About Adam

Hometown:
Salisbury, MD

University Partner:
Salisbury University

Degree:
B.S. in Biology, 2006

Grant Partner:
Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory

Senior Mentor:
Dr. Bill Tansey, Director of Graduate Studies, Professor of Biological Sciences

"My Steamboat Foundation experience was unique, life-altering and incredibly satisfying. It definitely helped me define my path as I transition to graduate school, because it provided an intellectual venue to discuss leadership and work-life balance, as well as a network of friends to rely upon."

Scholar Background

Having maintained a 4.0 grade point average at Salisbury University, Adam received the Biology Faculty Award, marking him as one of the top three biology students from his graduating class. Despite the fact that he attended an undergraduate institution that does not grant graduate degrees in the sciences, Adam managed to conduct successful research in many areas of interest. A research paper he co-authored on the effects of a novel anti-microbial compound was published in Bioorganic & Medicinal Chemistry Letters. After receiving the prestigious Henson Student Undergraduate Research Grant, Adam participated in a project that developed a methodology to connect a brain cancer drug to a delivery agent. A recipient of the Wallace Q. French Memorial Scholarship for his research efforts and academic performance, Adam worked in the Bacterial Source Tracking Laboratory, identifying pollution sources by comparing bacteria samples in animal waste and local waterways. The Guerrieri Undergraduate Research Endowment also allowed Adam to study the effect of Omega-3 fatty acids on cancer cells and to present his findings at research meetings and symposiums, preparing him for a research career in the biotechnology sector.

Internship Description

As a part of Dr. Bill Tansey's laboratory at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, Adam used a yeast model system to investigate how one proteasomal protein plays a role in transcription, the process of translating DNA to RNA. This fundamental scientific research provides greater understanding of a foundational biological function, thus furthering cancer research. At the culmination of his research, Adam was able to present his findings to senior scientists and Steamboat executives. The highlight of Adam’s internship experience came literally a couple days before he left, when he found two temperature-sensitive, lethal mutants. Adam was thrilled to have demonstrated something that no one had before, and to accomplish the task within the time frame of the internship.

Where are they now?

Adam received a Ph.D. in Microbiology from Cornell University, where he was awarded the prestigious Presidential Life Sciences Fellowship and was chosen as one of the "Top 30 Most Dynamic Graduates" from the undergraduate and graduate classes. Click here to see his profile.