A. Elizabeth Adams


Amy Elizabeth Adams was a zoologist and professor at Mount Holyoke College.

Early life and education

Born in the Delaware section of Knowlton Township, New Jersey, Adams studied biology at Mount Holyoke and the University of Chicago, earning bachelor's degrees in 1914 and 1916. She earned a master's degree from Columbia University in 1919 and a Ph.D. from Yale University in 1926. The title of her thesis, first printed in 1924 in the Journal of Experimental Zoology, was 'An experimental study of the development of the mouth in the amphibian embryo.' Adams also studied for a year from 1930–1931 at the University of Edinburgh.

Career

In 1919, Adams began her career at Mount Holyoke, where she would spend her entire professional life. In 1928, she became a full professor. Adams retired in 1957 and died in 1962 in South Hadley, Massachusetts. She taught embryology and genetics and researched related topics: experimental embryology and endocrinology of the reproductive system. Her studies of the reproductive system were among the first. Adams was funded by a variety of organizations, a rarity for women and women's colleges, throughout her career. She maintained her funding during the Great Depression, another rare accomplishment.

Works