Faculty Directory
Adam Davis
Professor | Biology
(He/Him/His)
- 412.237.2734
- adavis@ccac.edu
- Allegheny Campus, K344
- Faculty office hours are available through self-service.
| Degree | Emphasis | Institution |
|---|---|---|
| M.A. | Biological Anthropology and Paleoanthropology | University of Pittsburgh |
| B.S. | Archaeology, Biological Anthropology, and Forensic Anthropology | Mercyhurst University |
Biography
Adam Davis is a biological anthropologist and evolutionary biologist who has been at CCAC since 2005, teaching General Biology I, Intro to Biology, and Anatomy and Physiology. His early career was focused on archaeology and forensic science, including crime-scene and mass-diaster investigation and archaeological field work in both the United States and Spain. His primary research interests include human evolution (specifically mid-Pleistocene hominids) and the history of science and medicine, and he has led CCAC students on field study expeditions retracing Darwin's journey to the Galapagos Islands.
Adam is a former president and current board member of the Southern Association for the History of Medicine and Science (SAHMS) and the treasurer of the C.F. Reynolds Medical History Society, and the faculty advisor of CCAC's Anime and Video Game Club. In his spare time, he enjoys fantasy and science fiction, tabletop role-playing games and CCGs, video games, outdoor sports, and traveling. He lives in Pittsburgh with his spouse Stacie, two cats, and far too many books.
It's difficult to select a single classroom experience that's "most memorable" in twenty years of teaching, but the discussions that go "off-book," when students ask challenging questions that deviate from the planned lesson but clearly show that they're absorbing the key ideas and taking them in new and exciting directions, are the best parts of the job. Those are the moments when you know you're connecting. Aside from that, my times advising the Anime and Video Game Club when they do their annual 24-hour charity event for the Children's Miracle Network, the Extra Life gaming marathon, are standouts. in my 12 years overseeing the club as they do this event, they've raised over $32,000 to provide lifesaving hospital care for kids in need, and its a true privilege to work with student who have found a way to leverage their interests and hobbies to do so much good and have so much fun while they do it.
I think the fundamentals of science are so deeply important. Misinformation and disinformation about the workings of science are rampant in our society; correcting those misconceptions solves so many problems, and it starts with a solid grasp of the fundamentals. Plus, I have never ceased to be enchanted by the wondrous dance of evolution, the ways in which life has adapted and changed and become the complex things that it is today from so simple a beginning, and I love sharing the joy of that with my students. There's nothing like seeing the dawning light in someone's eyes when it all fits together, or when they see how cool it is the same way that you do.
I write short fiction in the fantasy, science fiction, and horror genres, and I'm an author for the small-press tabletop RPG Dread, which I both write stories for and run at gaming conventions. I believe that being a good storyteller is important to being a good teacher, but since I mostly teach science, writing and gaming is where I let my creative side out.
"Try for perfection, but be satisfied with the best that you can do." —Motto of the Voyager 1 space probe, which was meant to last five years and is still operational nearly 50 years later. I find that inspiring.