Annual Shaw Biology Lecture to feature New York Times best-selling author

March 16, 2023

The University of Southern Indiana will host its 9th annual Shaw Biology Lecture at 7 p.m. Monday, April 17 in Mitchell Auditorium, located in the Nursing and Health Professions Building. Frans de Wall, New York Times bestselling author, will present “Politics, Cognition, Morality: You Name It – Our Fellow Primates Have It All.” The presentation is open to the public at no charge.

De Waal is a C.H. Candler Professor Emeritus of Psychology at Emory University and is the former Director of Living Links, a division of the Yerkes National Primate Research Center, established for primate studies to shed light on human behavioral evolution. A Dutch/American biologist, de Waal is known for his work on the behavior and social intelligence of primates.

In 2011, Discover Magazine named him among the “47 (All-Time) Great Minds of Science” and in 2019, Prospect Magazine ranked him fourth among the “World’s Top Thinkers.” His scientific work has been published in hundreds of articles and journals, such as Science and Nature, and volumes specialized in animal behavior. His dozen popular books, translated into over 20 languages, made him one of the world’s most visible primatologists.

De Waal’s bestsellers include Are We Smart Enough to Know How Smart Animals Are? and Mama’s Last Hug. His latest book is titled Different: Gender Through the Eyes of a Primatologist. Following his presentation, de Waal will be available for a book signing.

The Shaw Lecture Series is funded by a USI Foundation endowment with support by the USI Biology Department and the Pott College of Science, Engineering, and Education.

For questions, contact Dr. Marlene Shaw, Professor Emerita of Biology, at mshaw@usi.edu.

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Founded in 1965, the University of Southern Indiana enrolls nearly 9,700 dual credit, undergraduate, graduate and doctoral students in more than 130 areas of study. A public higher education institution, located on a beautiful 1,400-acre campus in Evansville, Indiana, USI offers programs through the College of Liberal Arts, Romain College of Business, College of Nursing and Health Professions and the Pott College of Science, Engineering, and Education. The University offers study-abroad opportunities in more than 60 countries and hosts international students from around the globe. USI is a Carnegie Foundation Community Engaged University and offers continuing education and special programs to more than 15,000 participants annually through Outreach and Engagement. USI is online at USI.edu.