Rate My Professor Brigitte Kammlein

Brigitte Kammlein serves as an Aquarist at the New Zealand Marine Studies Centre within the Department of Marine Science at the University of Otago. In this capacity, she is responsible for the care of marine animals and plants housed in the Centre's aquarium. Her duties encompass assisting with the collection of specimens from the field, operating small boats, and supporting the delivery of educational programs to school children and adult groups. Based in Dunedin, she contributes to the Centre's mission of promoting marine science education and community engagement.

Complementing her professional role in marine studies, Brigitte Kammlein is a skilled printmaker and artist who holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA) in printmaking from the Dunedin School of Art. Her creative work is inspired by elements of the natural world, such as landscapes, animals, plants, and intricate patterns. Kammlein has actively participated in interdisciplinary collaborations bridging art and science. A prominent example is her involvement in the Art and Anatomy project, where she partnered with Ruth Napper, a researcher in the Department of Anatomy and the Brain Health Research Centre at the University of Otago. This collaboration centered on Napper's investigations into fetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD) using an animal model to examine neuron death and plasticity in the fetal brain through electron microscopy on serial ultrathin sections.

Kammlein drew parallels between Napper's scientific methodology—cutting and mounting minute samples in numbered series, layering sections to understand three-dimensional structures—and her own printmaking processes, which involve layering, producing series and editions with subtle variations. She developed a visual language in response to the research, handling fragile paper in a manner reminiscent of brain tissue samples. The resulting artwork, titled "Art and Anatomy; My Paper in Review" (2014), executed in solar etching dry point technique, was showcased in the Art and Anatomy exhibition at the University of Otago Department of Anatomy and featured in Scope: (Art & Design) 9. This project, facilitated by Peter Stupples, exemplified the mutual benefits of artist-scientist exchanges, including shared insights into observation, visualization, and experimentation. Kammlein has expressed enthusiasm for the novel challenge and the access to scientific imagery and equipment it provided.

Furthermore, Kammlein has lent her expertise to support marine research at the University, receiving acknowledgments in postgraduate theses for her assistance in laboratory work related to growth modelling and genomic studies.