Orangutan expert to open Drake luncheon series Feb. 14

Robert Shumaker and Knobi

Robert Shumaker, lead scientist and director of orangutan research at Great Ape Trust of Iowa and Drake University fellow, will open Drake’s spring Let’s DU Lunch speaker series. His speech, titled “An Introduction to the Science and Philosophy of Great Ape Trust,” will begin at noon Wednesday, Feb. 14, at the Polk County Convention Complex, 501 Grand Ave.

Dr. Shumaker is an evolutionary biologist specializing in great ape cognition who teaches Introduction to Primatology and Primate Cognition at Drake. In 2003, he joined Great Ape Trust, a world-class research center in Des Moines dedicated to studying the intelligence of great apes and advancing conservation of great apes. He previously served as coordinator of the Orangutan Language Project at the National Zoological Park, Smithsonian Institution.

Let’s DU Lunch is a Drake outreach program designed to bring interesting people together to discuss topics that affect the community, society and the future. The event, which is co-sponsored by the Greater Des Moines Partnership, is open to the public.

The series continues Wednesday, March 14, with Jim Masterson, CEO of Des Moines telecommunications company LightEdge Solutions. Masterson will speak in place of Mike Tousley, president of Weitz Iowa, who was originally scheduled to appear. Craig Armstrong, vice president and general manager of Iowa Speedway, will conclude the series Wednesday, April 4.

Cost is $15 per lunch or $36 for all three events. Networking begins at 11:30 a.m. with lunch and speaker from noon to 1 p.m. Due to limited seating, reservations are recommended.

For more information or to make a reservation, contact the Drake Office of Alumni and Parent Programs at 515-271-3848 or e-mail dottie.johnson@drake.edu.