[7] His family moved to Minnesota when he was a young boy and he attended the Shattuck School, where he showed a special interest in mathematics.

After traveling in Europe and attending Helmholtz's lectures at the University of Berlin,[6] he returned to Hopkins in 1887 to study physics under Henry A. Rowland.

[9] Ames contributed to his field by publishing four textbooks, serving on the editorial staff of the Astrophysical Journal and Harper's Scientific Monthly, delivering Northwestern University's Harris Lectures on "The Constitution of Matter", co-authoring a book, Theoretical Mechanics, and holding the office of president of the American Physical Society, of which he was a charter member.

[6] As a faculty member, Ames was considered an excellent teacher, able to explain complex principles of physics in terms a lay person could understand.

He assumed office July 1, 1929 and commenced an administration which spanned six of the most difficult years in the university's history, due to the economic hardships of the Great Depression.

[10] President Ames managed the university as efficiently as possible, coping with problems such as the "Goodnow Plan" and the new but troubled Institute of Law.

[11] When the Second World War began, as chair of the Foreign Service Committee of the National Research Council, Ames toured Europe studying scientific developments.

Upon his return, he criticized the United States’ isolationist foreign policy, urging that war materials be sent to France as quickly as possible.