Kristin A. Eckert

This book, which I first read as a graduate student, awakened my mind to evolutionary theory. Although I had exposure to evolution in didactic courses, Stephen Jay Gould's writing made me think, question, and hypothesize for myself. This was a stimulating experience. This book as well as subsequent writings of the author again stimulated my thoughts later in my career, as an assistant professor at our University. The author's theory of punctuated equilibrium has significantly influenced my own ideas of cancer cell evolution, ideas which we are addressing experimentally in my current research.