Wright lectures on lemurs, female empowerment – Luther College Chips

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Wright giving her lecture, Girl Power: Ladies Lead in the Lemurs of Madagascar, in Valders 206.

Emily Turner (19) | Photo Bureau

Emily Turner (19) | Photo Bureau

Wright giving her lecture, Girl Power: Ladies Lead in the Lemurs of Madagascar, in Valders 206.

Olivia Enquist, Staff Writer April 5, 2017 Filed under News

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Luther Colleges Phi Beta Kappa chapter hosted renowned primatologist and Distinguished Service Professor of Anthropology at Stony Brook University Patricia Wright on Feb. 20-21 as a part of the Visiting Scholars Program.

As part of her visit, Wright gave a lecture titled Girl Power: Ladies Lead in the Lemurs of Madagascar as well as attending a showing of the movie based in her work titled Island of Lemurs: Madagascar. In addition to these two events, Wright held several informal lectures and conversations with faculty and students across campus.

Wright has made strides in her work in anthropology, biology, and conservation but is best known for her career studying the social and familial interaction of lemurs. During her lecture, Wright spoke about her personal history, her work in biology as an undergraduate, her love of lemurs, and the creation of Ranomafana National Park.

Professor of English and President of Luthers Phi Beta Kappa chapter Kate Narveson explained the process behind choosing the visiting scholar and the desire to choose someone with interdisciplinary interests.

We were impressed with [Wrights] mix of scholarly expertise in anthropology and primatology, but also her service to the world, Narveson said. She went along so well with our mission statement of serving with distinction for the common good. We were also interested in the way that she would appeal to a wide range of departments as an interdisciplinary speaker.

Narveson added that she was pleased by Wrights ability to form meaningful connections to Luther students in a setting that is different from what many of the visiting scholars usually experience.

Some scholars just dont know how to think about where they are, Narveson said. Its just not a world they have any familiarity with. They come and they are wonderful in sharing their enthusiasm and experience, but they just dont make any connections to who we are. Dr. Patricia Wright was rare, unusual, and wonderful in being able to see what kind of school we are, think about the intersection of her values and our values, and how we mutually benefit.

The documentary Island of Lemurs (2014), which was narrated by Morgan Freeman, featured Wright and her work.

Biology and Environmental Studies major Isobel Michaud (19) attended the lecture and said she appreciated the fact that Wright was able to use more than intellectual jargon and connect to the audience through personal anecdotes.

A lot of the colloquiums are very analytical and research based, which is awesome, but theres no personality with research, Michaud said. I appreciated that she was a genuine person talking about her life story.

Sthela Holly Hanitrinirina (19) an international student from Madagascar where Wright conducted most of her research spoke about Wrights influence in emphasizing the importance of conservation to the people of Madagascar.

As a Malagasy person, I learned so much about whats going on in my own country, Hanitrinirina said. Having her working there has made that clear to people that its important to preserve the forest and value what we have.

Hanitrinirina said that while Wrights lecture illustrated the importance of imitating the unique matriarchal structure of lemurs and the gender equality of the Malagasy culture, the biggest message she took away is one of personal growth.

I think that what I learned from her is that she grew so much, Hanitrinirina said. I think that is something to say to students that when you travel and put yourself in an uncomfortable space, you grow. There is nothing bad in leaving your comfortable self, it helps you grow as person, even if its really hard.

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Wright lectures on lemurs, female empowerment - Luther College Chips