Jane Goodall to speak at UNK March 20

What: Dr. Jane Goodall lecture
When: 7 p.m., March 20
Where: Miriam Drake Theatre, UNK Fine Arts Building, 24th street and 12th Avenue
Cost: Free
Tickets: See distribution plan below.
Media: Media availability with Dr. Goodall is planned for 6:10 to 6:30 p.m. sharp in the Walker Art Gallery down the hall from Miriam Drake. Media will also be allowed to film and photograph the first 10 minutes of the lecture, staying for the duration of the lecture but ceasing to film.
Contact Kelly Bartling with questions: 308-865-8455. To inquire about pre-interviews, contact Jacob Petersen at the Jane Goodall Institute, 703-682-9220 or jpetersen@janegoodall.org.

KEARNEY – Internationally acclaimed primatologist Dr. Jane Goodall will give a free, public lecture at 7 p.m. March 20 at University of Nebraska at Kearney.

In her speech, “Sowing the Seeds of Hope,” Goodall will bring her audience into the world of the Gombe chimpanzees ? from her early observations and experiences to the latest news and stories from the field.

Goodall will also talk about the work of the Jane Goodall Institute, which continues her pioneering research and celebrated its 35th anniversary in 2012. Today, the Institute is a global leader in the effort to protect chimpanzees and their habitats. It also is widely recognized for establishing innovative community-centered conservation and development programs in Africa, and Jane Goodall’s Roots & Shoots, the Institute’s global environmental and humanitarian youth program.

Goodall will provide insight into the person behind the globe-trotting international icon: a United Nations Messenger of Peace, Dame of the British Empire, and the subject of countless articles and television programs around the world. She will also discuss the current threats facing the planet and her reasons for hope in these complex times, encouraging everyone to do their part to make a positive difference each and every day.

Free tickets may be picked up (limit 2) from the UNK Nebraskan Student Union customer service desk beginning Monday (March 10) for students, faculty and staff with a UNK ID.

Remaining tickets may begin to be picked by the general public beginning at 9 a.m. March 17 through 2 p.m. on March 20. Seats may be available the evening of the lecture if any tickets are undistributed or if patrons do not show. Anyone without a ticket will be able to stand in line, and will be granted entry at 6:55 p.m. if open seats remain.

Goodall was raised and schooled in London, earning her Ph.D in ethology from Cambridge University in 1966. She began studying in 1960 the behavior of free-living chimpanzees in Gombe National Park in what is now Tanzania. In her first year of research, she observed and documented the chimpanzee David Greybeard strip leaves off twigs to fashion tools for fishing termites from a nest. Scientists had thought humans were the only species to make and use tools.

She also observed chimps hunting and eating animals, although thought to be primarily vegetarians. She defied scientific convention by naming instead of numbering her research subjects. The Gombe Stream Research Centre, which she established in 1965, eventually became a training ground for students to study primates.

Goodall established the Jane Goodall Institute in 1977, which supports research at Gombe and leads efforts to protect chimpanzees and their habits.

Goodall, at age 79, continues to work, traveling some 300 days each year to speak on the plight of the chimpanzees, other environmental crises, and her hopes for humankind. She is a lover of the annual Sandhill crane migration. She is the author of numerous books and articles, including two autobiographies, and has been featured in television documentaries and large-screen format films. More information about her can be found at http://janegoodall.org.

Goodall will be signing copies of her books, available for sale after the lecture.

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