For 18 years, Professor Michelle Bezanson was a beloved fixture in SCU’s Department of Anthropology. A biological anthropologist with a focus on primates, Bezanson was renowned for her focus on field ethics. She served as director of the SCU summer program in Costa Rica. And she enhanced her findings with illustration, using art to reach broader audiences.
“If you want to see what Jesuit pedagogy looks like practice, look no further than Michelle,” wrote Daniel Press, dean of the College of Arts and Sciences, in his weekly newsletter. Bezanson practiced an ethically grounded approach to her studies, he says, conducting research on primate behavior that centered not just the animals but also the humans living in or near their habitats with respect to their lived experiences and deep wells of wisdom.
She was also devoted to her students’ well-being, beginning lectures with personal check-ins. “That was really her ethos: That we’re, as a faculty, here to support the students,” anthropology chair Lee Panich told The Santa Clara student newspaper. For many summers, Bezanson taught field courses in Costa Rica, where students would gain practical experience in scientific observation and field data analysis. In addition to primatology and animal behavior, students learned about community ecology, reforestation, sustainable agriculture, and ecotourism.
With a focus on primate conservation, Bezanson utilized her considerable artistic skill to illustrate her findings. Several of her vibrant, colorful illustrations were published in scientific journals alongside her scholarship. In a 2020 blog for the Center for Arts and Humanities, Bezanson considered how she renewed her love of drawing over the pandemic and “considered how I might better integrate art and science to communicate to a wider audience.”
Bezanson knew science and art weren’t mutually exclusive—one elevates the other. As a colleague and friend remembers her: “Michelle was cool.” She died April 16, 2024.