Dong-A University Department of Applied Biological Engineering Students Park Min-su and Woo Ji-hyun Win Excellence Award at the Korean Society of Applied Entomology Conference

Research Results on the Size and Mating Competition of Dwiyeongbeol According to Climate Change

Dong-A University (President Lee Hae-woo) announced on the 29th that senior students Park Min-su and Woo Ji-hyun from the Department of Applied Biological Engineering received the Excellence Award for their poster presentation on "Size and Mating Competition of Bombus diversus under Climate Change" at the 2024 Fall Academic Conference of the Korean Society of Applied Entomology.

Park Min-su and Woo Ji-hyun participated in a climate change response project supported by the Rural Development Administration and conducted by Dong-A University's Insect Biotechnology Laboratory (Professors Jin Byung-rae and Lee Kwang-sik, Research Professors Kim Bo-yeon and Yoon Hyung-joo). They carried out research on "Size reduction of Bombus diversus due to climate change and sexual selection and mating preference based on the size of males and queens under climate change conditions."

Through their award-winning study on "Size and Mating Competition of Bombus diversus under Climate Change Conditions," Park Min-su and Woo Ji-hyun revealed that "larger males exhibit higher mating competitiveness along with a greater number of sperm, and under climate change conditions, larger queens are preferred," demonstrating sexual selection and mating preferences.

As undergraduate students, they showed great enthusiasm by directly conducting all processes including experiments, data analysis, and poster production, achieving the Excellence Award in competition with graduate students.

Earlier, in August, Park Min-su and Woo Ji-hyun received the "Excellent Poster Presentation Award" from the Korean Apiculture Society for their research on "Oviposition behavior of worker bees and reproductive characteristics of male bees laid by workers in Bombus diversus colonies without a queen," and as co-first authors, they published a paper in the Korean Apiculture Society’s journal, Journal of Apiculture.

Park Min-su and Woo Ji-hyun stated, "We want to continue researching the impact of climate change, a global issue, on Bombus diversus, a pollinating insect that plays an important role not only in agriculture but also in ecosystems."

From the left, student Woo Ji-hyun, Kim Dong-soon, President of the Korean Society of Applied Entomology, and student Park Min-su.

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