AUG 27, 2004
GREENSBORO, NC
Visiting The Planet of t
Michael Cole
Guest Writer
It was like living on the
Planet of the Apes, only
humans were in charge.
For a Guilford College-relat
ed summer school program
this year, I undertook one of
the most amazing experi
ences of my entire life: I stud
ied abroad in Leipzig
Germany, working at a zoo. It
was combined with the
Wolfgang Kohler Primate
Research Center, a project of
the Max Planck Institute for
Evolutionary Anthropology
(one of the most renowned
and distinguished ape
research facilities in the entire
world). I worked as an under
graduate research assistant.
As a History major, I was not
even remotely into science
before my trip. It is amazing
how fast my interests broad
ened in such a short amount
of time.
With the support of distin
guished Cognitive Science
professor, William Idsardi,
from the University of
Delaware, I flew to Germany
and began my work as an
intern taking an independent
study. I did everything from
working with the most sophis
ticated technology available
for projects, to observing and
filming the wild apes with
state-of-the-art Panasonic
cameras used with splitters
for split-screen capabilities
and tripods for navigating and
holding the cameras in place.
Smoking
Continued from Page 1
the way to Bryan Jr. to smoke, which is unfair,"
said third-year and smoker Catherine Milner.
Lundquist has previous experience with
enforcing smoke-free residence hall policies. In
April 2, 2003 issue of The Guilfordian, she
stated that while she was working at
Greensboro College, "we didn't think about
providing places outside for students to smoke.
We know better now."
The reason there are no awnings up yet,
said Lundquist, is that Campus Life is waiting
to see where people congregate to smoke.
None of this, however, could
even begin to compare to my
work with the apes. I was
given the opportunity to work
with the most prominent cog
nitive primatology
researchers, such as the bril
liant Professor Michael
Tomasello. While assisting
with these non-invasive ethi
cal experiments, I was able to
witness up close exactly how
smart these apes truly are.
During a reciprocal altruism
experiment with chimpanzees
(e.g. trying to find out if apes
can cooperate with each other
or not), a complicated trial run
was set up where two tables
with bananas were used to
give only one slice of fruit to a
chimpanzee if he performed
successfully. Basic safe
guards were set up on the
professionally designed appa
ratus, with a pulley system,
where when a chimp pulled
on a table, the other one
would go the opposite direc
tion.
These chimps were actually
clever enough to figure out a
way to ingeniously manipulate
the device and the pulley sys
tem design, in order to get as
much food as they wanted
from both tables without hav
ing to cooperate with us!
Seeing this sort of gave me
a slight shudder of recollec
tion; I kept thinking back to
the incarcerated velociraptors
in Jurassic Park that escaped
and used smart problem-solv
ing techniques to figure out
"You've gotta let people make a cow path,
then lay the sidewalk. So we want to see
where people are smoking," said Lundquist.
Campus Life is also looking into putting more
seating where smoking is allowed, like near the
rear entrance to Mary Hobbs.
"The main concern should be the health
issues," said Jonathan Hatch, Assistant
Professor of Mathematics and smoker. , "I have
yet to see a study on the dangers of second
hand smoke outside. Then again, I probably
don't have all the information yet."
Bowles, in conjunction with Campus Life, is
planning on bringing in a smoking cessation
program in order to address some of the health
FEATURES
MICHAEL COLE/SPECIAL TO THE GUILFORDIAN
Senior Michael Cole spent the summer in Germany studying at the Wolfgang
Kohler Primate Research Center.
how to open doors to eat the
frightened humans. Apes, of
course, are much nicer crea
tures, if perhaps slightly unco
operative. It currently stays
unclear whether chimps are
willing or able to cooperate
and share food with one
another.
The fact remains that apes
are very intelligent. While
working at the center, I wit
nessed everything from chim
panzees forming coalitions in
order to back each other up
during confrontations, to oth
ers breaking up fights to main
tain peace. Observing these
WWW.GUILFORDIAN.COM
instances has made me ques
tion exactly how unique
humans even with our com
plex societies - truly are.
Similar to my experience
watching The Planet of the
Apes, which depicted magnifi
cent, intelligent and often
aggressive primate con
querors kidnapping human
explorers, the research center
filled me with a feeling of mys
tified amazement and awe.
Unlike in the movie however,
plexiglass walls, deep moats
and sturdy cages protected
me from any physical threats.
In any case, this was an
concerns. This in partial response to the
incoming First Year students reporting a
14.7% smoking rate, 9.9% above the rate
reported a similar colleges (CIRP, 2003).
Enforcement of the policy may remain an
issue.
"I just think the policy is silly," said second
year Jeremy Bante, "There are plenty of peo
ple not following it. No-smoking in-doors is
enough."
"Most people will feel like they have to
smoke in their rooms, which is so much less
healthy," said first-year Brittany Blake. 3€
AARON DEMOSS/GUILFORDIAN
PAGE 3
experience that I will never
forget. 3€
For more inforomation, go to.
http://www. eva. mpg. de/psy
cho/files/apes.html
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