Carolyn Adams

Windsor, Ontario
Graduating with an honours Bachelor of Science in chemistry

How did you pick your major of study, and why did you choose the University of Windsor?

I chose to major in chemistry due to the research opportunities in conjunction with the Outstanding Scholars program that was available exclusively at the University of Windsor.

What were your expectations of university? Has the University of Windsor met those expectations?

My expectations were to study with students who were eager to pursue education and to cultivate my own academic interests. I’ve had the opportunity to work and learn with many eager students in the context of undergraduate research and have had the opportunity to pursue my own interests through courses in many faculties; thus, the University of Windsor has met my expectations.

What would you say is the most important thing you have learned at university: about yourself, about other people, about your field of study, or about the world?

The most important thing I’ve learned in general has been to extend knowledge learned from chemistry courses and the lab environment to other endeavours. With respect to science, I’ve learned that in an age where vast amounts of information is available via the internet, there is information that is misleading or erroneous and one must develop critical reading skills based on technical scientific knowledge to analyze information to make accurate conclusions.

What would you say has been the most memorable part of your UWindsor experience?

I was really excited when my thesis compound recrystallized enabling an image of the structure to be obtained. 

Please tell us why you are proud to be part of the University of Windsor’s graduating class of 2011.

I proud because pursuing education in Windsor has meant that I’ve been able to live at home, work throughout university, participate in research, and ride my bike to school.

Did you have a course, professor or classmate who inspired you?

I don’t feel like I could possibly narrow it down to a single person. For the past three years, I’ve had the opportunity to work for Dr. Loeb as an Outstanding Scholar and during a NSERC USRA in 2009. Not only have I been able to learn from Dr. Loeb, as a member of his research group, I’ve had the opportunity to work amongst many graduate students and fellow Outstanding Scholars. My thesis supervisors Nick and Natalie were very instrumental in providing guidance, support, and answering questions throughout the year. In addition, all of the other individuals in Loeb Research Group (past and present) have played roles supervising my work over the years, answering questions, and providing input from experience. So I’d also like to mention Darren, Liz, Nadim, Kelong, Laura, Mike, Nissa, Chris, Eric, and “Little” Natalie.

Furthermore, due to the small nature of my program, I’ve had the opportunity to meet many professors in the chemistry department, too numerous to list individually, to seek clarification on course topics. Lastly, other individuals in the department, such as Matt and Jerry, have also provided assistance with setting up experiments and locating necessary compounds to run experiments. Overall, these individuals were inspiring due to their positive attitudes towards learning and scientific pursuit; I am very grateful to have had the opportunity to learn from them.

What are your plans following graduation?

I’m travelling to the Lower Ninth Ward of New Orleans this summer to assist in the rebuilding effort.