Swartz highlights Great Ape Trust's cognitive research in guest lecture

Des Moines, Iowa – April 29, 2009 – Students at a private college in North Carolina learned first-hand about Great Ape Trust’s “insights through collaborations with apes.”

Great Ape Trust scientist Dr. Karyl Swartz was a recent guest lecturer at Warren Wilson College in Asheville, N.C., a liberal arts school in the Blue Ridge Mountains founded on a philosophy of sustainability.

During her two days at the college, Swartz presented a campus-wide lecture, “Collaborating with Great Apes: Cognitive Research at Great Ape Trust,” on both the nature of the scientific research conducted at The Trust and the philosophy behind it.

“Dr. Swartz’s visit was valuable to students and faculty in the social and natural sciences,” said Dr. Robert A. Swoap, a professor and chair of the college’s Department of Psychology, which sponsored the scientist’s lecture. Swoap said the lecture was well-attended, and students and faculty lingered after the formal presentation to further explore their mutual interests in primate conservation and the work of Great Ape Trust.

During her visit, Swartz also met with a cognitive psychology class to discuss research on list learning and memory by apes, monkeys and humans. In addition to her work with orangutans and bonobos at Great Ape Trust, Swartz has also conducted research with orangutans at the Smithsonian National Zoological Park and with gorillas and chimpanzees in Gabon, Africa. She worked with human children before coming to Great Ape Trust, and is now extending her research at The Trust to humans. Swartz also discussed her research on mirror self-recognition in great apes with a combined class of students taking research methodology and introductory psychology. Later, she met informally with students in a class on professional issues in psychology to discuss career paths and opportunities in psychology.

She also met with psychology student Greta Honeycutt to discuss Honeycutt’s internship at a nature center, where she is focusing on the mental health of captive animals. In the discussion, Swartz addressed the ways in which Great Ape Trust addresses animal welfare and ethics among the six orangutans and seven bonobos who live at the Des Moines, Iowa, scientific research institute.

An accredited four-year, private liberal arts college, Warren Wilson College was founded in 1894 upon a philosophy of sustainability and driven by a threefold principle: academics for the mind, work for the hands and service learning from the heart.

“I was so impressed with Warren Wilson College,” Swartz said. “It is a beautiful campus nestled in the mountains with a strong sense of community among faculty and students. The students I met are bright and committed to career paths that will positively impact the environment. The curriculum integrates service and work with a strong academic program.

“With their concern for the environment and animal welfare, the students and faculty at Warren Wilson College have a philosophy that is consistent with the mission of Great Ape Trust, and we had many interesting discussions during my visit.”