Collaborating with BeeLife as a research intern

Good luck Flavia and Thank you!

Flavia Hayes has recently graduated with an MSc from the Università degli Studi di Padova (Italy) in Strategic Environmental Development and during her university studies she has collaborated with BeeLife as a research intern.

Last year, she attended a series of events at the EU Pollinator Week, where she met Noa Simón Delso, the Scientific Director of BeeLife. She was immediately inspired by the organisation of the event and by the constant flow of information regarding pollinator protection that she decided to join the team of BeeLife as a research intern.

Flavia dropped some lines about her experience:

“During my months at BeeLife I have had the opportunity to emmerge into the mentality and structures of NGOs, witnessing in first person the passion and constant dedication poured into their work. Thanks to the many online meetings I have had the opportunity to interact with stimulating people, colleagues from other NGOs, researchers, members from scientific organisations and European institutions. An incredible and complex network of people all fighting for a more sustainable world, where pollinators can thrive. During my months as an intern I have seen the creation and growth of immense and avant guard projects such as the B-TheNet or the development of the EU Pollinator Hub, as well as collaborations with companies and institutions that are all passionate about helping pollinators. As part of my internship, I have been putting together a scientific report on pollinator interactions and am thankful to everyone who has guided me through my research.

Within my internship at BeeLife I had the opportunity to travel to Brussels and Rome for conferences and workshops, where I met people from different cultures, allowing me to listen and speak in different languages. I will cherish all the lessons and ideas that were exchanged and the passion I felt by everyone who interacts with BeeLife, hoping to bring changes even on a smaller scale, in the city where I live.

It has been an intense and inspiring year, and I am extremely grateful to everyone who helped me grow both personally and professionally.

For a more sustainable future we have to work from the ground up. Pollinators are at the basis of biodiversity and of the ecosystems we use and interact with every day, and I now feel personally involved in the fight to protect these indispensable creatures.”

After the time spent at BeeLife, Flavia continues her activities towards the protection of bees and pollinators. She is in contact with various schools in Italy and they will soon begin projects to educate students on the fundamental role played by pollinators not only within the natural environment, but also at the social, economic and agricultural levels. They will start restoring unused green areas within these schools to create pollinator oases with varied flora that will bloom throughout different parts of the year, to help with the proliferations of different pollinator species.

She is also in contact with the local beekeeper association from her region and together they are drafting projects to send to the city council to restructure urban green areas to make them pollinator friendly.

The BeeLife family is wishing Flavia success and happiness in the next steps of her career.