Scott Turner received a BA in Biology from the University of California, Santa Cruz. He then went on to earn the MSc and PhD in Zoology at Colorado State University, under the supervision of Richard (“Dick”) Tracy, on the cardiovascular control of heat exchange in the American alligator.
Before joining the faculty of the SUNY College of Environmental Science & Forestry (ESF) in 1990, Turner held several post-doctoral positions at Duke University, SUNY Buffalo, Franklin and Marshall College, and University of Cape Town. He retired as Emeritus Professor of Biology in 2019. He has enjoyed sabbatical leaves at the Department of Geology, St Johns College of Cambridge University, and as a resident fellow at the Stellenbosch Institute for Advanced Studies, in Stellenbosch, South Africa.
Turner’s broad scientific interests are centered at the intersection of biophysics, physiology, ecology, and evolution. For much of his research career, his focus was the social physiology of termite colonies, specifically the fungus-cultivating termites of the genus Macrotermes. These termites build large mounds, which are wind-driven lungs for the colony: “dirt lungs.” Figuring out how they work, and how these remarkable structures come to be, has opened up insights into the nature of the organism, collective intelligence, and to heterodox thoughts about evolution.
Turner is the author of more than a hundred publications, including three books (listed below). He also is a strong advocate of the imaginative use of media in education and scientific discourse. He has developed several formal online courses, and an informational video series on evolution.
