A. Elizabeth Adams
American zoologist
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Through Endocrinology and Great Depression
Early life and education
Born in the Delaware section of Knowlton Township, New Jersey, Adams studied biology at Mount Holyoke, where she earned her bachelor's degree in zoology in 1914. She worked and lived with Ann Haven Morgan where they held Zoology meeting at their house. She worked as a laboratory aide after graduation, and continued her studies in zoology. She later earned a master's degree from Columbia University in 1918 and a Ph.D. from Yale University in 1923. 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.' Additionally Adams conducted research experiments on mice to find the reactions of endocrine glands in frogs. Adams also studied for a year from 1930 to 1931 at the University of Edinburgh.
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Career
In 1914, Adams began her career at Mount Holyoke College, where she worked as a Laboratory Assistant in the Zoology Department until 1915. She left to earn her MA from Columbia in 1918 and her PhD from Yale in 1923. In 1919 she returned to the college where she taught zoology until her retirement in 1957. Adams was the acting head of the Zoology Department at Mount Holyoke College in 1920-21, 1929, and 1937. She also served as acting dean of the college during the first semester of 1926-27.
Adams taught and researched embryology, endocrinology, and experimental zoology, especially focusing on endocrinology of the reproductive system. This was extremely important and impressive considering both of these were new fields at this point in her career. While at Mount Holyoke, she was teaching embryology and experimental zoology. Both of which she was the first to introduce at any college in 1923. Her studies of the reproductive system were among the first. She also experimented with various hormones and glands and their effects on the human body. Throughout her life, she authored about 50 articles in notebooks dedicated to research. 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. Adams died in 1962 in South Hadley, Massachusetts.
Professional memberships
- Elected Fellow, New York Academy of Sciences
- Member, Endocrine Society
- Member, Society for Experimental Biology and Medicine