Kenya research trip teaches students to use all senses
May 24, 2023 - Mary Beth King
Kelly Miller, Biology professor and curator of Arthropods at the Museum of Southwestern Biology at The University of New Mexico, wants his students to use all their senses, think in new and creative ways, and examine their subjects from unusual and unexpected angles. This, he believes, is the way to make the best new biologists.
“Biology of life is the most complex system we’ve ever encountered so it requires complex thinking. To truly answer questions requires creative and imaginative thinking” he said.
The best way to learn and engage in biology, Miller believes, is actual experience. With this philosophy of teaching in mind, Miller took a class of undergraduate students in 2022 to Kenya where they used all their senses to learn.
Seven undergraduate students took the trip to Kenya with Miller and his associate Ernest Valdez, and had the experience of a lifetime, immersing themselves in the culture, philosophy, history, sociology, and arts of the country, as well as the biology. Valdez is a Research Wildlife Biologist at the USGS Fort Collins Science Center and works at the New Mexico Landscapes Field Station in Albuquerque.
“The idea of this experiential class is to bring the whole of human experience to understanding biology and to see with fresh eyes,” Miller said. “Kenya had all the components for a field trip I was seeking. The goal of the course is to experience biology from a broader range of perspectives than is typical: cultural, artistic, philosophical, sociological. The goal is to see the biological world with new perspectives. The Kenya trip was the capstone experience for this.”
Miller approached now-graduate Emily Schmitt, who received her BS in Biology in 2022, and asked if she’d be interested in joining the group going to Kenya.
Read more in the UNM Newsroom
