Joseph L. Graves
Encyclopedia
Joseph L. Graves, Jr. is Associate Dean for Research and Professor of Biological Studies
at the Joint School for Nanoscience and Nanoengineering which is jointly administered by North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University
and UNC Greensboro. His past research has included an examination of the evolution
of life history and physiological performance in Drosophila
, a genus of small flies often called fruit flies
. A particular application of this research has been to the evolutionary theory of aging. Using his background in evolutionary biology, he has also written two books that address myths and theories of race in American society. Graves has made appearances in six documentary films on these general topics. He has been a Principal Investigator on grants from the National Institute of Health, National Science Foundation
and the Arizona Disease Research Commission.
is an important factor in determining both the immediate chances of survival and the course of natural selection
for small organisms such as fruit flies. In "Chance, Development, and Aging", Human Biology December 2001, Graves wrote that the explanation of individual patterns of aging must take into account subtle mechanisms such as extensive chance variations in cell number and connections, in cell fates during differentiation, and in physiological patterns that arise during development. Graves has studied the tiny insects for more than a decade in pursuit of greater understanding of senescence
, the process of aging.
In addition to the study of aging, Graves is interested in the history
and philosophy of science
as it relates to the biology of race and racism in western society. He has received a fair amount of attention from the press for his writings on this topic, especially his strong statements about the socially constructed nature of race. According to his profile on the University of North Carolina Minority Health Project website, he believes:
from Oberlin College
in 1977 and his Ph.D. from Wayne State University
in 1988. Before his appointment to North Carolina A & T State University, he held positions at the University of California, Irvine
; at the West campus of Arizona State University, with a joint appointment in African American Studies
at the main campus of Arizona State University
in Tempe
; and as University Core Director at Fairleigh Dickinson University
.
In addition to his research interests, Graves has also been an active participant in the struggle to protect and improve the teaching of science in the public schools.
He advocates discussing human biological variation and race in high school and college science curricula.
Childhood experiences shaped Graves interest in race and racism. "My parents were poor. They didn’t know how to read. I had to teach myself how to read," he says. "The school system of my home was racially biased. When I was in kindergarten teachers wanted to declare me mentally retarded so that I could be placed in a special education curriculum. The regular curriculum had a tracking system
," Graves continues. "For no apparent reason, all the black kids ended up in the lower track." But, by graduation day, years later, Graves had risen to be among the highest ranked students at his high school. Yet he received no awards or scholarships.
Biology
Biology is a natural science concerned with the study of life and living organisms, including their structure, function, growth, origin, evolution, distribution, and taxonomy. Biology is a vast subject containing many subdivisions, topics, and disciplines...
at the Joint School for Nanoscience and Nanoengineering which is jointly administered by North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University
North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University
North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University is a land-grant university located in Greensboro, North Carolina, United States. It is the largest publicly funded historically black college in the state of North Carolina.NC A&T is a constituent institution of the University of North...
and UNC Greensboro. His past research has included an examination of the evolution
Evolution
Evolution is any change across successive generations in the heritable characteristics of biological populations. Evolutionary processes give rise to diversity at every level of biological organisation, including species, individual organisms and molecules such as DNA and proteins.Life on Earth...
of life history and physiological performance in Drosophila
Drosophila
Drosophila is a genus of small flies, belonging to the family Drosophilidae, whose members are often called "fruit flies" or more appropriately pomace flies, vinegar flies, or wine flies, a reference to the characteristic of many species to linger around overripe or rotting fruit...
, a genus of small flies often called fruit flies
Drosophila melanogaster
Drosophila melanogaster is a species of Diptera, or the order of flies, in the family Drosophilidae. The species is known generally as the common fruit fly or vinegar fly. Starting from Charles W...
. A particular application of this research has been to the evolutionary theory of aging. Using his background in evolutionary biology, he has also written two books that address myths and theories of race in American society. Graves has made appearances in six documentary films on these general topics. He has been a Principal Investigator on grants from the National Institute of Health, National Science Foundation
National Science Foundation
The National Science Foundation is a United States government agency that supports fundamental research and education in all the non-medical fields of science and engineering. Its medical counterpart is the National Institutes of Health...
and the Arizona Disease Research Commission.
Research
Working with Laurence D. Mueller, Graves found that population densityPopulation density
Population density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans...
is an important factor in determining both the immediate chances of survival and the course of natural selection
Natural selection
Natural selection is the nonrandom process by which biologic traits become either more or less common in a population as a function of differential reproduction of their bearers. It is a key mechanism of evolution....
for small organisms such as fruit flies. In "Chance, Development, and Aging", Human Biology December 2001, Graves wrote that the explanation of individual patterns of aging must take into account subtle mechanisms such as extensive chance variations in cell number and connections, in cell fates during differentiation, and in physiological patterns that arise during development. Graves has studied the tiny insects for more than a decade in pursuit of greater understanding of senescence
Senescence
Senescence or biological aging is the change in the biology of an organism as it ages after its maturity. Such changes range from those affecting its cells and their function to those affecting the whole organism...
, the process of aging.
In addition to the study of aging, Graves is interested in the history
History of science
The history of science is the study of the historical development of human understandings of the natural world and the domains of the social sciences....
and philosophy of science
Philosophy of science
The philosophy of science is concerned with the assumptions, foundations, methods and implications of science. It is also concerned with the use and merit of science and sometimes overlaps metaphysics and epistemology by exploring whether scientific results are actually a study of truth...
as it relates to the biology of race and racism in western society. He has received a fair amount of attention from the press for his writings on this topic, especially his strong statements about the socially constructed nature of race. According to his profile on the University of North Carolina Minority Health Project website, he believes:
there are still significant academic and popular views of race that are mired in the biological determinism of the 19th century and the application of proper scientific method and philosophy, along with quantitative genetics reveals the underlying racist ideology of these programs.
Biography
Graves received his B.A. in biologyBiology
Biology is a natural science concerned with the study of life and living organisms, including their structure, function, growth, origin, evolution, distribution, and taxonomy. Biology is a vast subject containing many subdivisions, topics, and disciplines...
from Oberlin College
Oberlin College
Oberlin College is a private liberal arts college in Oberlin, Ohio, noteworthy for having been the first American institution of higher learning to regularly admit female and black students. Connected to the college is the Oberlin Conservatory of Music, the oldest continuously operating...
in 1977 and his Ph.D. from Wayne State University
Wayne State University
Wayne State University is a public research university located in Detroit, Michigan, United States, in the city's Midtown Cultural Center Historic District. Founded in 1868, WSU consists of 13 schools and colleges offering more than 400 major subject areas to over 32,000 graduate and...
in 1988. Before his appointment to North Carolina A & T State University, he held positions at the University of California, Irvine
University of California, Irvine
The University of California, Irvine , founded in 1965, is one of the ten campuses of the University of California, located in Irvine, California, USA...
; at the West campus of Arizona State University, with a joint appointment in African American Studies
African American studies
African American studies is a subset of Black studies or Africana studies. It is an interdisciplinary academic field devoted to the study of the history, culture, and politics of African Americans...
at the main campus of Arizona State University
Arizona State University
Arizona State University is a public research university located in the Phoenix Metropolitan Area of the State of Arizona...
in Tempe
Tempe, Arizona
Tempe is a city in Maricopa County, Arizona, USA, with the Census Bureau reporting a 2010 population of 161,719. The city is named after the Vale of Tempe in Greece. Tempe is located in the East Valley section of metropolitan Phoenix; it is bordered by Phoenix and Guadalupe on the west, Scottsdale...
; and as University Core Director at Fairleigh Dickinson University
Fairleigh Dickinson University
Fairleigh Dickinson University is a private university founded as a junior college in 1942. It now has several campuses located in New Jersey, Canada, and the United Kingdom.-Description:...
.
In addition to his research interests, Graves has also been an active participant in the struggle to protect and improve the teaching of science in the public schools.
He advocates discussing human biological variation and race in high school and college science curricula.
Childhood experiences shaped Graves interest in race and racism. "My parents were poor. They didn’t know how to read. I had to teach myself how to read," he says. "The school system of my home was racially biased. When I was in kindergarten teachers wanted to declare me mentally retarded so that I could be placed in a special education curriculum. The regular curriculum had a tracking system
Tracking system
Generally tracking is the observing of persons or objects on the move and supplying a timely ordered sequence of respective location data to a model e.g...
," Graves continues. "For no apparent reason, all the black kids ended up in the lower track." But, by graduation day, years later, Graves had risen to be among the highest ranked students at his high school. Yet he received no awards or scholarships.
Books
- The Emperor's New Clothes: Biological Theories of Race at the Millennium 2003. ISBN 081352847X
Published by: Rutgers University Press (February 2001) - The Race Myth: Why We Pretend Race Exists in America 2004. ISBN 0452286581
Published by:Plume; Reprint edition (June 28, 2005)
Papers
- "The effect of superoxide dismutase alleles on aging in Drosophila", Genetica Volume 91, Numbers 1-3 / February, 1993
- "Chance, Development, and Aging (review)", Human Biology 73:6, December 2001, pp. 901-902.
External links
- Matthew W. Hughey, Review of Joseph L. Graves, The Emperor’s New Clothes: Biological Theories of Race at the Millennium.
- In January, 2007, Joseph L. Graves, Jr. answered visitors questions about evolutionary biology
- PBS interview with Joseph Graves jr.
- The Myth of Race: America's Original Science Fiction
- NPR: Can Race Be Reduced to a Matter of Genes?