Des Moines Business Record, IA
08-27-07
Great Ape Trust, ISU sign agreement
Officials from Great Ape Trust of Iowa and Iowa State University today signed a
memorandum of agreement to establish the world's pre-eminent collaboration for
primate studies.
Great Ape Trust founder Ted Townsend and ISU President Gregory Geoffroy
signed the agreement in a formal ceremony this afternoon at the Trust's 230-acre
campus in southeast Des Moines.
"Iowa State University is one of the finest research institutions in the world, and
our agreement to create the pre-eminent collaboration for primate studies
solidifies Great Ape Trust for the long term," Townsend said. "This partnership for
profound science adds a unique and powerful distinction to our state."
Geoffroy said Great Ape Trust is an educational and research resource offering
"tremendous opportunities for our faculty and students and the university as a
whole."
The agreement sets the stage for Great Ape Trust to take a more active role in
the development of future scientists by providing them valuable laboratory and
field experiences, and through the development of an interdisciplinary graduate
program in primatology at the master's and doctorate levels. The partnership
increases opportunities for Iowa State students to collaborate with Great Ape
Trust researchers on the origins and future of culture, language, tools and
intelligence, the Trust's primary area of scientific inquiry.
Iowa State University faculty and students have worked closely with Great Ape
Trust since it opened in 2004. Two Great Ape Trust scientists serve as affiliate
professors in ISU's department of anthropology, and Great Ape Trust funded
scholarships for two international students working part time at the Trust while
they pursue graduate studies at Iowa State.
This summer, Great Ape Trust contributed $71,000 to support ISU assistant
professor of anthropology Jill Pruetz's work at a field site in Senegal, Africa.