Lexie Adams ’21 attended the DSM-firmenich NA Science Day in Columbia, MD as 1 of 5 finalists for the Kirk Apt Biotech Student Award. Adams was nominated for her contributions as an undergraduate student researcher in the lab of Dr. J. Andrew Jones in the department of Chemical, Paper, and Biomedical Engineering at Miami University. As a part of the award competition, the finalists were invited to give a talk on their research. After a live vote from DSM-firmenich employees in attendance, Adams was named the inaugural award winner. 

The Kirk Apt student award was created to honor the legacy of scientist, inventor, and mentor, Kirk Apt, who pioneered the development of fermentation-based solutions at DSM for the production of nutritional lipids, which are an integral component in infant formula.

Jones, who was in attendance for the presentation and award ceremony, commented, “I could not be more proud of Lexie and her many accomplishments. Her work has left a lasting impact on the future research directions of my lab. I am grateful to have had Lexie in the lab and she is certainly deserving of this national-level recognition.”

The other finalists in attendance were graduate students from the University of Virginia, University of Illinois Urbana-Champagne, University of Wisconsin-Madison, and University of Delaware.

Adams’ presentation focused on her work to engineer an E. coli-based platform for the production of norbaeocystin and psilocybin, both candidate compounds for treatment of a range of mental disorders, including depression and anxiety. This work resulted in two first author, peer-reviewed publications for Adams, appearing in the journals Metabolic Engineering and Metabolic Engineering Communications.  

“I am honored to have been named the winner of this prestigious award and to have been given the opportunity to present my work from my time at Miami," said Adams. "I want to thank Dr. Jones for his mentorship over my time at Miami and beyond.”