Education in the Division of Parasites
Worldwide, there are almost no training programs that include parasites in ecological, evolutionary, environmental and biomedical/veterinary sciences at university museums. Here at MSB, we train the next generation of investigators to be better prepared to incorporate parasites in those areas using collections-based experiences.
Undergraduate and graduate students affiliated with the UNM Department of Biology are invited to conduct research in the Division of Parasites by coordinating with the Curator and Collections Manager.
Additionally, we offer volunteer positions for community members as well as minors to participate in our volunteer program.
Skills to be gained are parasite curation and data management, parasite collections, the role of parasites in our community and education and working with other researchers in the museum.
Students have participated in NSF (schistosomes.net), NSF-REU, and NIH funded projects, field, laboratory and museum projects.
The collection also serves as lab material in biology courses, as well as educational material for K-12 schools, tours, general interest groups, to name a few.
Recently, the MSB collaborated with the New Mexico Museum of Natural History and Science on an exhibit called Out of the Cabinet that highlights rarely seen specimens from our collections and theirs. The Division of Parasites was featured in a display illustrating the lifecycle of the trematode Riberoria ondatrae.