WCC Speaker Series: Biologist Turned Photo
Feb 3rd, 2026
At 7 p.m.

Where:
Wachholz College Center
795 Grandview Drive Kalispell, MT

Description:
NSIDE WONDERLAB: EXPLORING NATURE'S HIDDEN WORLDS
Step into a world of wonder with biologist-turned-photographer Anand Varma as he unlocks the mysteries of nature through cutting-edge photography techniques. In his Berkeley-based WonderLab, Anand captures the invisible behaviors of the natural world, beyond our naked eye. His images and videos reveal the hidden worlds that exist just outside of our perception, from the mesmerizing life cycle of a honeybee to the lightning-fast wings of a hummingbird. With Anand’s expert guidance, we can slow down the fast, speed up the slow, and magnify the miniature, enabling us to see the true beauty and complexity of the natural world.

About Anand
With a background in integrative biology, Anand Varma uses photography and video to share the science and stories behind things the naked eye cannot perceive - like the mating practices of jellyfish and the hunting habits of vampire bats in the Yucatan rain forest. After graduating from the University of California, Berkeley, Anand spent several years assisting photographer David Liittschwager before receiving a National Geographic grant to document the wetlands of Patagonia in 2010. He has photographed numerous stories for National Geographic magazine, including the 2014 cover story, “Mindsuckers” - revealing the story of the world’s most resourceful parasites, the kind that can alter their hosts’ DNA and even control their minds. He has been a National Geographic emerging explorer, Media Innovation fellow, and Civic Science fellow, and has won the World Press Photo Award for best nature story.