Dr. Irene Pepperberg

Dr. Irene Pepperberg is a scientist noted for her studies in animal cognition, particularly in relation to parrots. She is an adjunct professor of psychology at Brandeis University and a lecturer at Harvard University. She is well known for her comparative studies into the cognitive fundamentals of language and communication, and was one of the first to try to extend work on language learning in animals other than humans (exemplified by the Washoe project) to a bird species. Dr. Pepperberg is also active in wildlife conservation, especially in relation to parrots.

Pepperberg is president of The Alex Foundation, a not-for-profit 501(c)(3) organization, which she started. The foundation supports Pepperberg and her team’s research. In a 2006 interview, Pepperberg said that the foundation was her only funding source, having lost her paid research position due to a funding crunch at MIT’s Media Lab, although the report of that interview doesn’t mention her research associate position at Harvard University since 2005. The Alex Foundation raises money through donations, from direct sale of parrot-related gifts, and indirectly from sales through sponsoring businesses.

http://www.alexfoundation.org/dr_irene_pepperberg.html

Be sure to bring any books you may have that Dr. Pepperberg has written – she will be on hand to personally autograph them for you.  An Alex Foundation collection jar will also be available, so perhaps you can drop some change in while she is signing your book(s).