Gary
Stanley, Ph.D.
Director
of Educational Technology
Dr.
Stanley received his Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering at Stanford
University and has developed, managed and trained aerospace
engineers to use large-scale simulation software for over 20
years. After designing and implementing large-scale
engineering databases, computational mechanical models and interactive
graphical interfaces at Lockheed's Palo
Alto Research Laboratory for other engineers (within Lockheed and at NASA), his passion shifted to applying some of the same technologies to the education of our youth, using a "mission-based" approach to learning. Project Koko became a perfect match for this new personal mission, due to the built-in motivational power of enabling humans to "talk to the animals" and thus establish interspecies empathy.
Gary is currently the Director of Educational
Technology for The Gorilla Foundation, a role in which he manages
and develops educational content for the website and integrated
databases that span interspecies communication research, education, conservation and business.
Dr. Stanley is also the project manager for the Foundation's pending Maui Ape Preserve,
with the goal of "saving and learning from the great apes" by establishing the first tropical gorilla preserve and interactive interspecies visitor education center outside of Africa.
Gary also designed and developed the ZEST system, a multimedia
database that provides a Zoo Enrichment Signing Tutorial, helping
other great ape facilities teach and track basic sign language
for the mutual rewards of improved ape care in captivity and
heightened awareness-raising in humans about the intelligence
and need for protection of our fellow great apes. Parts of ZEST
are used in the Gorilla Foundation's many multimedia educational
presentation, website and internal training for staff and volunteers.
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