IEEE Spectrum July, 2012 - 4

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diGital intErn

ow do you get an ape to pee?
It's a challenge that Ken
Schweller never thought he'd
encounter when he embarked on a
career in psychology and computer
science 36 years ago. But Schweller,
who spends part of his time at the
Bonobo Hope Great Ape Trust
Sanctuary in Des Moines, has one
of the more unusual jobs in his field:
He designs computer software to
help the organization's linguistically
adept bonobos communicate.
After a tour as an infantry
sergeant in Vietnam, Schweller
enrolled in graduate school at the
University of Illinois at UrbanaChampaign. There, he became
interested in the use of computers
to study how children acquire
language. The subject continues
to fascinate him in his main job,
as a professor of computer science
and psychology at Buena Vista
University, in Storm Lake, Iowa.
In 2004, shortly after the
sanctuary opened, Schweller
volunteered his services. His first
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liz RubeRt-Pugh

The Magic Word

task was to program Pac‑Man-
type mazes for the apes.
Initially, he says, the bonobos
were wary of him: "Bonobos are
matriarchal, so they give women
more deference and respect. Men
are often viewed as threatening."
Eventually, though, they warmed
to him, and Schweller became the
organization's head programmer;
last November he was named
chairman of the board.
Probing the apes' language and
cognitive abilities offers constant
surprises, Schweller says. He
mentions a recent incident in which
a veterinarian needed a urine
sample from a bonobo named Kanzi
and wasn't sure how to go about
getting it. A researcher told the
vet, "Well, you could just ask him."
Then she pointed to the lexigrams-
the abstract symbols that the
bonobos use to communicate-for
please and pee. In short order, Kanzi
walked to a corner of his enclosure,
found a plastic cup, peed into it,
and handed it to the amazed vet.
"I've learned never to underestimate these bonobos," Schweller says.
"I'm sure the vet would agree."
o

celia Gorman

contriButinG EditorS

http://spectrum.ieee.org

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of IEEE Spectrum July, 2012