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Jane Goodall on Her Life, Work, and Legacy

World Bank Photo Collection / flickr
Jane Goodall will be in Iowa on Monday, March 10 to present a lecture, “Sowing the Seeds of Hope”";s:

Jane Goodall is famous for her groundbreaking observation of wild chimpanzees; but for the last 30 years, she’s devoted most of her time to traveling the world, telling her stories, and trying to fan the flames of an environmental movement that could save her beloved chimpanzees and so many other species from extinction.

It is that journey that brings her to Iowa. Goodall will present a lecture “Sowing the Seeds of Hope” on Monday, March 10 at Carver-Hawkeye Arena on the University of Iowa campus.

Host Charity Nebbe talked with her ahead of the event, where Goodall offered this advice to young people with aspiring dreams...

“Maybe some of you dream of doing something when you grow up. Maybe people laugh at you and say, 'Oh, you’ll never do that.'” “I mean, I didn’t have any money when I dreamed of Africa; but my mother used to say to me, 'If you really want something then you are going to have to work really hard, take advantage of opportunity, and never, never give up.'”

Fun fact about Jane Goodall's background:

Before working with chimpanzees, Goodall was very close to a dog named Rusty.

“He was my shadow; he was my teacher; he was very, very special.”

She learned from her experience with Rusty that animals could have personalities, and minds capable of thoughts and emotions. This belief flew in the face of many academics she came in contact with, but she always thought back to her experience with Rusty.

“That’s what gave me the courage to stand up for my convictions."

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Charity Nebbe is the host of IPR's Talk of Iowa