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Grad check

By Sam Carlson

Thursday, August 16, 2007

William Adams

Year: 1981

Degree: Biology and Atmospheric Sciences

Hometown: Liberty, Mo.

Back in the day: After a visit to the University of Missouri campus failed to impress him, Adams decided to follow in the footsteps of his parents, who both graduated from the University of Kansas. His mother, a medical technician with a degree in bacteriology, stimulated Adams’ interest in biology at a young age, he says. His strongest and most positive memories of the University are rooted in biology classrooms, as he says he enjoyed the research and professors as well as the coursework. Adams spent his leisure time walking in the Breidenthal nature preserve, located just south of campus.

The grad life: Shortly after earning his first degree, Adams had his eye on a second. He earned a degree in atmospheric sciences in 1983 and was already on his way to a master’s, which he earned in botany in 1984. Adams then began pursuing his Ph.D., as he came up with a list of possible individuals with whom he could work on his doctorate. He paired up with a professor at the Australian National University who also worked at a research center in Reno, Nev. Adams studied for a year and a half in Reno, followed by a year and a half in Canberra, Australia. After his doctorate was under his belt, he carried out two years of research in Germany before winding up at the University of Colorado in 1989.

Today: Adams continues his work at the University of Colorado as a professor of ecology and evolutionary biology. He spends his time researching and teaching, including one course in which students can genetically engineer plants.

He says: “Seek out direct interaction with faculty members. That personal interaction is very important for inspiration.”

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