Mays Landing, N.J. — Every spring, thousands of bees descend on South Jersey's blueberry farms to help pollinate one of the state's most important crops.

But once those bees leave their hives, how do farmers know they're actually pollinating the blueberry bushes on their farm and not flying off to another field?

That's a question students and researchers from Stockton University and the Atlantic County Institute of Technology (ACIT) hope to answer through a new collaboration that will use drones and advanced imaging technology to track the movements of bees at a Hammonton blueberry farm.

The Levine and Gormley Family Foundations have pledged $20,000 to support the project with an additional $40,000 scholarship offered to an ACIT student involved with the project to attend Stockton.

“This is the best of Atlantic County. You’ve all come together, and its potential is unlimited and we’re very excited and very happy to be involved,” said Gormley during a panel discussion and announcement of the project at ACIT.

Amanda Norvell, Stockton’s dean of the School of Natural Sciences and Mathematics, said she sees this as a fantastic opportunity to develop a regional partnership focusing on STEM education that goes from high school through college.

“We know that students who engage in these types of research opportunities and activities — it's a meaningful way for them to understand how science is done and what you can get from science,” she said.

ACIT Aviation Teacher Andrew Nebl said his students have previously done a study with Tuckahoe Turf Farm in Hammonton using infrared cameras on their drones to create thermal maps and see what parts of the turf fields got more water than others. He hopes similar technology can be applied to identify where groups of bees travel after leaving their hives.

"We are always looking for innovative and new ways to employ our drone technology," Nebel said. "This is a real project that we can actually use the skills that we've been learning to complete."

Brian Vernachio, the director of Curriculum for Health Sciences at ACIT, said he’s excited that this research project could serve as a jumping-off point to start an agriculture sciences program at ACIT.

“It’s a great opportunity to generate some buzz for science,” he said with a chuckle. "One of the things that excites me about the project is the ability to have students involved in real research that they'll be able to see and interact with. Those research skills are great for students going to college to be able to put those skills to work."

The scholarship will be named in honor of Paul “Ginger” Macrie Jr., the former owner of Macrie Brothers Blueberry Farm in Hammonton, where the study will be done.

“We’re proud to see our grandfather’s legacy continue to inspire research, innovation and the future of agriculture,” said Ginger’s grandson Matt Macrie Jr., one of the farm’s current owners.

Macrie said the project could provide data to help farmers make more informed, timely decisions about beehive placement on their farms and identify potential changes in pollination patterns across different blueberry varieties. He said about 10,000 acres in Atlantic and Burlington counties are devoted to growing blueberries.

“So, you can imagine the amount of bees that come into this area in a brief period. This study is meant to give us some data so we can be more economical,” he said. “It's only a monthlong pollination, and one flower, when it comes to full bloom, takes only three to five days to be able to get pollinated. So, we have a short window. We're fighting the weather. We're fighting the health of the hive.”

Macrie said he realizes the need for more technological innovation in agriculture, and he’s excited to connect farmers with students at Stockton and ACIT.

"For us, as farmers, as technology takes over this sector, we're now looking for help, basically. And this is one door that'll help us open to many more,” he said. “You are in the Garden State, so if there's anything that would make this work the best, it would be to work with a farmer. That's something that our industry lacks — being more involved in our local schools and our universities.”

Norvell said she hopes the project will introduce students to careers in science they might not otherwise consider.

"The thing I find most exciting about this is using our problem-solving approach to really engage students early on, and maybe to take a student who might not think that I have a future in STEM, or I have an interest in something, and I could make a career out of that, and I could make a difference in my community. I think that's really powerful," she said.

About Atlantic County Institute of Technology

For over 50 years, the Atlantic County Institute of Technology (ACIT) has prepared students with the academic and technical skills needed for careers or college. As the county’s most comprehensive technical education school, ACIT offers 19 career and technical programs to a diverse student body. Guided by its motto, “Pursue What You Love,” students engage in both academics and extracurricular activities, while hundreds of adult learners also participate in full- and part-time evening programs. For more information, visit www.acitech.org.

From left, Lee Levine; former state Sen. Bill Gormley; Amanda Norvell, Stockton University’s dean of the School of Natural Sciences; Matt Macrie Jr. of Macrie Brothers Blueberry Farm in Hammonton; Tracey Meilander, Stockton’s associate provost for Curriculum and Compliance; Brian Vernachio, the director of Curriculum for Health Sciences at ACIT; ACIT Aviation Teacher Andrew Nebl; ACIT Superintendent Phillip Guenther; and ACIT Assistant Superintendent Joseph Potkay.