First-year undergraduate student, Rosemary Avery, has been awarded the Apiculture Society’s inaugural prize for three assignments she completed showing the importance of research into bees.

Rosemary, who is studying science and majoring in chemistry and environmental studies at ANU, was awarded the $100 prize for her work in translating a technical academic paper on pollen substitute for bees.

“I enjoy learning about bees,” Rosemary says.

“They are fascinating creatures and are very important to the environment and how we grow crops.”

All three assignments that Rosemary produced were based on one journal paper, says Associate Director of Science Education at the ANU Centre for the Public Awareness of Science, Dr Lindy Orthia.

​”Rosie was first required to summarise it in plain English and reflect on the ‘communication context’ of the research in terms of things that might make it difficult to communicate in the public domain,” Dr Orthia says.

She was then required to translate the research information, for two audiences chosen, from a list of five, and chose a 300-500 word newspaper article and a tri-fold leaflet for distribution to a community organisation.

“Her work was excellent for a first year science communication course. Each assignment was among the best in the class, and her work was the most outstanding of all the SCOM1001 students who chose a bee-themed journal paper.”

The ANU Apiculture Society is now accepting applications for candidates that will go into the running to receive the semester two Bee Prize, which is also $100.

The prize is awarded to the best bee-related undergraduate student work and is open to any field of study.