Pepinelli Lab

Participants: Adam Lepage, Anastacia Chartrand, Avery Morin, Emma Meadows, Grey Reich, Hannah Gombar, Hoi F Cheu, Jenna McDonald, John Gunn, Mateus Pepinelli

The Nature Positive Team

The Nature Positive Team at Laurentian University is made up of students, staff, and faculty working together to protect and restore biodiversity, advance environmental research, and promote sustainability on campus and beyond. Our team has been actively part of a global movement since 2023, working with universities worldwide to address the environmental challenges of today and tomorrow. We love spending time in nature, getting to meet students and community members, and learning about local biodiversity. At Laurentian, we believe that nature and people thrive together, and we’re proud to be part of a university where environmental solutions happen.

The Project

Under the guidance of Dr. Mateus Pepinelli, high school students from Lockerby Composite will learn how to construct, maintain, and monitor bee hotels, while selecting appropriate installation locations within the Laurentian University greenspace.

The students will participate in a hands-on workshop to build and decorate bee hotels, which will be used to observe nesting, egg-laying, and larval development in solitary bees. This offers students real world experience collecting data on species diversity using a non-invasive study method.

In addition, educational signage will be placed near trails to raise awareness about the role of pollinators in supporting biodiversity and climate resilience. Through this community involvement, the project will foster a sense of environmental stewardship.

The Impact

Global climate change is altering plant and insect communities, impacting organism and ecosystem health with uncertain effects due to limited monitoring. This project utilizes bee hotels to support and monitor the diversity, ecosystem, and population changes of solitary bees at the LU campus greenspace, without disrupting the bees natural behaviors.

Engaging students and researchers fosters innovation, while bringing more awareness to the shifts in pollinator diversity. We hope this project can inspire change and promote future efforts to protect biodiversity.