Vytautas Magnus University

Prof. Birutė Galdikas’ Visit at VMU Has Been Cancelled

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We regret to inform you that Professor Birutė Galdikas’ scheduled teaching visit at Vytautas Magnus University has been cancelled due to serious health issues.

Professor Galdikas, a renowned anthropologist and primatologist of Lithuanian descent, has dedicated over five decades to the study and conservation of orangutans. Her commitment to environmental preservation has been an inspiration to many.​

We understand that this news may be disappointing to those who were looking forward to her lectures and interactions. Our thoughts are with Professor Galdikas during this challenging time, and we wish her a swift and full recovery.

We appreciate your understanding and will keep you informed about any future developments regarding her visit.

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Vytautas Magnus University (VMU) once again welcomes Prof. Birutė Galdikas, a world-renowned anthropologist of Lithuanian descent, environmentalist, and the most prominent researcher of orangutans.

Returning to VMU after two years, this time Prof. Galdikas is visiting as a guest of the Dana Gedvilienė Foundation under the Vytautas Kavolis Interdisciplinary Teaching Visit Program, dedicated to the Lithuanian diaspora. From April 1 to April 11, Prof. Galdikas’ lectures at VMU will be open to anyone interested in orangutan research, as well as Indonesian history, culture, and the application of technology in primatology. This marks the first time that Prof. Galdikas is participating in an interdisciplinary teaching program that encompasses a broad historical and cultural context inevitably linked to her direct research.

“Surviving and working successfully in Indonesia meant adapting to Indonesian culture and lifeways. My knowledge of Indonesian culture comes from 53 years of working there as well as being married to a native Indonesian indigenous Dayak for 43 years. He died 3 years ago and I will grieve forever”, the renowned scientist says.

In her lectures, Prof. Galdikas will discuss traditional Javanese culture, which, according to her, has become the core of a significant part of Indonesia’s worldview and cosmology. It is considered to be one of the most civilized and sophisticated cultures in the world. When discussing Indonesian history, Prof. Birutė Galdikas will compare it to Lithuania’s historical developments, taking into consideration how ecology and geography have shaped the fate of each nation.

“Interdisciplinary studies and collaborations expand one’s knowledge, wisdom of the world and understanding of the universe so that problems can be seen in their larger contexts and things that might be overlooked in the narrow focus of one scientific discipline can be more easily seen. Truth comes from one’s belief system and that is also as true of scientific paradigms, but in a different way, as it is of culture and religion. Indonesian truth is a legacy of Indonesian history, culture, and spiritual belief and this is different from western European truth”, asserts Prof. Galdikas.

Prof. Birutė Galdikas’ Teaching Program on April 1-11

  • April 1 (Tuesday) at 4:00 PM – Prof. Birutė Galdikas will deliver a public lecture titled “The Apes, Great and Small Gorillas” at VMU Centre for Studies and Research (Room 103, 23 V. Putvinskio St., Kaunas). Those unable to attend in person are invited to watch the live stream on VMU’s YouTube channel.
  • April 3 (Thursday) at 11:15 AM – Lecture on “Primate Evolution” at Agriculture Academy’s 3rd Building (Room 159, 10 Universiteto St., Akademija, Kaunas District).
  • April 8 (Tuesday) at 4:00 PM – Prof. B. Galdikas will discuss Indonesian History at VMU Centre for Studies and Research (Room 103, 23 V. Putvinskio St., Kaunas).
  • April 9 (Wednesday) at 12:00 PM – Lecture on “Technology in Primatology” at Agriculture Academy’s 3rd Building (Room 164, 10 Universiteto St., Akademija, Kaunas District).
  • April 11 (Friday) at 2:30 PM – At VMU Faculty of Social Sciences (Room 208, 66 Jonavos St., Kaunas), Prof. Galdikas will give a lecture on Indonesian Culture and meet with VMU students of social anthropology.

All lectures will be conducted in English and are open to the general public as well as students from other universities in Lithuania.

Prof. Birutė Galdikas’ teaching visit at VMU runs under the VMU Vytautas Kavolis interdisciplinary Professorship program. Professorship scholarship has been established by the Dana Gedvila Fund, which is administered by the Lithuanian Foundation. Kavolis Interdisciplinary Professorship is a cooperation program dedicated to the visits of Lithuanian diaspora lecturers at Vytautas Magnus University (VMU). It aims to strengthen both the interdisciplinary approach in the study programs and the ties with the Lithuanian diaspora academic community.

Prof. Birutė Galdikas’ Teaching Program

Prof. Birutė Galdikas’ life and work have been documented in six books and a number of documentaries produced in Indonesia, Japan, the United States, France, Italy, and Australia. Among the various awards she has received are the United Nations Global 500 Award, Eddie Bauer Hero for the Earth, the PETA Humanitarian Award, the Tyler Prize for Environmental Achievement, and Gold Medal for Conservation. She is also the president of the Orangutan Foundation International (OFI), which operates in the United States, Australia, Indonesia, and the United Kingdom, with plans to establish a branch in Lithuania.

Prof. Galdikas actively contributes to the training of Lithuanian scientists, delivers lectures, and accepts young researchers for internships in Borneo. In 2010, Vytautas Magnus University (VMU) awarded her an honorary doctorate. On July 6 of the same year, in celebration of Lithuania’s Statehood Day, President Dalia Grybauskaitė honored her with the Order for Merits to Lithuania. During the same visit, Prof. Galdikas was also awarded the VMU Centennial Medal, established to commemorate the anniversary of the founding of the University of Lithuania.