Keaton Adams, a senior at the University of Idaho, will graduate in May with a degree in biochemistry and has accepted an offer to pursue doctoral research at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, according to an April 15 announcement.
Adams’ move highlights the opportunities available for undergraduate students engaged in scientific research and underscores the value of foundational degrees like biochemistry for those interested in advanced study.
During his time at the University of Idaho, Adams worked under Professor Chris Marx studying how genetically identical bacterial cells can show different responses to starvation. Adams said his work focused on a substance called PHB that bacteria produce as stored energy during times without food. “If you grabbed a thousand people off the street, representing bacteria with a different genetic make up, and had them run a marathon, you’d expect to get vastly different finishing times. But if you cloned a person a thousand times — representing bacteria with the same genetic make up — and had those people run a marathon, you would expect very similar finishing times,” he said. “We’re not seeing anything close to that with these starved bacteria.”
Marx explained that non-genetic variation is important because it often determines whether bacteria survive antibiotic treatment or become pathogenic. “Cells differentiate into discrete types to either hedge their bets regarding future environmental fluctuations or to have division of labor and take advantage of two distinct strategies that can cooperate with each other,” Marx said.
Adams’ achievements include participating in the U.S. Department of Energy National Science Bowl as a high school student, earning an associate’s degree while still at Hillcrest High School in Idaho Falls, and completing an internship at Idaho National Laboratory. These accomplishments helped him secure both university admission and scholarships.
Reflecting on his decision to attend University of Idaho after touring campus with his father, Adams said: “I didn’t realize how much I would love it here… But when I got here and started going to classes and meeting professors and fellow students, I realized I had made an exceptionally good decision.” Looking ahead to MIT, he added: “Research is important to me… It keeps the world moving forward, and I would like to continue doing that.”