William Kimler

Alumni Distinguished Undergraduate Professor
Associate Professor

Ph.D., Cornell University, 1983

474 Withers Hall

Phone: (919) 513-2238

FALL 09 OFFICE HOURS:

M 11:15-12:15, W 1:00-2:45, and by appointment

Personal Introduction

I received the B.A. in biology from Rice University, and the M.S. in ecology at Cornell University. I worked as a field ecologist in industry before my doctoral work. I received my Ph.D. in evolutionary biology from Cornell University in 1983, with a dissertation on the history of debates amongst evolutionists over Darwinian explanations of animals' mimetic coloration. I was a National Science Foundation NATO Postdoctoral Fellow at the University of Leeds, investigating the history of genetics and ecology in twentieth century Britain. I came to NCSU in 1986.

I am currently an Associate Professor, teaching courses on the history of biology and on the history of Darwinism, and the survey course on the Rise of Modern Science. I have also taught in the MALS program, and served on its advisory committee. I am Faculty Mentor for the Jefferson Scholars, a program for students taking a degree in both the College of Humanities & Social Sciences and the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences. I teach a Scholars seminar course on the history of biology for the Jeffersons.

In May 2001, I was named Outstanding Teacher of the Year by the College of Humanities & Social Sciences, and inducted into the NC State Academy of Outstanding Teachers.

In May 2006, I was named Alumni Distinguished Undergraduate Professor.

Interests

Modern Biology, Darwinism, Modern Science

My research interest is the history of evolutionary ideas, with an emphasis on natural history, ecology, genetics, and behavior. I have published historical articles in the Journal of the History of Biology and in science journals such as American Zoologist. I contributed a chapter to Dimensions of Darwinism (1983). I have published reviews in British Journal for the History of Science,Isis, Journal of the History of Biology, Bulletin of the History of Medicine, Configurations,Metascience, North Carolina Historical Review, and American Scientist. I have articles in several professional encyclopedias, including the Dictionary of Scientific Biography and Sciences of the Earth (1998). I am currently completing a book on how Charles Darwin has been used as a symbol of science and the idea of evolution.