Adam Ward

Adam Ward ’05 ’06 says he chose Michigan Tech after having an outstanding experience in the Summer Youth Programs before his senior year of high school.

While at Michigan Tech, Ward enjoyed participating in the AquaTerra Tech enterprise. He also traveled to Bolivia for Senior Design. He says “this was my springboard into eventual mentoring with Engineers Without Borders, and ultimately my career as a professor. No doubt MTU taught me how to think critically, evaluate alternatives, and make science-based decisions. However, the experience of working in teams, across disciplines, and with community partners was the most valuable.”

After graduation, he worked in consulting at the Spicer Group and recruited at Michigan Tech’s Career Fair. He now is an Assistant Professor at Indiana University’s School for Public and Environmental Affairs.

“I am a hydrologist who studies the transport of water, energy, nutrients, and pollutants through both natural and human-impacted landscapes. The ultimate goal of my work is to inform the sustainable, science-based management of water resources. Human alterations to environmental systems, including climate change, land use change, and land management activities, are key drivers of change that motivate my work.”

Since graduating, Ward has earned the NSF CAREER Award in 2017 and participated in grant funding of more than $11 million in total.

Ward’s advice to students is to find great mentors and don’t let them go. “These folks have insight and perspective that you simply can't have early in your career. I have been amazingly lucky to find mentors both in my industry and academic career. Drs. Gierke, Watkins, and Mayer continue in this role still today!”