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==Biography==
==Biography==
Known primarily for his work on life history evolution <ref>Stearns, S.C. 1992. The Evolution of Life Histories. Oxford University Press"></ref> and evolutionary medicine <ref>Stearns, S.C. & Koella, J.C. (ed.). 2007. Evolution in health and disease. 2nd Ed. Oxford University press, Oxford.</ref>, Steve Stearns was born on the Island of Hawaii in 1946 and grew up on a sugar plantation.
Known primarily for his work on life history evolution <ref>Stearns, S.C. 1992. The Evolution of Life Histories. Oxford University Press"></ref> and evolutionary medicine <ref>Stearns, S.C. & Koella, J.C. (ed.). 2007. Evolution in health and disease. 2nd Ed. Oxford University press, Oxford.</ref>, Steve Stearns was born on the Island of Hawaii in 1946 and grew up on a sugar plantation. He married Beverly Peterson Stearns in 1971; they have two sons and one grandson.


==Education and training==
==Education and training==
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*Any organism that reproduces with asymmetric division at some point in its life cycle must age. <ref> Ackermann, M., S.C. Stearns & U. Jenal. 2003. Senescence in a bacterium with asymmetric division. Science 300: 1920. </ref>
*Any organism that reproduces with asymmetric division at some point in its life cycle must age. <ref> Ackermann, M., S.C. Stearns & U. Jenal. 2003. Senescence in a bacterium with asymmetric division. Science 300: 1920. </ref>
*Contemporary human populations still experience significant selection pressures that, if continued, will reduce age at first birth and increase age at menopause. <ref> Byars, S., Ewbank, D., Govindaraju, D.R. & Stearns, S.C. 2010. Natural selection in a contemporary human population. Proceedings of the National Academy of Science 107: 1787-1792. </ref>
*Contemporary human populations still experience significant selection pressures that, if continued, will reduce age at first birth and increase age at menopause. <ref> Byars, S., Ewbank, D., Govindaraju, D.R. & Stearns, S.C. 2010. Natural selection in a contemporary human population. Proceedings of the National Academy of Science 107: 1787-1792. </ref>




== Structural Contributions to Evolutionary and Conservation Biology ==
== Structural Contributions to Evolutionary and Conservation Biology ==
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*the [[Tropical Biology Association]] (1991)[http://www.tropical-biology.org/]</ref>.
*the [[Tropical Biology Association]] (1991)[http://www.tropical-biology.org/]</ref>.
He later served terms as president of both. He founded the Journal of Evolutionary Biology and served as its first managing editor (1986-1991)<ref>Stearns, S.C. 2008. How the European Society for Evolutionary Biology and the Journal of Evolutionary Biology were founded. J. Evol. Biol. 21: 1449-1451.></ref>.
He later served terms as president of both. He founded the Journal of Evolutionary Biology and served as its first managing editor (1986-1991)<ref>Stearns, S.C. 2008. How the European Society for Evolutionary Biology and the Journal of Evolutionary Biology were founded. J. Evol. Biol. 21: 1449-1451.></ref>.

== Contributions to Education==

His most read and least cited publication, written with Ray Huey in April, 1976, is Modest Advice for Graduate Students [http://www.eeb.yale.edu/stearns/advice.htm]

His introductory course, Principles of Evolution, Ecology, and Behavior, has been videotaped and is available to the public on-line at Open Yale Courses [http://oyc.yale.edu/ecology-and-evolutionary-biology/principles-of-evolution-ecology-and-behavior/], iTunes University, and YouTube[http://www.youtube.com/view_play_list?p=6299F3195349CCDA].


== Visiting Professorships and Invited Talks ==
== Visiting Professorships and Invited Talks ==
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*Devane Medal for distinction in undergraduate teaching at Yale (2011).[http://opac.yale.edu/undergrad/devane-stearns.html]</ref>
*Devane Medal for distinction in undergraduate teaching at Yale (2011).[http://opac.yale.edu/undergrad/devane-stearns.html]</ref>


His most read and least cited publication, written with Ray Huey in April, 1976, is [[Modest Advice for Graduate Students]] [http://www.eeb.yale.edu/stearns/advice.htm]</ref>

He married Beverly Peterson Stearns in 1971; they have two sons and one grandson.


<references />
<references />
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==External links==
==External links==
{{cite web|url=http://www.yale.edu/eeb/stearns/|title=StephenStearns|first=Stephen|last=Stearns|accessdate=27 July 2011}}
{{cite web|url=http://www.yale.edu/eeb/stearns/|title=StephenStearns|first=Stephen|last=Stearns|accessdate=27 July 2011}}
{{cite web|url=http://www.eeb.yale.edu/stearns/advice.htm}}
http://oyc.yale.edu/ecology-and-evolutionary-biology/principles-of-evolution-ecology-and-behavior/
{{cite web|url=http://oyc.yale.edu/ecology-and-evolutionary-biology/principles-of-evolution-ecology-and-behavior/}}
{{cite web|url=http://http://www.youtube.com/view_play_list?p=6299F3195349CCDA}}


{{US-biologist-stub}}
{{US-biologist-stub}}

Revision as of 15:30, 28 July 2011

Stephen C. Stearns is the Edward P. Bass Professor of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Yale University.

Biography

Known primarily for his work on life history evolution [1] and evolutionary medicine [2], Steve Stearns was born on the Island of Hawaii in 1946 and grew up on a sugar plantation. He married Beverly Peterson Stearns in 1971; they have two sons and one grandson.

Education and training

He graduated from Hawaii Preparatory Academy (1957-1963) and attended Yale University (1963-1967), where he majored in Biology. After working for three years in computer services in Honolulu, he returned to graduate school at the University of Wisconsin, Madison (1970-1971), and at the University of British Columbia (1972-1975), where he did his PhD on life history evolution. After a Miller Fellowship in the Department of Zoology at the University of California, Berkeley (1975-1978), he became an assistant professor in the Department of Biology at Reed College (1978-1983). From Reed he moved to Switzerland, where he served as Professor of Zoology and Director of the Zoology Institute at the University of Basel from 1983 to 2000, when he moved to Yale. At Yale he chaired the Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology from 2002 to 2005.

Scientific Contributions

  • Evolution can be very rapid when large populations are subjected to strong selection. [3]
  • Gene flow can swamp local adaptation, resulting in mal-adaptation of local populations. [4]
  • Optimal reaction norms for age and size at maturity can be predicted. [5]
  • Phenotypic plasticity can change the sign of a genetic correlation between two traits from positive to negative across environments. [6]
  • Selection on a trait in one environment can substantially shift its expression in another environment. [7]
  • Both insert position and genetic background have significant effects on genetic transformation. [8]
  • Traits with greater impact on fitness appear to be more strongly canalized against the genetic perturbations caused by transformation. [9]
  • As predicted by life history theory and the evolutionary theory of aging, an increase in adult mortality selects for earlier maturation, increased reproduction early in life, and a shorter life. [10]
  • Any organism that reproduces with asymmetric division at some point in its life cycle must age. [11]
  • Contemporary human populations still experience significant selection pressures that, if continued, will reduce age at first birth and increase age at menopause. [12]

Structural Contributions to Evolutionary and Conservation Biology

He helped to found:

He later served terms as president of both. He founded the Journal of Evolutionary Biology and served as its first managing editor (1986-1991)[14].

Contributions to Education

His most read and least cited publication, written with Ray Huey in April, 1976, is Modest Advice for Graduate Students [2]

His introductory course, Principles of Evolution, Ecology, and Behavior, has been videotaped and is available to the public on-line at Open Yale Courses [3], iTunes University, and YouTube[4].

Visiting Professorships and Invited Talks

He has been a visiting professor for full semesters at the École normale supérieure, Paris, France, at Peking University, Beijing, China, and at the University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark. He has given short courses at the University of Turin, Italy, the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan, and Mt. Desert Island Biological Laboratories, Bar Harbor, Maine, and invited talks from Japan to Finland and from Canada to Mexico.

Honors


  1. ^ Stearns, S.C. 1992. The Evolution of Life Histories. Oxford University Press">
  2. ^ Stearns, S.C. & Koella, J.C. (ed.). 2007. Evolution in health and disease. 2nd Ed. Oxford University press, Oxford.
  3. ^ Stearns, S.C. 1983d. The genetic basis of differences in life-history traits among six stocks of mosquito fish (Gambusia affinis) that shared ancestors in 1905. Evolution. 37: 618-627.
  4. ^ Stearns, S.C., and R.D. Sage. 1980. Maladaptation in a marginal population of the mosquitofish, Gambusia affinis. Evolution 34: 65-75.
  5. ^ Stearns, S.C., and J. C. Koella. 1986. The evolution of phenotypic plasticity in life-history traits: Predictions for norms of reaction for age- and size-at-maturity. Evolution 40: 893-913.
  6. ^ Gebhardt, M.D., and S.C. Stearns. 1992. Phenotypic plasticity for life history traits in Drosophila melanogaster. III. Effect of the environment on genetic parameters. Genetical Research 60: 87-101.
  7. ^ Hillesheim, E., and S.C. Stearns. 1992. Correlated responses in life-history traits to artificial selection for body weight in Drosophila melanogater. Evolution 46: 745-52.
  8. ^ Kaiser, M., M. Gasser, R. Ackermann, and S.C. Stearns. 1997. P element inserts in transgenic flies: a cautionary tale. Heredity 78:1-11.
  9. ^ Stearns, S.C., M. Kaiser and T.J. Kawecki. 1995. The differential genetic and environmental canalization of fitness components in Drosophila melanogaster. Journal of Evolutionary Biology 8: 539-557.
  10. ^ Stearns, S.C., M. Kaiser, A. Blarer, M. Ackermann & M. Doebeli. 2000. The evolution of intrinsic mortality, growth, and reproduction in fruitflies. Proceedings of the National Academy of Science, USA 97: 3309-3313.
  11. ^ Ackermann, M., S.C. Stearns & U. Jenal. 2003. Senescence in a bacterium with asymmetric division. Science 300: 1920.
  12. ^ Byars, S., Ewbank, D., Govindaraju, D.R. & Stearns, S.C. 2010. Natural selection in a contemporary human population. Proceedings of the National Academy of Science 107: 1787-1792.
  13. ^ Stearns, S.C. 2008. How the European Society for Evolutionary Biology and the Journal of Evolutionary Biology were founded. J. Evol. Biol. 21: 1449-1451.>
  14. ^ Stearns, S.C. 2008. How the European Society for Evolutionary Biology and the Journal of Evolutionary Biology were founded. J. Evol. Biol. 21: 1449-1451.>
Stephen C. Stearns

Stearns, Stephen. "StephenStearns". Retrieved 27 July 2011. http://www.eeb.yale.edu/stearns/advice.htm. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help) http://oyc.yale.edu/ecology-and-evolutionary-biology/principles-of-evolution-ecology-and-behavior/. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help) http://http://www.youtube.com/view_play_list?p=6299F3195349CCDA. {{cite web}}: Check |url= value (help); Missing or empty |title= (help)