Features
Hamilton welcomes new tenure track professors
September 10, 2015
Name: Quincy D. Newell
Department: Religious Studies
Hometown: Lake Oswego, Ore.
Where were you before coming to Hamilton?
I taught for 11 years at the University of Wyoming, which is in Laramie, Wyo.
If you had to live for the rest of your life in one aisle of the supermarket and only eat the food in that aisle, which would it be?
Hmm. Produce is usually a “section,” rather than an “aisle,” but I would pick that. If I had to pick a proper aisle, it would probably be whichever frozen foods aisle holds the ice cream.
Favorite musician?
Changes frequently. These days I’m really enjoying The Dimes.
Coffee or tea?
Coffee. Why yes, I would like cream and sugar. Thank you.
Steamed or roasted veggies?
Roasted. Maybe not as healthy, but way tastier.
If you could pick a person, dead or alive, to get dinner with, who would it be and why?
I would pick my wife, because I always enjoy the time I spend with her.
What inspired you to become a professor?
When I was an undergraduate, I wrote my senior thesis on the early religious history of Oregon, which entailed poring over Methodist meeting minutes from the 1830s. I was, first of all, amazed that the Oregon Historical Society would let me handle the originals—me, a lowly undergrad!—and secondly, bored to tears because the minutes were Just. So. Dull. And they were difficult to decipher, because the handwriting was hard to read and the spelling was nonstandard, at best. But I came to the bottom of one page and found an elaborately drawn hand pointing to the next page—which told me that the secretary was just as bored writing those minutes as I was reading them. That personal connection with the past—in doodles, bad handwriting and truly atrocious spelling—quickened my interest in historical research and eventually sent me to graduate school.
Favorite quote?
“The past is a foreign country: they do things differently there.” –L.P. Hartley
Best Halloween costume you’ve ever worn?
Last year I dressed up as a hipster. It was not my most elaborate costume ever, but it amused me the most of any costume I’ve ever had.
What is your most proud accomplishment?
I was the chair of my department last year at the University of Wyoming, and I am really proud of the ways I managed to improve the positions of our Academic Professional Lecturers (full-time instructors not on the tenure track). I found ways to reduce their workload and increase their pay, and I nominated two of them for University-wide teaching awards, which they won.
What are you looking forward to most about this new job, and what in particular drew you to Hamilton?
I am really looking forward to working with Hamilton students. I graduated from Amherst College and so my “platonic ideal” of a college is—like Amherst and Hamilton—the small liberal arts college. I particularly like Hamilton’s emphasis on writing across the curriculum.
How do you feel about the looming winter?
Bring it on.
Where would you go if you had a time machine?
1843. I am writing a biography of an African American Mormon woman and there’s a particular episode in her life for which I have no evidence to corroborate her account. I’d really like to know what happened.
If you had to pick one and only one thing to say to your students for the whole year, what would it be?
Nothing in American religion, or in American history, is as simple as it looks on the surface. Dig in and pay attention to the complications, the contradictions, and the surprises that you find.
What is the best piece of advice that you have ever received?
When I was contemplating graduate school, I complained to my mom that I would probably be 30 before I got out. She asked me how I old I would be then if I didn’t go to graduate school.
What is one thing about your teaching style that is unique?
I doubt that it’s unique, but I would characterize my teaching style as discussion oriented, with as much flexibility built in as I can manage.
What is your favorite thing about Hamilton so far?
Well, it’s a beautiful place with wonderful students and a fantastic faculty, so it’s really hard to pick just one thing—but probably the thing that has made the biggest impression has been that the default answer here seems to be “yes”: Yes, you can do that; Yes, we will help you; Yes, we’ll get that figured out; and so on. It makes for a wonderful work experience when it feels like everyone is on board and working together!
Name: Cynthia Downs
Department: Biology
Hometown: That’s a harder question to answer than you’d think. I’m a military brat and I grew up in Maryland, Ohio and Colorado.
Where were you before coming to Hamilton?
Reno, Nev.
If you had to live for the rest of your life in one aisle of the supermarket and only eat the food in that aisle, which would it be?
Cheese.
Favorite musician?
Ryan Montbleau.
Coffee or tea?
Coffee.
Steamed or roasted veggies?
Roasted.
If you could pick a person, dead or alive, to get dinner with, who would it be and why?
Winston Churchill because he seems fascinating.
What inspired you to become a professor?
While an undergraduate student I was mentored by three fantastic professors who encouraged me to use science as a way to think about the world outside the classroom. I wanted to pay forward that experience.
Favorite quote?
“I think…” written by Charles Darwin next to a picture he drew hypothesizing a tree of life with one origin.
Best Halloween costume you’ve ever worn?
Bumble bee.
What is your most proud accomplishment?
I’m proud of many things I’ve accomplished, but don’t have one that I would consider my ‘most proud.’
What are you looking forward to most about this new job, and what in particular drew you to Hamilton?
Interacting with my students. I was attracted to Hamilton because of the caliber of its students and because I would have an opportunity to mentor instead of just teaching.
How do you feel about the looming winter?
Currently I’m excited to experience a real winter again, but I have a feeling that might change in about three months.
Where would you go if you had a time machine?
Hawaii before it was colonized by humans because it had such amazing biodiversity.
If you had to pick one and only one thing to say to your students for the whole year, what would it be?
Think broadly.
What is the best piece of advice that you have ever received?
Don’t let your education get in the way of learning.
What is one thing about your teaching style that is unique?
I teach large concepts by allowing the class to define key terms during whole-class discussions. I find that it provides students with the opportunity to recognize what they already know and to understand what preconceptions they bring with them to a discussion.
What is your favorite thing about Hamilton so far?
Definitely the people. They’ve been so welcoming and helpful.
Name: Farah Dawood
Department: Chemistry
Hometown: Colombo, Sri Lanka
Where were you before coming to Hamilton?
Most recently, Santa Fe, N.M.
If you had to live for the rest of your life in one aisle of the supermarket and only eat the food in that aisle, which would it be?
The cheese aisle (if such an aisle exists).
Favorite musician?
Can I list more than one? Eddie Vedder, George Harrison.
Coffee or tea?
Coffee.
Steamed or roasted veggies?
Roasted.
If you could pick a person, dead or alive, to get dinner with, who would it be and why?
My sister. We haven’t seen each other in a few years, and we always have a great time when we hang out.
What inspired you to become a professor?
The dedication shown by some of my professors and seeing how much they love what they do.
Favorite quote?
“Be the person your dog thinks you are.”
Best Halloween costume you’ve ever worn?
Spock
What is your most proud accomplishment?
Moving to the US when I was 18 (from Sri Lanka) and making my way through college and graduate school without any family close by.
What are you looking forward to most about this new job, and what in particular drew you to Hamilton?
The students. I’m looking forward to working with students from all backgrounds and teaching them what I know, while learning from them.
How do you feel about the looming winter?
Cold ?
Where would you go if you had a time machine?
The 16th century, the beginning of the scientific revolution.
If you had to pick one and only one thing to say to your students for the whole year, what would it be?
“Try something that seems ambitious, you can’t predict the outcome.”
What is the best piece of advice that you have ever received?
“Don’t be afraid of the unknown, it might just be something you imagined to be more daunting than it really is.”
What is one thing about your teaching style that is unique?
My teaching style is still evolving, but I like to use a concept-level approach, where I emphasize the importance of mastering the fundamentals of any topic.
What is your favorite thing about Hamilton so far?
The people.
Name: Professor Cat Beck
Department: Geosciences
Hometown: Brookline, N.H.
Where were you before coming to Hamilton?
Newark, N.J.
If you had to live for the rest of your life in one aisle of the supermarket and only eat the food in that aisle, which would it be?
The aisle with the frozen pizzas.
Favorite musician?
If I am doing lab work, then I’m listening to Abba!
Coffee or tea?
Tea. I’ve actually never had a cup of coffee….
Steamed or roasted veggies?
Definitely roasted.
If you could pick a person, dead or alive, to get dinner with, who would it be and why?
Jane Austen because I think she would be really articulate and interesting to talk with.
What inspired you to become a professor?
I feel in love with witnessing that moment when things “click” for your students and they are able make connections within the material you’ve been working on.
Favorite quote?
“Courage doesn’t always roar. Sometimes courage is the little voice at the end of the day that says I’ll try again tomorrow.” ? Mary Anne Radmacher
Best Halloween costume you’ve ever worn?
My dad sewed me a sweet unicorn costume when I was 6!
What is your most proud accomplishment?
Winning an indoor track NCAA title with my DMR relay team as a senior at Tufts University.
What are you looking forward to most about this new job, and what in particular drew you to Hamilton?
Having the opportunity to interact with the students and faculty here!
How do you feel about the looming winter?
Bring it on….
Where would you go if you had a time machine?
1) Cretaceous-Paleogene boundary to witness the impact that lead to the dinosaurs extinction, 2) Machu Picchu during constructions to see how they pulled that off and 3) the Turkana Basin in Kenya (where I do research) during the Miocene to see how a whale fossil ended up in the middle of what is today desert!
If you had to pick one and only one thing to say to your students for the whole year, what would it be?
“That’s really interesting…. why do you think that is?”
What is the best piece of advice that you have ever received?
“Just do it.”
What is one thing about your teaching style that is unique?
I think I wave my arms around a lot…
What is your favorite thing about Hamilton so far?
How welcoming everyone is!