In this Salon we are joined by  Dr Susan Murphy Roshi from Australia. Susan is a distinguished Zen teacher with a profound interest in the intersection of Zen practice and indigenous Australian concepts of 'care for country'. For 25 years, she co-led walks in Country with the late, highly respected indigenous Elder, Dulumunmun, Uncle Max Harrison, exploring the deep connections between these traditions. Susan's work emphasizes the transformative power of Zen koans in addressing life's challenges, particularly our duty of care for the Earth. Her latest book, "A Fire Runs Through All Things: Zen Koans for Facing the Climate Crisis," reflects this focus, offering a unique spiritual and philosophical approach to confronting the environmental crisis. Her approach encourages a shift in consciousness, moving beyond purely practical solutions to foster a deeper, more compassionate relationship with our planet. In this inspiring conversation with Susan, we explore how Zen wisdom can help us navigate the complexities of the climate crisis and cultivate a more profound sense of interconnectedness with the Earth.

Dylan Ryals is a life-long beekeeper with experience working on commercial pollination and queen-rearing apiaries. He is currently a PhD student under Dr. Brock Harpur at Purdue University where he studies honey bee genetics and breeding. He will speak on his ongoing research uncovering bee ancestry, genetic diversity, and population structure across the United States with special attention to feral and non-commercial populations. 

In this podcast, we will speak with Felipe Mendes from Brazil. Felipe is an arboreal and biodynamic beekeeper and consultant, pioneering innovative approaches to animal stewardship through the use of TreeNests (log hives). He works with Apis mellifera scutellata hybrids (Africanized bees) and has collaborated with the Landless Workers’ Movement (Movimento dos Trabalhadores Rurais Sem Terra - MST) in Brazil, a social movement that occupies unused farmland to promote sustainable agriculture and economic self-sufficiency.

Dr. Ellis is the Gahan Endowed Professor of Entomology in the Entomology and Nematology Department at the University of Florida. At the University of Florida, Dr. Ellis has responsibilities in extension, instruction and research related to honey bees. Regarding his extension work, Dr. Ellis created the UF/IFAS Bee Colleges and the UF/IFAS Master Beekeeper Program. As an instructor, Dr. Ellis supervises Ph.D. and masters students. Dr. Ellis and his team conduct research projects in the fields of honey bee husbandry, biology, conservation, and ecology.

It is on honor to have Ollie Visick from the University of Sussex, UK, as our guest at the Salon. Ollie Visick is a fourth-year PhD student at the University of Sussex, UK, studying wild honey bee colonies under the supervision of Professor Francis Ratnieks. His main areas of research are wild colony density and nest site availability. He has reviewed the colony density literature and conducted his own surveys in southeast England. He is monitoring over 40 honey bee nest sites on 6 estates in Sussex and Kent to calculate long-term changes in colony density. He has surveyed over 1,000 ancient, veteran and other listed trees at an additional 10 sites to determine whether they represent important nest sites for wild colonies. He has also used waggle dance decoding of honey bee swarms to assess whether wild colonies are limited by nest sites in mixed urban-rural areas.