(Posted February 6, 2012)

Jay Hosler, associate professor of biology
Jay Hosler, associate professor of biology

HUNTINGDON, Pa. -- The latest comic-book project from Jay Hosler, associate professor of biology at Juniata College, "Evolution: The Story of Life on Earth," has been chosen for the "Great Graphic Novels of 2012 List," which is published every year by the American Library Association/Young Adult Library Services Association.

"Evolution: The Story of Life on Earth" is a collaborative book in which Hosler, who has written and illustrated several science-inspired graphic novels, provides only the writing, while collaborators Kevin Cannon and Zander Cannon provided the illustrations. The book was published in December 2011.

In addition, the new book was a Junior Library Guild Selection, included on the Texas Library Association's Maverick Graphic Novel Reading List and listed on New Scientist magazine's "Popular Science Books to Put on Your Christmas List." The book has also been favorably reviewed by the National Center for Science Education.

In addition to his career as a researcher and biologist, Hosler has published two previous biology graphic novels, "Clan Apis," about the life cycle of the honeybee, and "The Sandwalk Adventures," which told the story of a follicle mite living in the eyebrow of Charles Darwin.

In 2006, Hosler received a two-year grant from the National Science Foundation to develop a college biology textbook in comic book format. He wrote a textbook called "Optical Allusions," a sensory biology text published in 2006 featuring a character called Wrinkles the Wonder Brain. He was also a writer, artist and consultant for a new line of educational comics from Harcourt Achieve's LYNX line. He wrote and drew two comics "Zoo Break" and "UFO" for the 10-comic line.

The new book was a Junior Library Guild Selection, included on the Texas Library Association's Maverick Graphic Novel Reading List and listed on New Scientist magazine's "Popular Science Books to Put on Your Christmas List."

Hosler came to Juniata in 1999 from Ohio State University's Rothenbuhler Honey Bee Research Laboratory where he was a National Institutes of Health Postdoctoral Fellow. At Juniata he received the Gibbel Award for Distinguished Teaching in 2005. He was promoted to associate professor in 2006.


He earned a bachelor's degree in 1989 from DePauw University. Hosler earned his doctorate in 1995 in biological sciences from the University of Notre Dame.

Contact April Feagley at feaglea@juniata.edu or (814) 641-3131 for more information.