Apprentice Program
Tatu (wearing the hat) and Loulis
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2009 Dates: June
28 - August 21
Application period
for 2009 is closed
Interested in what you'll be doing as an apprentice? Take a
look at a sample
weekly schedule.
Students from various academic backgrounds (e.g.
anthropology, biology, psychology, linguistics, philosophy,
etc.) are encouraged to apply. Applicants must be at least 18
years old and must have completed at least one year of university
level education prior to the start of the program. There is
a $25.00 non refundable application processing fee and a $1,800.00
program fee which does not include housing, food, transportation,
or personal expenses.
The research at CHCI involves a group of chimpanzees who use
the signs of American Sign Language (ASL). Two of the three,
Tatu, and Dar, were part of the cross-fostering research that
began at the University of Nevada, Reno in 1966 with Drs. R.
A. and B. T. Gardner. Each chimpanzee was raised in an enriched
environment in which their human family members used only ASL,
much like the environment in which a deaf child grows up. The
youngest chimpanzee, Loulis, was adopted by Washoe (who passed
away in 2007) in 1978 and acquired his signs from the other
chimpanzees as a focus of research done by the co-directors
of CHCI, Roger and Deborah Fouts.
The chimpanzees have been at Central Washington University
since 1980. In May of 1993, we moved from the third floor of
the Psychology Building into a large facility that offers the
chimpanzees a spacious outdoor area and a significant increase
in indoor living space. This home, the Chimpanzee and Human
Communication Institute, is a complex, interesting, and enriching
environment for this family of chimpanzees, whose well-being
is our first concern. The facility also allows us to offer many
educational and research programs such as this Summer Apprenticeship.
Successful completion of one university-level ASL course is highly
encouraged in order to understand chimpanzee signs and interactions
you will observe,
but it is not necessary for application. Just as with any unfamiliar culture,
learning the language is the first step to experiencing it. Those who do not
take ASL classes will certainly be an active part of the program and will have
just as many chances to observe the chimpanzees during observational research
projects. It takes a long time to develop a relationship with the chimpanzees
and a three-month training period is necessary to sign and interact with them.
Therefore, even if you do take ASL classes, you will only be able to observe
rather than participate in signed conversations with the chimpanzees. Also,
if you have learned ASL, you would be able to work on research projects that
involve videotapes of the chimpanzees signing.
All apprentices are involved in the husbandry, care, and enrichment
of the chimpanzees on a daily basis. The chimpanzees' needs come
first and everyone who is involved
in the program participates in fulfilling these needs. Humane caregiving practices
are valuable skills to have in this field and we offer plenty of
opportunities to learn
here. Specifically these activities include cleaning enclosures,
food preparation, daily enrichment, and observing the chimpanzees from the
berm, an outer walkway, when they are in their outside enclosure. Each apprentice
has approximately 15 hours a week during which he or she is scheduled to be
present at CHCI and help in these care activities. The rest of your time at
CHCI will be spent participating in research projects.
Ours is a team approach to research. Apprentices are part of one
or more research teams, each team working on its own research
project. Apprentices are responsible for the majority of data
collection, data entry, and literature review. The beginning
stages of the program involve intensive training in chimpanzee
care and husbandry and in research methods for the projects.
After several weeks, each apprentice becomes more autonomous
and is responsible for his or her own progress in the research
project, much like a graduate student. Regular meetings are
held to monitor progress on the various projects. Examples of
previous research programs include the chimpanzees' reactions
to visitors, chimpanzee imaginary play, comparison of the artwork
of human children and chimpanzees, topic maintenance in chimpanzee-human
signed conversations, and post-conflict interactions between
the chimpanzees.
The application deadline for the 2009 Apprenticeship
Program was March 30, 2009 - please try back for 2010!
If you need information about campus housing you should contact
the CWU housing office at (509) 963-1831, housing@cwu.edu,
or University Housing and New Student Programs, Central Washington
University, 400 E. University Way, Ellensburg, WA 98926-7513.
If you have additional questions about the application process
and/or the program in general please feel free to contact us
through email: jensvold@cwu.edu
or by writing to CHCI/CWU, 400 E. University Way, Ellensburg,
WA 98926-7573. We will notify you of our decision by the middle
of April.
Please Note: Persons requiring an American Sign Language
(ASL) interpreter for a CHCI sponsored prgram must contact CHCI
at least 10 working days prior to the program's starting date.
APPRENTICE APPLICATION FORM
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