Sitting down with preeminent field biologist George Schaller is a rare opportunity.

Schaller, the recipient of the 2008 Indianapolis Prize, the world’s leading award for animal conservation, spends most of his time traveling the globe studying Tibetan antelope, giant pandas, Serengeti lions, and other endangered animals and their habitats. “Fieldwork is not a career but the core of my existence,” he says.

In September 2008, Ball State partnered with the Indianapolis Zoo to share Schaller’s inspiring story with universities, zoos, and schools through a unique simulcast event.

Using Ball State’s cutting-edge technology infrastructure, the program, A Life in the Wild: A Conversation with George Schaller, was broadcast live on PBS stations and webcast to educational institutions and individuals around the world. The hour-long interview included video and photos from Schaller’s more than 50 years of fieldwork, and viewers phoned in and e-mailed questions that were answered during the program.

As a leader in emerging media in Indiana and across the nation, Ball State is well-positioned to bring this program to a worldwide audience. In addition to our prowess in digital media, we are pioneering WiMAX technology, and our foray into Second Life has won multiple national awards.

“Digital media technology is now persistent throughout the campus, and administrators and information technology leaders feel its potential is being fully realized,” says Phil Repp, interim vice president for information technology.