Partner Program
ASU School of Life Sciences and Phoenix Zoo have launched a new program to strengthen animal conservation efforts by collaborating on new research, as well as improve conservation communications and outreach to the public.
Program
For the first time, the two organizations are jointly supporting a new conservation research fellowship. Jan Schipper, whose position is funded in part from philanthropic donations, will develop a conservation research project that connects the research community in the school to conservation professionals and managers at the zoo.
He will also contribute to the Zoo’s education and outreach efforts, sharing engaging stories about the importance of animal conservation. This partnership will provide new ways for undergraduate and graduate students to be directly involved in research at the zoo.
Additionally, Ben Minteer, Arizona Zoological Society Chair in the School of Life Sciences, will engage in a multi-year project focused on the science, ethics, and history of zoo conservation.
For more than 50 years, the Phoenix Zoo has been a global leader in conservation in some high profile cases, including preserving the black-footed ferret, the Chiricahua leopard frog, and the Arabian Oryx. The zoo is re-doubling its conservation efforts, which provides an important platform for ASU researchers.
