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| Dr. Sue Savage-Rumbaugh, a pioneer in language research with bonobos, will be honored as a Woman of Influence on Aug. 14 by the Des Moines Business Record. |
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Des Moines Business Record’s Women of Influence program recognizes women who have taken chances and contributed to their communities
Des Moines, Iowa – July 30, 2007 – Dr. Sue Savage-Rumbaugh, a scientist in the bonobo research program at Great Ape Trust of Iowa, will be honored by a Des Moines media company on Aug. 14.
The Des Moines Business Record has named Savage-Rumbaugh to its 2007 class of Women of Influence. The newspaper’s awards program, established by Publisher Connie Wimer seven years ago, recognizes the outstanding contributions the honorees have made in their fields of work or to the community. Specifically, the award is presented to central Iowa women who have:
• Achieved success in their chosen field;
• Left a lasting impact on their community;
• Been involved with civic and/or non-profit organizations; and
• Been a role model for other women through not only their achievements, but also their high ethical standards.
Savage-Rumbaugh is one of only two scientists in the world to study language research with bonobos. A pioneer in the field of ape language studies through decades of research with chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes) and bonobos (Pan paniscus), she joined Great Ape Trust in 2005 following a 30-year association with Georgia State University’s Language Research Center, where she collaborated with a colony of eight bonobos who accompanied her to Iowa.
Among those writing letters of support for Savage-Rumbaugh’s nomination were renowned primatologist Dr. Jane Goodall and Dr. Kathy Schick, co-director of The Stone Age Institute and professor in the Department of Anthropology and Cognitive Science Program at Indiana University.
Goodall, whose Jane Goodall Institute addresses chimpanzee and primate welfare on myriad fronts, said that throughout her career and most notably in her work with the bonobos Kanzi and Panbanisha, Savage-Rumbaugh “has shown perseverance in the face of adversity.”
“Early on in her work as a scientist, she, along with others working on language acquisition in apes, was often met with skepticism,” Goodall wrote in her letter of recommendation. “Nevertheless, she was able to overcome this. …”
Schick said that through her world-renowned cognitive research with bonobos, Savage-Rumbaugh has had a “profound impact on our understanding of our great ape relatives, as well as ourselves.”
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| Dr. Sue Savage-Rumbaugh and the world-famous Kanzi communicate using a lexigram. |
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“Her commitment to the research, conservation and education aims of Great Ape Trust are of special note,” Schick said. “She has dedicated her life to improving our understanding of our ape relatives, and her involvement with Great Ape Trust throughout its formation and development constitutes a culmination and solidification of goals and activities she has expressed and embodied for the past many years of her career.”
Schick also called Savage-Rumbaugh “an excellent role model for women, showing what can be accomplished with dedication to a cause, with energy and perseverance in pursuing one’s goals, and intelligence and intuition in addressing major questions or problems in one’s field of endeavor.”
Other honorees are, Des Moines Police Chief Judy Bradshaw, community activist and volunteer Mary Brubaker, Iowa Civil Rights Commission Chairwoman Alicia Claypool, community volunteer Debbie Hubbell, Downtown Community Alliance President and CEO Mary Lawyer, Greater Des Moines Community Foundation Development Director Development Kaye Lozier, Iowa Supreme Court Chief Justice Marsha Ternus, and Marcia Wannamaker, a top-selling Realtor and community volunteer. Certified Public Accountant Cyril Mandelbaum will be named the Business Record’s first-ever Woman Business Owner of the Year.
Click here to make reservations for the Aug. 14 awards reception, which will be held from 4:30 to 7:30 p.m. at the Des Moines Marriott Downtown. The awards presentation begins at 5 p.m.
The Business Record is published by Business Publications Corp., whose flagship products also include dsm magazine. The quarterly magazine’s February-April 2007 cover story was about the bonobos at Great Ape Trust of Iowa.
Great Ape Trust Background
Great Ape Trust of Iowa is a scientific research facility in southeast Des Moines dedicated to understanding the origins and future of culture, language, tools and intelligence. When completed, Great Ape Trust 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 Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA). |
Great Ape Trust is certified by the Association of Zoos & Aquariums
