Adam Ebert, 2009 graduate of the agricultural history and rural studies doctoral program at Iowa State, won the Gilbert C. Fite Award for the best dissertation in agricultural history from the Agricultural History Society.

The name of the dissertation is “Hive Society: The Popularization of Science and Beekeeping in the British Isles, 1609-1913.” It is believed to be the first time a student writing on a non-U.S. history topic has won the award, according to the College of Liberal Arts.

Ebert, in his final year as a graduate student, spent a few months researching in the United Kingdom and Ireland on bees.

At the end of his time studying abroad, he presented “Nectar for the Taking: The Promotion of Bee Culture in Early Modern England” in July 2008 at the Land, Landscape and Environment symposium at the University of Reading, England.

He then used the months after completion of his award-winning dissertation on the popularization of scientific beekeeping in Britain based on his studies in England.

Ebert, who also has his B.S. and M.A. from Iowa State, is an assistant professor of history at Mount Mercy College, Cedar Rapids. He also is continuing his work as a professional beekeeper.