AnnaRose Adams was in middle school when her parents took her to watch a movie on coral reefs. The beauty of the reefs was dazzling, but Adams was most impacted by the movie’s message – people were causing the reefs to decline at an alarming rate. That was the moment when she first decided to become a scientist.
She’d always loved the ocean, but the movie changed things for Adams. Now she felt compelled to protect it.
“Never before had I made the connection that humans were aiding the destruction of the ecosystems I so deeply cared about,” Adams says. “I couldn't stand by and watch our ocean life pass away. I had to act. And I chose to act through science.”
Adams followed that passion to Oregon State, where she has made good on her commitment. Now a graduate of the Bioresource Research major, and still an unflagging advocate for marine life, Adams has found ways to diversify her skills and get a sense for how she wants to pave the way to her future.
Her major was a good start. Students who major in Bioresource Research can choose between 12 different specializations that range from water science to biotechnology. “My specialization is technically Sustainable Ecosystems, but I like to call it Sustainable Ocean Ecosystems because that was my focus,” Adams says.
Students are paired with a faculty member who mentors them through a research project and undergraduate thesis. In Adams’ case, this meant her work with zoology professor Mark Hixon – a project on coral reef ecology, the data for which she collected during a study abroad program in Bonaire, a small Caribbean island.
“What undergraduate can say that she has completed original research, graduate level courses, studied abroad and finished her degree in four years?” Adams says. “Bioresource Research offers a lot of flexibility to shape and personalize your major to be applicable to what you want to do with your career, not what someone else decided you need to do.”
Adams didn’t limit her experience to the classroom. She rounded out that already diverse knowledge by seeking out internships, participating in a study abroad program as well as joining the National Society for Minorities in Agriculture, Natural Resources and Related Sciences (MANRRS).
On Adams’ trip to Bonaire, often called the diving ‘Mecca’ of the world, she originally planned to study invasive lionfish and collect data for her thesis. But Adams ended up changing her topic to how the overgrowth of fire corals affects fish communities.
She took five different classes, all related to coral reef ecology and tropical marine conservation. Most of her time was spent diving or snorkeling, collecting samples and recording data. From microscopic organisms to fish to sea turtles, Adams studied all forms of life. In addition, Adams had to memorize names and identify more than 300 different fish, corals and invertebrates.
She earned three new diving certifications, concluding her trip as a “scientific diver,” a highly valued certification necessary for people who do underwater research.
She’s grateful for the time in Bonaire, which was one of the first countries to create a marine protective area for its ocean life. It reaffirmed her love for marine science, but helped her realize her goals lie outside of fieldwork.
“I realize my talent is much more in academic skills and mind skills — being a thinker and a theorizer,” she says. Her Honors College thesis on fire corals, though, was a success, netting her top-notch awards on campus as well as in national competitions.
Preceding her time in Bonaire, in the summer of 2010, Adams earned a marine policy internship at Oregon Sea Grant. She served as a staffer, writer and researcher and helped create a comprehensive marine science recommendation.
“A task force was created by the governor in 2009 with the responsibility of coming up with a set of recommendations for how Oregon should reshape its governing structure for marine policy to align better incorporate science into the marine management of Oregon’s coastal areas,” Adams says.
Later, the recommendations were turned into a bill (HB 2190). “It’s really cool to think that something I helped write became a bill,” Adams says. “I came to realize that individuals who are literate in both the scientific realm and the policy realm are needed in the political realm, and it’s definitely something I’m going to incorporate into my future career.”
Adams spent this past summer working again at her Sea Grant policy internship. In October she will be traveling to Shark Bay, Australia, for two and a half months to be a scientific diver for the Shark Bay Ecosystem Research project, which aims to understand one of the world’s most untouched seagrass ecosystems. Afterwards, Adams will return to Oregon to get her graduate Geographic Information Systems Certificate.
In the future, Adams plans to get a combined law degree in ocean law and a PhD in marine management. “I know that with the diverse breadth of skills I have gained from all these experiences, I can apply for a whole host of different jobs, all the way from physical science to social science, which is really fantastic, and it’s only through Oregon State that I would have found these opportunities,” she says.
Her advice to undergrads who are looking for opportunities is to do as much as they can to find them. “Talk to your advisors, talk to you study abroad advisor, talk to other students and talk to upperclassmen. Approach learning with a passion,” she says.
