Academic-Related
What you wish you knew then, that you know
now as a faculty member:
The variety of ways there are to build a successful academic career.
What three steps do you take to prepare for
the school year?
- The main thing I do is pick a date quite close to the start of the quarter, and then avoid thinking about the new year until that date. I found out early on that beyond a basic threshold level, there is not much correlation between how well a class goes and how much time I spend getting ready for it. I thus limit the amount of time I allow myself to spend getting ready.
- I usually visit the classroom I am teaching in to make sure it has what I need and to determine what kind of tools I'll use (chalk, overheads, projection, etc.).
- I try to identify what aspects of the course I am teaching to make it cool/interestings/exciting, and then determine how to make sure I communicate that clearly on the first day of class.
Most used campus resource and why:
E-mail, because it's the conduit through which most everything seems to flow (for better or worse).
Most practical advice for balancing teaching,
scholarship, research and life:
Life? Is that mentioned in the promotion guidelines?
Straight answer(s): I work on the assumption/observation that this job will take every ounce of time and energy you give it and still demand more, so you actually can draw sanity lines without worrying that if you just did a little more of this or that, then you'd be totally on top of everything.
Effective instruction relies much more on the time students spend rather than on the time we spend.
Good research and scholarship rely on not being burned out.
In and Around the Northwest
Favorite Northwest activity
or pastime:
I grew up here, so my list is pretty long, but here's a good freebie: sunset at Discovery Park in Magnolia, South Bluff area.
Favorite weekend getaway:
One of the many loop trips: North Cascades Highway (20) to Winthrop to Wenatchee to Leavenworth to Seattle (in either direction). Mount Vernon (take I-5 north) to Deception Pass to Mukilteo Ferry to Edmonds to Seattle. Olympic Peninsula. And several more...
Best family-friendly activity:
Seattle Center Foundation on a sunny day. Take your swimsuits...
Best pet-friendly activity:
Magnuson Park off-leash area is good for dogs, and not too far from campus.
Favorite happy hour and/or restaurant:
Seattle is brimming with good restaurants --- try them all!
Favorite place to get cheap eats:
Home --- I find cooking to be a good sanity break. Low pressure and relatively quick payback on your efforts.
What do you recommend a newcomer to the area
must do and not miss:
Ride a ferry somewhere on a nice day. Walking on to the Winslow Ferry and just staying on for the return trip to Seattle is a great way to get a quick feel for the area.
Fun fact – my childhood aspiration
was to be……..
A grownup, which I guess isn't too fun a fact. So, here's a better one: the center of gravity of the Space Needle is about 5 feet above ground --- not a bad place to be in an earthquake.
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