The Daniel Giraud Elliot Medal is awarded by the U.S. National Academy of Sciences "for meritorious work in zoology or paleontology study published in a three to five year period." Named after Daniel Giraud Elliot, it was first awarded in 1917.
For his fundamental contributions to the integration of developmental and evolutionary biology, including his rich and penetrating book Homology, Genes and Evolutionary Innovation, which will orient research in evolutionary developmental biology for decades to come.
For his novel and penetrating studies of adaptive radiation in vertebrates, notably his comprehensive study of Anolis lizards in tropical America, as summarized in his recent book, Lizards in an Evolutionary Tree: Ecology and Adaptive Radiation of AnolesISBN978-0520269842.
For studies of the first terrestrial vertebrates and the water-to-land transition, as illuminated in her book Gaining Ground: The Origin and Evolution of TetrapodsISBN978-0253356758 .
For creative accomplishments in research, teaching, and writing (especially The Shape of Life) that led to the establishment of a new field, evolutionary developmental biology.
For his extracting major generalizations about biological evolution from the fossil record of a raccoon, by feeling details of shell anatomy that other scientists only see.
For his research on the ecology, sociobiology, biodiversity, and plant phenology of the tropics, and for his 1992 book, Diversity and the Tropical Rain Forest.
For his seminal contributions to current evolutionary thought, including the importance of natural selection and adaptation, and the understanding of sexual reproduction, social behavior, senescence, and disease.
For their application of DNA hybridization techniques to bird classification which revolutionized taxonomy by showing at last how to distinguish evolutionary relationships from convergent similarities.
In recognition of his studies of Bryozoa, particularly for the volume on Bryozoa of the Pacific Coast of America, part 1, published by the University of Southern California.
For his fundamental work dealing with the genetics of evolutionary processes—a program based on work over a long period, including his paper "The Differential Equation of the Distribution of Gene Frequencies."