Scholar's Award: A Social Scientific Study of how Stakeholders Produce Knowledge about the Cause and Treatment of Colony Collapse Disorder

Drexel University, Philadelphia PA

Investigators

Abstract

Colony Collapse Disorder [CCD] is the as-yet unexplained disappearance of large numbers of honeybees from their hives over the past four years. CCD has captured public interest, but many environmentalists and entomologists believe that it is an early indication of an even more troubling decline in all pollinator species, including many varieties of native bees, flies, and bats. A sustained decline in honeybees alone would have significant consequences for commercial agriculture, food security, and the environment, and a decline in pollinator species more broadly would have even more impact. This project uses CCD as a case study to refine our understanding of how different groups define, produce, and communicate what they see as valid evidence in situations of scientific uncertainty. The investigator will conduct a multi-sited participant ethnography at several bee research labs, open-ended interviews with scientists, bee keepers, and other stakeholders, and textual analysis of scientific publications and media coverage to study this issue. This project takes advantage of a unique opportunity to chronicle a group of scientists as they work on an emerging problem of societal importance. A social scientific analysis of the evolving research communities for CCD demonstrates how existing models of contested illnesses and studies of the affective components of scientific and ecological knowledge can be adapted and applied to a study of agricultural science. The proposed study investigates how knowledge about Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD) has been and continues to be produced. It analyzes how the cause of CCD is defined and the social and economic dimensions of proposed solutions. CCD has the potential to become a major social and environmental problem with wide-ranging effects. A social scientific perspective provides insights into the different interests and values that may affect the design and execution of research projects. The research project contributes to scholarship in science and technology studies, sociology, and anthropology, as well as audiences in apiculture, entomology and science policy. Research findings will lead to broadly applicable best practices for creating successful collaborations among natural scientists, social scientists, and members of the public.