The Fort Lewis College chemistry major who is working on a radical solution to eradicate the varroa mite that lays waste to honeybee hives is a semifinalist in a contest sponsored by the American Chemical Society.
Honeybees are responsible for the pollination of one-third of crops in the United States.
Ashlee Robison will fly to San Francisco in August for a closed-door showdown with nine other semifinalists. Five finalists will present their research Aug. 10 before a live audience in which the public will help determine the winner.
Prizes will not be announced until the night of the competition.
Competitors have reached this point on the strength of a 3-minute video in which they explain their research.
Robison is working under the direction of Fort Lewis College chemistry professor Bill Collins.
She is testing a Collins theory that a compound of glucose and thymol, a volatile, aromatic compound of thyme, will kill the varroa mite more consistently than other chemicals.
The glucose-thymol compound will be tested on honeybee hives next spring by an Oregon State University apiculture professor.
It took Robison two summers of experimenting to connect glucose and thymol molecules to form the compound.
daler@durangoherald.com
