Professor, Students, Bees Have Dallas Buzzing

by Haywood McNeill

It’s plain to see that Dr. Scott Rippel, MS’96, PhD’99, professor of instruction in the Department of Biological Sciences, has a thing for bees.

His love for the pollinating creatures and passion for educating students and getting students hands-on experience caring for honeybees recently garnered the attention of The Dallas Morning News.

Rippel, a decorated U.S. Army veteran, earned both his MS and PhD in molecular and cell biology from the Department of Biological Sciences in the School of Natural Sciences and Mathematics and has been teaching since 1999. 

In 2017, he started teaching a course titled Honey Bee Biology.

But the origins of his interest in bees goes back to 2011, when a UT Dallas student asked Rippel, “Hey, you wanna see something cool? There are some bees out here on campus.” 

It was an open hive on a log. Although he had no formal experience as a beekeeper, Rippel was smitten.

And the rest, as they say, is history.

From that moment, he began installing beehives and created two apiaries on campus. 

A sustainability-focused group of students called Eco Reps, which was launched in 2017, has been helping him.

In part, thanks to their efforts, UT Dallas became a Bee Campus USA.

According to the Office of Sustainability’s website, Bee Campus USA is an organization that provides a framework for campus communities to work together to conserve native pollinators. Campuses are recognized for increasing the abundance of native plants, providing nest sites, and reducing the use of pesticides.