Field Report: The Filmmaker & The Scientist

Schedule of Activities 

12:30-2:30 Traveling Rainforest animal encounter (Fox) 

2:00 p.m: Ivohiboro: The Lost Forest screening (52 mins) (Bartos Screening Room) RSVPs recommended 

2:00–6:00 p.m.: Happy Hour in the Cafe! 10% off beer, wine, and cocktails for Field Report ticket holders   

3:30 p.m.–4:30 p.m.: “The Filmmaker & The Scientist” conversation (Fox) RSVPs recommended. 

What is the role of the filmmaker in scientific research and conservation? Expedition films show us the work of scientists in the field and document important behavior. But does adding more humans to the scene disrupt animal activity or damage the environment? Join us for a screening of Ivohiboro: The Lost Forest, which follows renowned American primatologist Dr. Patricia Wright as she leads a 30-day scientific expedition into a pristine tropical forest in the rugged plains of Southeast Madagascar, one of the last primary forests on the planet. After the screening, Dr. Patricia Wright, Ivohiboro’s filmmakers, and Dr. Mai Fahmy, an environmental DNA scientist featured in the film, will lead a conversation about fieldwork and the collaboration between scientists and filmmaking teams.  

Start your afternoon at the Museum with a trip to the Traveling Rainforest! Center for Environmental Education and Discovery (CEED) brings a variety of animals from the rainforest canopy, understory, and forest floor for you to see and learn more about, including birds, reptiles, and insects.  

Presented in partnership with Pioneer Works and Centre ValBio, a Stony Brook University research campus in Madagascar. 

Special Guests 

Mai Fahmy, PhD, is a conservation biologist working towards discovering and protecting the planet’s biodiversity. Her research is centered on developing and advancing the use of environmental DNA (eDNA) for applications in conservation. For over ten years, she has led expeditions in Madagascar in search of terrestrial blood-feeding jungle leeches. She then targets the residual host DNA in leech blood meals, or invertebrate-derived DNA (iDNA) as a means of surveying vertebrate fauna. She also uses environmental DNA, from water or plant surfaces, to track elusive and recently extinct fauna. Her research aims to inform conservation management in some of the world’s most imperiled rainforests while also expanding our understanding of leeches as understudied organisms. Her interests broadly include how anthropogenic forces such as deforestation and human conflict affect biodiversity, as well as how cultural values interact with conservation efforts.  

Dr. Patricia C. Wright is a renowned scientist and conservationist. She holds the Herrnstein Professor of Conservation Biology Chair at Stony Brook University, NY. Dr. Wright has received the prestigious MacArthur Fellowship (Genius Award) and three of the highest medals of honor from the Malagasy government. She was the first woman to win the Indianapolis Prize for Animal Conservation (equivalent to the Nobel Prize in Conservation). Dr. Wright is the Founder and Executive Director of both Stony Brook University’s Institute for the Conservation of Tropical Environments and the Centre ValBio, a state-of-the-art research and training center in Ranomafana, Madagascar. After discovering a new species of lemur in Madagascar in 1986, Dr. Wright helped establish its habitat as a national park and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Dr. Wright has published over 200 scientific papers, authored four books, and has given hundreds of lectures throughout the world. Her research has been featured in the award-winning IMAX documentary Island of Lemurs: Madagascar, narrated by Morgan Freeman, in addition to Ivohiboro. 

Centre ValBio is an international research station located at the edge of Madagascar’s lush and biodiverse Ranomafana National Park. Dedicated to the protection of the island’s unique ecosystems, CVB advances conservation through cutting-edge science and community-driven projects that benefit local populations. Led by world-renowned primatologist Dr. Patricia C. Wright, Centre ValBio supports hands-on research that promotes the sustainable use of natural resources while fostering the well-being of nearby communities. In close partnership with local people, CVB is pushing the boundaries of scientific knowledge while preserving Madagascar’s extraordinary biodiversity for generations to come. 

Open Worlds: Science is supported by the Simons Foundation.