Michael W. Adams

“How lucky am I to have something that makes saying goodbye so hard.” ~Winnie the Pooh

It is with profound sorrow that the family of Michael W. Adams announces his passing on Dec. 27, 2025 at the age of 82. Mike passed away peacefully at his home in South Windham, CT after a courageous battle with cancer and treatment side effects. Mike was born in Guilford, England on July 29th, 1943. After graduating with a degree in zoology and a teaching certificate from Bangor University in North Wales he left England to accept a teaching job in the farming community of Glentworth, Saskatchewan, Canada. After 4 years he decided to further his education, first, by obtaining a Masters degree in Biology at the University of Regina, where he would meet his future wife, and then by completing a PhD in molecular genetics and biochemistry at Duke University. Following a post-doctoral fellowship at Rockefeller University in New York, Mike then took his first faculty position at Louisiana State University. However, while there he realized he wanted to spend more time teaching and subsequently left for his next job at Eastern Connecticut State University, where he served as a Professor and Chair of the Department of Biology from 1986 until he retired in 2015. Throughout, Mike was deeply committed to promoting undergraduate science education. He was an active member of multiple organizations that promote undergraduate immersion in the discovery processes that underlie all work in the life sciences and was an advocate for curricular reform and the empowerment of early-career STEM faculty. Throughout his career, Mike remained connected to the research enterprise whether serving on study sections at the National Science Foundation or on the Editorial Boards of cell biology research and teaching journals and organizations. Mike’s own research interests involved working with Chlamydomonas, a single-celled alga used as a model organism for studies of cell biology. He was well-known for using his work to promote hands-on learning, both in the classroom as well as with dozens of independent-studies students, many of whom used their work with him to launch their own careers in the life sciences. Over the years he made an extraordinary impact on the curricular and student research focus of the department. He was a meaningful and caring mentor to many students and will be remembered for his enthusiasm, clarity, humor, and open door: “He transformed my life.” “I am grateful and fortunate to have had him as my professor and mentor.” However, Mike’s interests extended well beyond research and teaching. He was a wonderful cook, somewhat of an amateur historian, a major fan of F1 racing, a connoisseur of a wide variety of music, and, after retirement, developed processes for capturing the hidden beauty of the UV luminescence of plants and took time to share the breadth of his expertise in several online forums. Mike’s sense of humor can be found in his famous satirical paper in Annals of Improbable Research entitled “The Dead Grandmothers Exam Syndrome.” Mike was predeceased by his mother Bessie Adams, his father Geoffrey Adams and his brother John Adams. He is survived by his wife Glenna, his step son Scott Seeley and wife Salma Dabiri, his sister Liz Wood, his niece Emma Young, her husband Steve and their daughters Dory, Maggie and Edie, his niece Kate Salton, her husband Peter and their children Zoe and Daniel, his sister in law Carol Adams, and lifelong friend Chris Adams and his wife Christine Meadows as well as numerous extended family members in Canada.

Mike will be greatly and forever missed by family and friends throughout the United States, England, Canada, and elsewhere.

A celebration of life will be announced at a later date. In lieu of flowers and to honor Mike's love of undergraduate training, teaching, and research, the family welcomes gifts that will support students in the sciences at Eastern. Please make checks to the ECSU Foundation, directed to the Mike W. Adams Memorial Fund, and send them to Eastern Connecticut State University, Development Office, 83 Windham St., Willimantic 06226.