Jane Goodall, founder of the Jane Goodall Institute (JGI) and UN Messenger of Peace, will share insights on her evolution from scientist to global icon during the lecture "Inspiring Hope Through Action" at 4 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 9, on the Danforth Campus of Washington University in St. Louis. Due to an overwhelming response, registration to attend the lecture in person is closed. Livestream viewing will be available that day.
The lecture, part of the university's Assembly Series, will coincide with the exhibition "Becoming Jane: The Evolution of Jane Goodall" on display at the Saint Louis Science Center.
Goodall is an ethologist, activist and conservationist. She founded the JGI as a global community-led conservation, research and youth empowerment organization in 1977. Her research of chimpanzees in Gombe Stream National Park, Tanzania, is the longest-running wild chimpanzee study in the world.
She continues to reach a worldwide audience through her podcast, the "Jane Goodall Hopecast." She shares conservation education with a younger audience through "Virtual Jane," including remote lectures and recordings.
Goodall also bridges the generation gap with her Roots & Shoots program, which empowers young people to develop leadership skills and create a better world. She received the Templeton Prize in 2021 and published her most recent book, "The Book of Hope: A Survival Guide for Trying Times," in the same year.
Beverly Wendland, provost at Washington University in St. Louis, will give a welcome for the lecture. Jonathan Losos, the William H. Danforth Distinguished University Professor, professor of biology in Arts & Sciences and director of the university's Living Earth Collaborative, will offer an introduction.
Crickette Sanz, professor of biological anthropology in Arts & Sciences, will serve as the moderator. Goodall has been a mentor and role model for Sanz over the years as both have focused their careers on the study of chimpanzees.
The Office of the Provost, the Living Earth Collaborative and the McDonnell International Scholars Academy, in partnership with the Saint Louis Science Center, are co-sponsoring the event.
