L.P. Jenkins Memorial Fellowship Program

Mrs. Lorraine Phyllis Jenkins of Sacramento, California was an elementary school teacher and a long-time supporter of orangutan research. She encouraged her son Dr. Gary Shapiro, President of the Orang Utan Republik Foundation (OURF) and Chairman of the Orang Utan Republik Education Initiative, to enter the field to conduct orangutan research as a graduate student. Mrs. Jenkins died on November 21, 1997, following a losing battle with cancer. In her memory, the LP Jenkins Memorial Fellowship for Orangutan and Rainforest Research (LP Jenkins Fellowship) was created and administered through the Orangutan Foundation International until November 2004, when the OFI Board transferred the LP Jenkins Fellowship to the Orang Utan Republik Education Initiative at the request of Dr. Shapiro.

The LP Jenkins Fellowship is a competitive award open to all graduate and undergraduate students planning to conduct field research on orangutans or related rainforest or conservation education in Indonesia. A total of 18 students have received this honor since the initial three fellowships were awarded at the Third Great Apes of the World Conference in Sarawak in 1998. 

OURF intends to award two LP Jenkins Fellowships of $1,000 in 2023.

Note to donors: You can help support this important research education program by making a donation to OURF earmarked for the LP Jenkins Memorial Fellowship. You can send a check, go to the Appeals page, or make an online donation through PayPal. Be assured the donation will benefit a worthy student conducting important orangutan or rainforest research. 

How to apply

Interested students are encouraged to apply each year in order to be considered. Applications for 2023 are due by July 1, 2023. Completed applications should be sent electronically to the Orang Utan Republik Foundation by sending an email to info@orangutanrepublik.org. An OURF Review Committee will evaluate the merits of each application and may recommend one or two recipients to the President of OURF. The winner(s) of the Fellowship will be notified by email by August 1.

Applicants should realize that funds will not be disbursed to the Fellowship recipient until he or she shows evidence of a valid research permit (if needed) to conduct their proposed study. Recipients are also expected to write two documents: a popular report on their research that will be published in OURF's newsletter, and a more scientific report of greater length, which OURF will publish in a series of occasional proceedings. Applicants should submit both reports in PDF format.

The LP Jenkins Memorial Fellowship Application form is available on this website.


Current and past recipients of the LP Jenkins Memorial Fellowship

The following table lists past recipients of the LP Jenkins Memorial Fellowship.

Year

Recipient

Title of Research Project

2023

Dana Prima Tarigan

Community Perceptions Analysis Towards the Risk of Disturbance to the Tapanuli Orangutan

2019

Abigail Gwynn

Effects of the 2015 Forest Fires on Orang-utan Behavior and Health

2019

Helvi Musdarlia

Growing Awareness of Students and Communities to the Importance of Orangutan Conservation and their Habitat

2015

Chris Wiggs

How the RSPO complaint process contributes to conservation.

2014

Panut Hadisiswoyo

Addressing human-­orangutan conflict in agricultural landscapes in Northern Sumatra

2013

Ridhwan Effendi

The role of companies in achieving MDG environmental sustainability goals

2012

Graham Banes

The role of orangutan cheek pads in sexual selection and reproductive success

2009

Madeleine Hardus

The effect of logging on the food culture of wild orangutans in N. Sumatra

2008

Gail Campbell-Smith

Continued study on the actual and perceived conflict between humans and orangutans in Sumatra

2008

Panut Hadisiswoyo

Study on the perceived human-orangutan conflict in farmlands bordering the Gunung Leuser National Park

2007

David Dellatore

Study of the relationship between orangutan behavior and increased levels of parasitism in Sumatra

2006

Gail Campbell-Smith

Study on the actual and perceived conflict between humans and orangutans in Sumatra

2002

Meg Crofoot

Study of the reproductive strategies and hormone profiles of male orangutans

2001

Marina Davila Ross

Comparative study on the long calls of orangutans in Batang Ai National Park in Sarawak

2000

Michelle Brown

Fermentation and Energetic Stress in Juvenile Orangutans Living at Gunung Palung National Park in West Kalimantan

1999

Wendy Hoole

Male orangutan maturation and development in Tanjung Puting National Park

1998

Tamaini Snaith

A comparison of transient vs. resident orangutan male home ranges in Gunung Palung National Park

1998

Sera Blair

A comparison of transient vs. resident orangutan male home ranges in Gunung Palung National Park

1998

Mhd. Hatta Hj. Mohd.Ramlee

Behavioral manipulation of the feeding habits of primates under rehabilitation in Sarawak