Marion Podolak
The first time Marion set foot in the zoology department was to drop off her collection of bees, which she had captured during her master’s degree in biology at UNIL, focused on the social behavior of wild bees. Since then, she has traded bees for springtails—tiny invertebrates that live mostly in the soil: six legs, a pair of antennae, a three-part body… but they aren’t insects. This is enough to challenge a few zoological certainties.
One thing led to another, and she explored numerous collections of invertebrates, both dried and preserved in alcohol. This work requires a delicate balance of skills: meticulousness, lest a mayfly’s leg escape from under the forceps; rigor, since a misplaced label can undermine an entire set of scientific data; but also curiosity and a touch of creativity.
Now in charge of the genetic collection, Marion also takes photographs of insects for researchers and helps develop exhibition content—an indirect way of expressing her artistic aspirations.