Adam Myers
My name is Adam C. Myers, and I am the National Meeting Activities subcommittee chair for the YCC. In my professional life, I am a senior scientist in the pharmaceutical analysis department of Bioanalytical Systems, Inc. (BASi) in West Lafayette, IN. BASi is a drug development firm providing contract research services and unique products for the pharmaceutical, biotechnology, and medical device industries. It is very exciting to be a critical part of the drug development pipeline for many different manufacturers. Prior to my job at BASi, I was both the senior manufacturing chemist and chemical safety officer at a small diagnostics device company called Quadraspec, also in West Lafayette.
I received both of my degrees from Purdue University. I earned my B.S. in Honors Chemistry/Biochemistry and French minor in May 2000. I continued studying organic chemistry in the laboratory of Mark A. Lipton, working in mostly in peptidomimetic protease inhibitors of HIV-1 protease and SARS. I also worked in non-natural amino acid synthesis for chemical labeling and aromatic brominations. I presented this work at multiple ACS national meetings and the 2003 National Organic Symposium. I completed my Ph.D. in organic chemistry in December 2005. I have also been a teaching assistant for organic labs and organic spectroscopy, and I have also substitute taught french and chemistry in high schools. My chemical career path also included three summer internships at Eli Lilly and Company in Indianapolis, IN and Greenfield, IN (research records division and chemical process R&D), and work as an undergraduate in the lecture demonstrations lab at Purdue.
Outside of chemistry, I am also on staff at Covenant Presbyterian church in music ministry, working in both instrumental and vocal music. I play a variety of instruments in several settings, though piano is my forte. I was very active in Purdue’s band department, traveling across the country with athletic bands. Naturally I love college sports (mostly Boiler football and basketball). Additionally, I am a nationally certified aerobics instructor, teaching at a local gym, specializing in Hi-Lo and deep-water classes.
I feel that the YCC is one of the most important parts of the ACS. By encouraging involvement of younger members in the ACS, it ensures the continuation of the society as a vital entity in science today. Having served on the YCC since 2000, my goals as a member include providing excellent programming and networking opportunities for young chemists on the national level, as well as illustrating the benefits of the ACS to new and young members.