National Geographic photographer presents a workshop for teachers
Geo-inquiry process helps students develop the skills, knowledge and tools of geographer
National Geographic photographer Ananda Varma speaks at a workshop for public school social studies and STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) teachers from across the state. The workshop was held April 21 in Haiku. The Merwin Conservancy / SARA TEKULA photos
Chadwick Nakagawa photographs a Joey Palm at W.S. Merwin’s palm forest in Haiku on April 21, part of a workshop for public school teachers on the geo-inquiry process.
National Geographic photographer Ananda Varma speaks at a workshop for public school social studies and STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) teachers from across the state. The workshop was held April 21 in Haiku. The Merwin Conservancy / SARA TEKULA photos
Chadwick Nakagawa photographs a Joey Palm at W.S. Merwin’s palm forest in Haiku on April 21, part of a workshop for public school teachers on the geo-inquiry process.
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The Maui News
National Geographic explorer and photographer Ananda Varma shared his knowledge and experiences with 25 public school social studies and STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) teachers from across the state April 21 in Haiku as part of a workshop on the geo-inquiry process.
The teaching process aims to help students develop the skills, knowledge and tools of a geographer, a National Geographic website said. The method provides a systematic way to investigate and understand the world's patterns, processes and interactions between human and natural systems and to act on their conclusions.
The gathering of 6th- to 12th-grade teachers was put together by the Hawaii Geographic Alliance in collaboration with The Merwin Conservancy, National Geographic and the state Department of Education. The one-day workshop, which included a visit to the famed palm forest of poet W.S. Merwin, offered tools for the teachers to bring geo-inquiry into their classrooms.
Varma, a natural history photographer, has had a regular association with National Geographic since 2006. In 2010, he was awarded a Young Explorer Grant from National Geographic to photograph the wetlands of northern Patagonia in South America, according to National Geographic.
His first feature piece for National Geographic, published in the November 2014 issue, was titled "Mindsuckers," which used a macabre, graphic novel-inspired treatment for a presentation on mind-controlling parasites. The project had him raising insects, frogs and parasites in his home and in hotels across the world.
His "Quest for a Superbee" was published in the May 2015 issue. Varma investigated the threats facing bees and took up beekeeping for a close-up view of honeybee metamorphosis and the menace of the Asian mite.
Varma currently resides in Berkeley, Calif., but grew up in Atlanta. While pursuing a degree in integrative biology at the University of California, Berkeley, he worked on field projects, including studies of elk behavior, mangrove forest ecology, primate behavior and hummingbird biomechanics.
While on a job assisting National Geographic photographer David Liittschwager, Varma "discovered his lifelong passion for helping biologists communicate their research through photographs," the publication's website said.
He conducted a photography workshop titled "Using Photography to Analyze Space, Place and the Interconnections Between Both the Human and Natural world."
Sara Tekula, interim executive director of The Merwin Conservancy, gave a talk on "W.S. Merwin Through Photographs" and later with Merwin palm gardener Olin Erickson led a tour of the Pulitzer Prize-winning poet's palm forest.