Dr. Jane Goodall, a world-renowned environmentalist and activist, will speak in person at the University of Montana on Sunday evening.

Goodall's talk, "Hope Through Action," is a part of the University President's Lecture Series. It will begin at 6 p.m. at the Oval on campus, and is free and open to the public. 

If you can't attend in person, the event will also be streamed virtually. 

Seating will be festival-style, UM spokesperson Dave Kuntz said.

The university will provide about 500 chairs under a shaded tent area, but Kuntz encouraged people to bring their own chairs. Seating is first-come, first-served. 

"There is much that all of us can learn from Jane Goodall and her tireless efforts to protect not only the wildlife that inhabits our planet, but the people, too,” UM President Seth Bodnar said in the release. “She has proven that the well-being of one does not have to come at the expense of the other. We’re extremely excited to have her visit UM, and I encourage all of Missoula to come hear her important message.”

Goodall is in town on other business and was able to fit a lecture at UM into her schedule, Kuntz said. 

The talk is co-sponsored by the Maureen and Mike Mansfield Center and International Wildlife Film Festival. 

Goodall founded the Jane Goodall Institute in 1977 and is a U.N. Messenger of Peace. Her environment-centered activism is known for galvanizing a better understanding of the natural world.

Her trailblazing research accomplishments in primatology and anthropology are recognized globally. 

Goodall's work on wild chimpanzees in the Gombe Stream National Park in Tanzania is also among her many accolades — it’s the longest-running wild chimpanzee study in the world, according to the press release.

“Her revelatory observation that chimpanzees make and use tools rocked the scientific landscape and forever redefined our understanding of the relationship between humans and other animals,” the release states.

Through the pandemic, Goodall has connected with global audiences through “Virtual Jane.”

This program includes remote lectures and recordings, as well as her podcast, the “Jane Goodall Hopecast.” In 2021, she published her most recent book, “The Book of Hope: A Survival Guide for Trying Times.”