Neil Shubin, Ph.D.
The Outstanding Achievement Award was established by the 1989 Executive Committee to honor a non-member of AIPG who is widely recognized as a major contributor to the profession of geology. The award is not necessarily given annually, but only when the Awards Committee recommends an outstanding candi- date to the Executive Committee for their consideration.
Nomination
Neil Shubin is the Robert R. Bensley Profes- sor of Organismal Biology and Anatomy, Associ- ate Dean of Organismal Biology and Anatomy and Professor on the Committee of Evolutionary Biol- ogy at the University of Chicago and is the Provost of the Field Museum of Natural History. In 2006, he and his colleagues Ted Daeschler and Farish Jenkins discovered Tiktaalik roseae, the evolution- ary “fish with feet” that represents a transitional species between fish and amphibians. This discov- ery and its implications were the central them of Shubin’s book “Your Inner Fish: A Journey Into the 3.5-billion-year History of the Human Body.” Dr. Shubin is a member of the National Academy of Sciences and the American Philosophical Soci- ety. He is being nominated for his work hosting the PBS Documentary Series “Your Inner Fish” which aired in 2014. This three-part series is an excellent overview of the evolution of humanity, investigat- ing our ‘fishy ancestors’ our ‘reptilian progenitors’ and our ‘inner apes.’ You can find these episodes at
http://www.pbs.org/your-inner-fish/home/ He also is being nominated for his newest work, “Some Assembly Required” (release date March, 2020) which uses traditional fossil-based paleontology and cutting-edge DNA technology to address some of the biggest questions in paleontology and evo- lutionary biology. More information on “Some As- sembly Required” can be found here: https://www.
penguinrandomhouse.com/books/540510/someas- sembly- required-by-neil-shubin/9781101871331/.
Contributions to the geologic profession?
Dr. Shubin and his colleagues are widely re- nowned for their discovery of Tiktaalic Roseae, a transitional form between fish and amphibians. The story of this discovery provided a test for evo- lutionary theory as we understand it, and brought paleontology, paleogeography, and sedimentary geology together and into the public eye in 2006. Subsequently Dr. Shubin published his 2009 book, “Your Inner Fish” bringing the story of that discov- ery and the implications for our understanding of human evolution to a wide audience. In 2013, Dr. Shubin published “The Universe Within: Discov-
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ering the Common History of Rocks, Planets, and People.” This book focused on how molecular clues in the human body give insight into why we are the way we are, tracing the 14-billion year history of our universe from the ‘Big Bang’ to the evolution of humans. In 2015, Dr. Shubin hosted the PBS miniseries, “Your Inner Fish” telling the story of human evolution from our fish ancestors to our more modern ape cousins. His latest book “Some Assembly Required” is scheduled for release in March 2020. “Some Assembly Required” combines traditional fossil-based paleontology with state- of-the-art DNA analysis to answer fundamental questions about the origins of animals and hu- mans in a way that will bring these questions to a wide, non-specialist audience.
Demonstrated leadership?
Dr. Shubin is the Associate Dean of Organismal Biology and Anatomy and Professor on the Com- mittee of Evolutionary Biology at the University of Chicago and the Provost of the Field Museum of Natural History.
Nomination submitted by: Dr. Aaron Johnson, AIPG Executive Director
Be sure to check the next edition of TPG for Dr. Shubin’s acceptance of this award.
Photo sources: (image at top of page) https://
carnegiescience.edu/neil-shubin; (image below) https://
www.chicagotribune.com/entertainment/books/ct-prj-
0113-universe-within-neil-shubin-20130111-story.html
2021 OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT A ARD 2021 OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT AWARD
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