News and Events

Chester first for primate society

Held during Easter 2005, the spring meeting of the Primate Society of Great Britain, themed 'The Regulation of Social Relationships’ was a great success.

The spring meeting of the organisation focuses on the development of its students, and this year a broad range of excellent talks were presented by postgraduate students from across the UK. Several presentations were also given by our own postgraduate students here at University of Chester. The meeting also had a 'first' by presenting an evening keynote address by Professor Frans de Waal, a leader in the field of how primates regulate their social relationships. His talk was sponsored by Shell Oil and presented in collaboration with the Science Festival here at Chester.

Conference Organiser (and lecturer at University of Chester) Colleen Schaffner commented that the talk was well attended by both the public and conference delegates. She said the presentation ‘both enhanced the exchange of knowledge and increased the visibility of the high quality scientific inquiry that is undertaken in primatology’. She added ‘through this unique presentation, Professor de Waal also successfully demonstrated how science can be made both accessible and entertaining, and how it can enrich understanding outside the scientific and primatology community’.