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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE DUANE M. RUMBAUGH, RESEARCH PIONEER, JOINS GREAT APE TRUST OF IOWA Renowned scientist brings decades of primate experience to new research center DES MOINES, IOWA, January 19, 2005 –-/WORLD-WIRE/-- A pioneer in comparative psychology and the study of primate learning, intelligence, and language, Duane M. Rumbaugh, has joined Great Ape Trust of Iowa to coordinate academic and community relations for the facility dedicated to the cognitive research, conservation and welfare of great apes. “Professor Duane Rumbaugh is among an elite group of scientists who had a profound impact on the study of primate intelligence,” says Ted Townsend, founder of Great Ape Trust. “His scientific contributions helped unlock some of the mysteries about our closest living relatives and inspired generations of researchers to learn more about those most like us.” In his new position, Rumbaugh will serve as a liaison between Great Ape Trust and the community, with an emphasis on developing programs and relationships with universities and colleges locally, nationally and internationally. “Great Ape Trust will earn world acclaim by developing a spectrum of great apes and scientific research that is unparalleled – and through it, we will learn and discover things that today cannot be anticipated. It will be an exciting venture for all of us and will become a valued resource for the heartland of Iowa,” says Rumbaugh. “When I first began my work, I never imagined a research facility like Great Ape Trust would be developed. I’m extremely inspired by the mission of the Trust and look forward to its every development in research, education, and conservation.” Prior to his position with Great Ape Trust, Dr. Rumbaugh was Regents Professor, and now emeritus, in the Departments of Psychology and Biology at Georgia State University in Atlanta. In 1981 he co-founded GSU’s Language Research Center and served as its director for 20 years. He initiated the Lana Chimpanzee Language Project in 1971 and led the development of a computer-monitored keyboard for that and other projects that included children and young adults whose language development was compromised by severe learning disabilities. From 1969-71, Rumbaugh was the associate director and chief of behavior at the Yerkes Regional Primate Center of Emory University in Atlanta. Acknowledged as one of the most important 20th century contributors to the field of comparative psychology, Rumbaugh began his research into the learning and language processes of great apes and monkeys in 1958 at the San Diego Zoo and San Diego State College. “The thinking in the early days was so archaic – the idea that animals could think was very foreign to psychologists and actively discouraged,” says Rumbaugh. “But over time, we benefited from studying primates in the field, and in captivity, and eventually learned about the complexity of their social systems and their cognitive abilities.” A native of Maynard, Iowa, Rumbaugh received his master’s degree from Kent State University and his Ph.D. in general-experimental psychology from the University of Colorado. He has had continuous grant support from the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) since 1971. Other agencies to support his research have been the National Science Foundation (NSF) and NASA. “Professor Rumbaugh is internationally renowned for his innovative and insightful comparative research on the topics of learning, numerical cognition and language,” says Dr. David Washburn, director of the Language Research Center at Georgia State University. “He has made countless contributions to comparative psychology; however, some of his most meaningful contributions result from his substantial investments in students and colleagues as a gifted professor, mentor and valued collaborator.” Rumbaugh is the author and co-author of well over 200 published articles and books on animal intelligence and language learning, including Intelligence of Apes and Other Rational Beings with David A. Washburn (Yale University Press, 2003) and Animals Bodies, Human Minds-Ape, Dolphin and Parrot Language Skills with W.A. Hillix (Kluwer-Academic Press, 2004). Great Ape Trust began as the Iowa Primate Learning Sanctuary in early 2002. In June of 2003, work crews began developing the former sand and gravel quarry near the Des Moines River. Located about five miles southeast of downtown Des Moines on more than 230 acres of lowlands, river forest and lakes, Great Ape Trust of Iowa will be the largest great ape facility in North America and one of the first worldwide to include all four types of great ape – bonobos, chimpanzees, gorillas and orangutans – for noninvasive interdisciplinary studies of their cognitive and communicative capabilities. Great Ape Trust is dedicated to providing sanctuary and an honorable life for great apes, studying the intelligence of great apes, advancing conservation of great apes and providing unique educational experiences about great apes. Great Ape Trust of Iowa is a 501(c) 3 not-for-profit organization and is certified by the American Zoo and Aquarium Association (AZA). To learn more about Great Ape Trust of Iowa, go to www.GreatApeTrust.org.
CONTACT: Al Setka, Director of Communications Great Ape Trust of Iowa 515.243.3580, 515.720.7430 (mobile) asetka@greatapetrust.org |