Professor reframes life in terms of primates
By Caroline Mooser
While most anthropologists grapple with what it means to be human, anthropology professor Michelle Bezanson says, "I don't know if I care so much about humans."
Bezanson's extensive research on the primate juvenile period led her to pose questions that can be applied to human evolution.
Like humans, the primates Bezanson studies wait many years before reproducing.
"If it's all about having kids, why are we sitting around wasting time being juvenile, what is it doing for us, what are the benefits of it?" she asked.
Bezanson conducted research at La Suerte Biological Research Station in northeastern Costa Rica and continues to facilitate field study programs there for students every summer.
Anthropology major Robert Raymond participated in the program and was able to study capuchin monkeys and animal cognition.
"She turned me on to a bunch of literature on spatial memory and helped me design a study which would be feasible for the three and half weeks I'd be in the field," said Raymond. "One thing I like a lot about Michelle as a scientist is her acuity in deciphering inaccuracies or sloppy science. I feel like she treats science with a level of respect which is sometimes, unfortunately, absent in a lot of the research out there."
Growing up in Tuscon, Ariz., Bezanson and was interested in art and photography. It wasn't until her primatology professor pushed her to volunteer for the Jane Goodall Institute that she became interested in pursuing a career in anthropology.
"I thought, wow, I could get a job running around in a rainforest all day long looking for things," she said.
Meeting Goodall was a highlight of her experience, as Bezanson admires the scientist's ability to stay grounded despite her fame. "It's like she's completely calm and completely at peace with her accomplishments."
The combination of Bezanson's wit, expertise and belief in the importance of visual learning is why many students enjoy taking her classes.
"She's really funny," said senior anthropology major Natalia Rodriguez, a student in Bezanson's primate behavioral ecology course. "Her jokes are really helpful for making you remember certain things and putting things together in your head."
Professor Bezanson's classes bring students to an understanding of what she calls the "human environment interface," in which one considers how his or her own role in the environment is connected to the lives and habitats of primates.
"The nice thing about primates is that they're sexy, people care about them," said Bezanson.
"If you say I've got this wonderful fungus or this wonderful soil type, the big money people tend to not care so much about this. But if say, 'Listen, if we cut down this forest then this mountain gorilla is going to go as well' - then you start to get some funding."
As any primatologist knows, studying in the field requires a tremendous amount of patience. Bezanson has had her share of momentous experiences in the forest.
"The first time I saw a sloth was amazing, the first time I saw an anteater was amazing, the first time I experienced a tree fall where I had to run away from it, that was amazing."
One of Bezanson's favorite memories came after going two weeks without seeing a single capuchin. While observing a toucan, Bezanson figured her luck was not so bad, after all.
"I was looking through my binoculars at the toucan, and this capuchin head comes up into the binoculars, and I thought 'I found him! I didn't even try!'"
Contact Caroline Mooser at cmooser@scu.edu.