Science café to focus on honey bees | Events

THOMASVILLE, GA – News release from Thomas University

The next installment of Thomas University’s Science Café on Tuesday, Nov. 29, will feature Heather Gamper, president of the Apalachee Beekeepers Association presenting “Honey Bees: Issues & Concerns Locally, Nationally & Internationally.”

Gamper is currently finishing her doctoral dissertation research at Florida State University and is studying the effects of land-use change and forest fragmentation in tropical forests of Mexico.

As part of her research, Gamper plans to combine forest conservation efforts with local beekeeping in Mexico.

Five years ago she began a mentorship with a local commercial beekeeper to learn as much as she could about beekeeping to help her obtain her dissertation objectives. 

She currently tends approximately 20 honey bee colonies of her own on Turkey Hill Farm and is the current president of the Apalachee Beekeeper’s Association.

Gamper graduated from the University of Vermont in 1998 with a B.S. in Wildlife Biology. In 2002 she earned an M.S. in Biology from Florida International University, and is expected to graduate this spring with a Ph.D. in Geography from Florida State University.

While obtaining these degrees, Gamper has spent several years conducting field research in the Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico and Mexico.

Her current dissertation research has been funded by the National Science Foundation and several University fellowships. She recently was awarded the 2011 Graduate Research and Creativity Award from Florida State University.

In addition to research, Gamper has taught many college courses in laboratory/field and lecture settings on topics including Ornithology, Ecology and Geographic Information Systems.

A highlight of her teaching includes presenting a course on honey bees to enthusiastic, mature learners at the Osher Life Long Learning Institute (OLLI) at Florida State University. 

Gamper currently holds a research position in the Center for Spatial Analysis a part of the Fish and Wildlife Research Institute for the Florida Fish Wildlife and Conservation Commission in Tallahassee, Fla., and enjoys weekend time with her husband and 3-year-old daughter. 

Science Café will be held at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 29, in the Hawk’s Next on the campus of Thomas University. The event is open to the public, and admission is free. For more information, contact apenton@thomasu.edu.