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William L. Jungers

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William L. Jungers, (November 17, 1948) is an American anthropologist and the chair of the Department of Anatomical Sciences at State University of New York at Stony Brook on Long Island, New York. He is most famous for his work on the biomechanics of bipedal locomotion in hominids such as the 3.4 million-year-old Lucy (Australopithecus afarensis),[1], and the 6.1-5.8 million-year old Millenium Man Orrorin tugenensis [2]. He has also devoted much of his career to the study of the lemurs of Madagascar, especially giant extinct subfossil forms such as Megaladapis [3]. More recently, Jungers has been a subject of media attention due to his analysis of the remains of Homo floresiensis, which he believes to be legitimate members of a newly-discovered species based on remains of the shoulder, [4], the wrist [5], and the feet [6].

Early life

Jungers was born in Palacios, Texas and spent part of his childhood in that area. Jungers excelled academically from an early age and graduated as one of several valedictorians of his high school glass. Standing 6'4" tall, he was also an accomplished basketball player throughout his high school career. Following graduation, he attended Oberlin College for his undergraduate education where he became immersed in the liberal political and social culture of the late 1960's. He later received his PhD in anthropology from the University of Michigan in 1976 at the age of 26 under the advisorship of C. Loring Brace. He was hired shortly thereafter at the State University of New York at Stony Brook Department of Anatomical Sciences, where he has remained throughout the course of his career.

Scholarly Life

Jungers is an expert in biomechanics, and his definitive edited work on primate allometry in particular [7] remains a classic reference. Jungers has often said that his main professional interest is in "the limits of what nature can do with regard to form and function", and as such his publication record is diverse. His work concerning the extinct subfossil lemurs, for example, focuses on their initial isolation in the virtually predator-free environment of Madagascar, their subsequent adaptive radiation, and the unusual morphological and behavioral diversity that resulted as a consequence [8]. Similarly, his interest in hominid bipedalism is due to the unique muscular and skeletal constraints required for locomotion in ourselves and our ancestors, and his interest in the "hobbit" fossils reflect the peculiar influence of insular dwarfism. As of August 2008, Jungers has authored well over 100 peer-reviewed articles about the relationship between form and function in many primate species, both extinct and extant. Due to his publication record, academic service, statistical savvy, willingness to help students, journal editorship and focus on media-worthy subjects, Jungers is often considered one of the most influential biological anthropologists living today.

Personal life

Jungers is often described as approachable, kindly and humorous. He is especially beloved by the medical students to whom he taught gross anatomy, both for his high standards and for his natural passion for the subject, and by the many graduate students he has advised throughout the course of his career. He maintains close friendships with many colleagues, as well as with many individuals native to Madagascar where he works abroad most frequently. He is divorced with two adult children, and currently resides on Long Island.

Awards

  • Phi Beta Kappa (Oberlin College)
  • Alfred P. Sloan Scholar, Oberlin College (1966-1970)
  • Comfort-Starr Award in Sociology-Anthropology, Oberlin College (1970)
  • Danforth Foundation Graduate Fellow (1971-1975)
  • Rackham Graduate School Fellowship, University of Michigan (1976)
  • Aescupalius Award in Recognition of Outstanding Teaching, SBU (1994)
  • Dean’s Award for Excellence in Graduate Mentoring, SBU (2002)
  • Excellence in Teaching Award - SOM (1986, 1990, 1992, 1994, 2000, 2001, 2003, 2004)
  • President’s Award for Excellence in Teaching (2006-2007)
  • Chancellor’s Award for Excellence in Teaching (2006-2007)

References

  1. ^ Jungers, W.L. (1982). Lucy's limbs: Skeletal allometry and locomotion in Australopithecus afarensis (A.L. 288-1). Nature 297:676-678.
  2. ^ Richmond B.G. and Jungers W.L. (2008), Orrorin tugenensis Femoral Morphology and the Evolution of Hominin Bipedalism, Science 319. no. 5870, pp. 1662 - 1665.
  3. ^ Jungers, W.L., (2005). The functional significance of skeletal allometry in Megaladapis in comparison to living prosimians. American Journal of Physical Anthropology, 49(3), pp. 303 - 314.
  4. ^ Larson S.G., Jungers W.L., Morwood M.J., Sutikna T., Jatmiko, Saptomo E.W., Due R.A., Djubiantono T. 2007. Homo floresiensis and the evolution of the hominin shoulder. Journal of Human Evolution. 53(6):718-31.
  5. ^ Tocheri M.W., Orr C.M., Larson S.G., Sutikna T, Jatmiko, Saptomo E.W., Due R.A., Djubiantono T., Morwood M.J., Jungers W.L. (2007). The primitive wrist of Homo floresiensis and its implications for hominin evolution. Science, 317(5845):1743-5.
  6. ^ http://anthropology.net/2008/04/17/bill-jungers-conclusions-on-homo-floresiensis-bipedalism-the-clown-footed-hominin/
  7. ^ Jungers, W.L., ed. (1985). "Size and Scaling in Primate Evolution." Plenum Press, New York
  8. ^ Plavcan JM, Kay R.F., Jungers W.L., van Schaik C.P. (2001). Reconstructing Behavior in the Primate Fossil Record (Advances in Primatology). Plenum Press, NY
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