from the current MUM Review: 2. Students Learn Beekeeping, Build Campus Beehives
A three-day workshop on keeping honeybees was offered for the first time to the students in the Sustainable Living Program during Block 5 as part of a course on Planning a Family Farm, which emphasizes holistic and ecological farm management. The workshop was taught by Vern Ramsey of Ramsey Honey Farm, Birmingham, Iowa. Mr. Ramsey is an experienced beekeeper and district director of the Iowa Honey Producers Association. Following the approval by the Fairfield City Council to keep bees on campus (see November 14, 2007 issue of The Review), Mr. Ramsey offered his assistance in establishing an apiary on campus, resulting in his recent workshop. The goal of the beekeeping workshop was to give students the knowledge to start their own small-scale apiary or to work in an existing apiary. The students received a certificate of completion from the Iowa Honey Producers Association. "This beekeeping course is just another development in the Sustainable Living Program to offer our students the best and most comprehensive experience in a truly sustainable food production," said faculty member Alex Kachan, who organized the workshop with the help of student Elisabet Humble. "Especially now, in light of the globally spreading problem of Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD), which so far has annihilated about 800,000 hives in the U.S., it is crucial to teach people about organic beekeeping and to incorporate a small organic apiary in every garden, farm, and even a backyard. According to the experts, such diversification and decentralization is a key strategy to neutralize CCD and ensure proper pollination of so many of our food crops." Besides learning the theory of beekeeping and watching video tutorials, the students also built hives and honeycombs, which will be used in April by the student club The Bee Collective to establish five honeybee colonies on the Sustainable Living mini-farm on campus. The hive and honeycomb parts were purchased with funds from the Global Student Council. Students of all majors, faculty, and staff who are interested in taking the three-day beekeeping workshop are invited to contact Mr. Kachan at [EMAIL PROTECTED] * also, computer professional program still doing well, with lotsa applicants: 6. Computer Science Faculty Needed The M.S. program in Computer Science at Maharishi University of Management continues to rise in reputation and popularity, and is now drawing record numbers of applicants and new students. This extraordinary growth and success is welcome, but also makes it a challenge to keep up with such a fast pace of expansion. The program, which combines eight months of study on campus with two years of practical training at a U.S. company, currently has 120 students studying on campus and over 400 in practical training. Fall 2007 enrollment set a record with 100 new students. Over 100 new students are projected to join the program in February. There are more than 4,000 applicants in varying stages of the application process, and hundreds of new applications are received each month. In order to accommodate a larger enrollment, the department is currently recruiting qualified faculty members. If you are interested, or can suggest a prospective faculty member, please contact Dr. Keith Levi at [EMAIL PROTECTED]
