March 26, 2025
‘Journey to the Sun’ talk at SIU to focus on how the eclipse affects bees
CARBONDALE, Ill. – The effects of a total solar eclipse on a bee colony will be the topic of the next talk in a series focused on the sun and the major role it plays in the lives of humans everywhere, hosted by Southern Illinois University Carbondale.
Steven Still, assistant professor in SIU’s School of Agricultural Sciences, along with Logan Park, associate professor of forest recreation and park management in SIU’s School of Forestry and Horticulture, will conduct the next “Journey to the Sun” talk, set for 3 p.m. Friday, March 28, at the Guyon Auditorium at Morris Library. The free, public event also will be streamed.
The “Journey to the Sun” series is modeled on the previous talk series, “Journey to the Eclipse,” which ran in the months leading up to the 2024 total solar eclipse in Southern Illinois. It is part of SIU’s multifaceted, national heliophysics public engagement program.
The series concludes with two talks next month; one on April 8 – the one-year anniversary of the total solar eclipse in Southern Illinois and coinciding with a commemorative art installation dedication – and one on April 25.
During the 2024 eclipse, Still and his team studied how a bee colony responded to the rapid changes in daylight and temperature brought on by the event. Still, Park and two students – Chris Roberts and Emma Wiker – will discuss their findings during the talk.
Still earned his undergraduate degree in agriculture at The Ohio State University, teaching high school for several years following graduation. He then earned a master’s degree in crop sciences and doctorate in curriculum and instruction at the University of Illinois.
Park earned his undergraduate degree in environmental chemistry at Furman University and a master’s degree in recreation management at the University of Vermont. He earned his doctorate in forestry at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University.