In Memoriam: Passing of Professor Eldridge S. Adams
It was with great sadness that we learned of the passing of our colleague and friend, Eldridge S. Adams, on November 2, 2019.
Eldridge worked at the University of Connecticut since 1997, retiring as a Professor in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology in fall 2019. His research on the biology of social insects used empirical, experimental, and modeling approaches to study social insect population ecology, organization, territoriality, competition and cooperation. He was widely read, a polymath, who was adept at bringing disparate ideas and theory, e.g., plant demography, game theory, and even military strategy, to the study of social insect interactions. This research won high accolades and resulted in numerous scientific publications and research grants. He was a keen observer of the natural world, from the swamps and marshes of Panama, Florida and New England, to his own back yard. His recordings of animal interactions, including ant colony battles, formed the foundation of many of his contributions to the study of animal behavior and helped to effectively communicate his important findings. His passion for teaching and mentoring is remembered among graduate and undergraduate students and colleagues. Eldridge trained several of his own graduate and undergraduate students and served on many graduate advisory committees.
In 2016 Eldridge won the Faculty Excellence in Graduate Teaching Award for innovative approaches to teaching about ecology and social insects. He also taught EEB graduate students about effective teaching methods. Eldridge was a much-respected member of our University community, serving on the CLAS Courses and Curriculum committees, as well as on the departmental graduate admissions, PTR, and C&C committees. Eldridge was a wonderful colleague, a successful scholar, a highly effective mentor, and a good friend who will be greatly missed.
For more information, see Eldridge’s departmental web page (https://eeb.uconn.edu/in-memoriam/).
For more information, contact: Ecology & Evolutionary Dept. at 860-486-4323