Mary Beth Adams, a USDA Forest Service research soil scientist and adjunct faculty member at West Virginia University, is among the eleven educators, executives and researchers who will receive the Purdue University 2016 Distinguished Agriculture Alumni Award.
This award, considered as the top honor of the Purdue College of Agriculture, honors mid-career alumni who have a record of outstanding accomplishments, have made significant contributions to their profession or society, and have exhibited high potential for professional growth.
Adams, who is based in Morgantown, serves as an adjunct faculty member in the WVU Davis College of Agriculture, Natural Resources and Design. She works to develop cooperative efforts with faculty in the Davis College School of Natural Resources. Adams also serves as a member of the Davis College Emeritus Visiting Committee.
Her interest in the environment developed while growing up in south-central Indiana. At Purdue University, her interest expanded as she acquired a passion for the research side of science. Adams, a two-time Purdue graduate, is honored to be recognized by her alma mater.
“I’m very excited by this recognition,” said Adams. “Purdue’s College of Agriculture is one of the top in the world, so this recognition is really inspiring.”
Much of Adams’ research deals with nutrient cycling in forest ecosystems as affected by different management and disturbance regimes. She conducts long-term experiments and enjoys working collaboratively in cross-site studies, with other scientists in the Forest Service, and at universities and other agencies. Adams has co-authored more than 60 refereed journal articles and numerous technical papers and has edited three books. In 2009, Adams was named a fellow of the Soil Science Society of America.
The awards ceremony will be held on March 4 at 3:30 p.m. EST in the North Ballroom of Purdue Memorial Union on Purdue University’s West Lafayette campus.
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