Born in Delaware, 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 Doctor of Philosophy from Yale University in 1926. She also studied for a year from 1930-1931 at the University of Edinburgh.
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 and a rarity for any scientist during the Great Depression.
Elected Fellow, New York Academy of Sciences
Member, Endocrine Society
Member, Society for Experimental Biology and Medicine.
