[citation needed] In his third year at Cornell, Whittaker worked on the archaeological site of Pech de l'Azé [fr] in France and studied under François Bordes.
Along with his colleague Harold Dibble, Whittaker developed a mechanical device that flaked stone in a controlled, repeatable manner.
[1] Shortly after completing his PhD in 1984, Whittaker began teaching at Grinnell College, Iowa, where he still has a position as of 2019[update].
[1] Whittaker has worked on multiple sites and regions, including the American Southwest, Western and Eastern Europe, the Middle East, and Central America.
After years of prolonged use of the tool, Whittaker developed the early stages of the condition, which has also been recorded in ancient remains such as Mungo man.
He used this opportunity to study the relationship between atlatl usage and human anatomy, establishing the causes of the condition and how it can be prevented by proper form and stretching.