Michael Brown Celebrates 40 Years of Sowing the Seeds of Student Success

 

You may not know Michael Brown or recognize his signature hat or cheerful bearded grin but you’ve no doubt seen his handy work. He is the curator of four gardens on campus. If you walk past the Mesozoic Garden you may catch him tending plants, or instructing students on their medicinal properties in the Ethnobotany Garden, or guiding students as they plant native species in the new riparian habitat at Project Blue. You also might encounter Brown making the rounds to deliver chocolate made in his ethnobotany class, but most days you’ll find him in the Rain Bird BioTrek Rainforest where his office and workspace is located.

The rainforest was initially set up by Brown in a classroom at an instructor’s request. It meant moving a lot of plants around so Brown suggested creating one on the roof of building 8. That’s where it stayed until 2002 when the Rain Bird Corporation provided funding for a dedicated building next to Building Four.

One of the striking things about Brown is that after 40 years of working for the College of Science he still has a sense of wonder about the natural world. It’s something that students can sense and it’s contagious.

Environmental biology student Kelly Knowles said “I was able to learn so much through hands-on experience interning for Mike. I learned how to care for the gardens and I also got to do the research for the plant signs at Project Blue.”

Students are fond of Brown and he relates well to them. He started at Cal Poly Pomona as a student worker in 1976 while studying biology with an emphasis in horticulture. He graduated in 1977 and in 1978 became a full-time staff member. He earned his master’s degree in 1982.

Brown is curator of Rain Bird BioTrek which encompasses the Rain Bird Rainforest, the Rain Bird Ethnobotany Garden, and the Rain Bird Aquatic Biology Research Learning Center.  He was also involved in the development of, and operates the Mesozoic Garden on University Drive and the Project Blue riparian habitat behind Building One.

The gardens are outdoor learning environments for over 1,400 biology majors and thousands of non-majors. They also provide valuable learning experiences for over 3,000 K-12 students who receive guided tours every year. Students from Brown's Interpretation of Science class learn by doing as they lead the tours.

In 2018 the Center for Community Engagement honored Brown with a Reach Beyond Award which recognizes those who reach beyond the campus into our surrounding communities while providing academic internship and service learning opportunities for students.

Brown believes in life-long learning. A recent visit to BioTrek caught him learning to ferment Kombucha.

“He has passion for what he’s doing.” Nutrition science student Zhailah David Graza said. “I interned and then stayed on as a student assistant. I helped set up for his ethnobotany class.” Ethnobotany is the study of how different cultures use plants. “The class makes chocolate, healing balms, and explores the healing properties of plants. It’s great because I’m interested in medicine and homeopathic remedies.”

In 2015 Brown was honored with the Provost’s Staff Member of the Year Award. It’s one of many awards he’s received during his 40 years of service to Cal Poly Pomona.

Brown said, “I’m most proud of the impact I’ve had on students and being able to offer them experience that helps them get jobs. When the California Science Center was planning to build their rainforest they came to us to get ideas and they ended up hiring one of my students.” Other students have become rangers and one works for the Bureau of Land Management. “It’s always about the students and the learning experiences we can give them.”