeybees shared their work at the annual White House Science Fair this week. Claudia Button (from left), Kate Fitzpatrick, Nathan Button, and Maria Melissaris (not pictured) studied the decline in honeybee populations and its possible causes, which include migratory stress, mites, poor nutrition, and some pesticides. They developed a plan aimed at educating the public and business owners about the potentially harmful effects of pesticides on bees. It encourages reducing or eliminating yard and garden chemicals and promotes planting bee-friendly gardens. The team members won a $25,000 grand prize from the Christopher Columbus Fellowship Foundation last year for their campaign. President Barack Obama hosted scores of students from all over the country at the March 23 fair.