Stony Brook Biologist Named Finalist For Inaugural Indianapolis Award

Press release from SBU:

Sept. 28, 2022

Stony Brook University graduate student, Fanny M. Cornejo, has just been named a finalist for the newly-created “Emerging Conservationist Award” presented by the Indianapolis Prize. This award recognizes professional wildlife conservationists, biologists and scientists under 40-years of age who are working to make strides in saving animal species from extinction. The winner, selected from 10 finalists, will be announced in April 2023 and awarded $50,000 to advance their work to protect species.

Fanny Cornejo is a Peruvian primatologist, anthropologist and the executive director of Yunkawasi, an organization that works with Amazonian and Andean communities for the conservation of threatened species through sustainable economic development and protected area management approach. Cornejo is also director of the Rainforest Partnership in Peru, Yunkawasi's strategic partner for conservation and sustainable development activities in Peru.

Cornejo is a member of the Interdepartmental Doctoral Program in Anthropological Sciences (IDPAS) at Stony Brook University and works in the Pat Wright Lab, where she focuses on the study of primates and big mammals, focusing on diversity, hunting sustainability and ecological studies as well as conservation activities to protect forests and improve the livelihoods of local and indigenous communities. Cornejo has also conducted research on the black and white ruffed lemurs in Ranomafana National Park in Madagascar. Her graduate mentors are Professors Patricia C. Wright and Liliana Davalos.

“Fanny is an excellent scholar who put her knowledge to work to save the wildlife and communities of Peru,” said Professor Patricia Wright. “She is a dynamic leader, a person who works with governments as well as local farmers. She inspired the government to mint a coin in honor of the critically endangered species she studies."

“The Emerging Conservationist Award supports the next generation of conservationists who are actively making a positive difference for the future of biodiversity,” said Dr. Rob Shumaker, President & CEO of the Indianapolis Zoological Society, Inc. “These Finalists, along with all of the Prize honorees, share a deep commitment to protecting nature and inspiring people to care for our world.”

The Emerging Conservationist Award is made possible through a grant from the Kobé Foundation. Finalists were selected through a two-stage selection process, where a Review Committee evaluated and then narrowed the application pool to 10 Finalists. The finalists’ work will be shared with the Selection Committee to choose a winner. The Inaugural Emerging Conservationist Award Winner will be announced in April 2023 and will be recognized at the Indianapolis Prize Gala presented by Cummins Inc. in downtown Indianapolis on Sept. 30, 2023. For more information about this award, please visit this site.

The Indianapolis Prize recognizes the world’s leading conservationists whose work provides future generations with replicable and actionable conservation practices. The Finalists of the Emerging Conservationists represent the people we can rely on to save species worldwide. Stony Brook University Professors Patricia Wright (2014) and Russ Mittermeier (2018) have both been awarded the Indianapolis Prize.

This press release was produced by SBU. The views expressed here are the author's own.