While most student research projects end up in a storage bin in the attic, one completed by eighth graders at Naperville's Lincoln Junior High School is now state law.
Lincoln students spearheaded the effort to make the big, fuzzy black-and-gold bumblebee the official Illinois state bee.
Barb Bell, a science teacher at Lincoln Junior High, designed a research project for the eighth-grade class in which students worked together to make a case for one of the 10 most common bee species found in Illinois.
"Whenever we can make learning more hands-on," Bell said, "it absolutely makes it more meaningful for students. The fact that this was more experiential than anything is the greatest teacher ever."
Students worked in small groups to do a deep dive on one bee species. Liza Di Santo knew exactly which bee she wanted to advocate for.
"When we picked out our bees, I ran to the front of the line so I could get the black-and-gold bumblebee," she said. "I was like, 'I need the black and gold bumblebee.' So me, Ahanna and Sofia ran in the front and (picked) the black-and-gold bumblebee right away."
Liza, Ahanna Patel and Sofia Nicoloudes were project partners from the beginning. They designed and narrated presentations that were shared with schools across Illinois. Thousands of students had a chance to choose the state bee, and the black-and-gold bumblebee came out on top.
Black-and-gold bumblebees are native to North America. They build above-ground nests in grassland landscapes such as prairies.
Elena Gratton, of the Dolezal Bee Research Lab at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, said they are especially effective pollinators for agricultural plants.
"When they get on a flower, they shake it," she said. "It's called sonicating, and they buzz really loudly, and then they shake out all the pollen. Plants like tomatoes, peppers and blueberries really benefit from this type of pollination."
She said their fuzziness contributes to their effectiveness as pollinators.
"They just get completely head to toe covered in pollen," she said. "They've got so much hair all over them that it just sticks, and they go to the next flower, and they just roll around again."
Black-and-gold bumblebees are not considered a species of conservation concern in Illinois. However, because they look so similar to the common American bumblebee, Gratton said it is difficult to collect accurate population data.
With the student voting complete, it was time for Sofia, Ahanna and Liza to present their research at the Capitol. They testified in support of naming the black-and-gold bumblebee the Illinois state bee.
State Rep. Janet Yang Rohr introduced the bill and supported the students throughout the process. She also met them in person when they came to testify.
"When you shine a light on these areas, that attention is so important to helping all of us ... to turn the tide," she said.
Ahanna said it was exciting to create change, especially when it came to the natural world.
"We all really care about nature," she said. "We live in a really forest-y area, and that's a high priority in the state we live in as well. So us getting to make an impact on that in lawmaking was a really exciting decision."
Many students developed a new appreciation for bees through the research project, including Sofia.
"I just thought bees were an insect that stings you," she said. "But after doing all this information, I really understood how much impact it has on our environment and how much it does for the Midwest, and basically the whole world."
The bill passed the Senate over the weekend, making the black-and-gold bumblebee Illinois' official state bee.
Copy Edited by Eryn Lent
