The bees’ needs
Half a dozen undergraduates took short, hesitant steps as they headed onto a small section of the Pforzheimer House roof. Li Murphy was the exception. The energetic junior moved directly toward a small, colorful hive brimming with bees, and quickly launched into an impromptu tutorial. As the minutes ticked by, several students inched closer to the hive, and a few even volunteered to help Murphy pull out a frame that was “dripping in goodness” (also known as honey). One of those volunteers, first-year student Amalee Beattie, left the roof feeling exhilarated by the opportunity to learn something new. That was the experience Murphy had hoped to create when she co-founded Harvard Undergraduate Beekeepers a year ago with fellow student, and now alumnus, John Aloian ’13. The two organismic and evolutionary biology concentrators wanted to create a social forum to engage their peers in the life cycle of honeybees. The organizers also wanted...