2008 Woodie Awards
Beyond Office Hours
Professor Brandriss Professes Love for Rocks
Linda Lee
Issue date: 4/7/05 Section: Features
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It's always interesting to go through various department websites' faculty listings. Some departments even jazz up the otherwise dry list of professors' names and email addresses with pictures so that students may attribute faces to names. If you ever scroll down to Mark Brandriss on the Geology department's faculty webpage, you'll know what I mean when I say that Professor Brandriss loves rocks.
But to indulge those of you who have greater concerns than to look for Brandriss's picture online, I ask you to imagine a grown man holding up a sizeable rock so that it comes cheek to cheek with his wide-grinning face. His eyes exude such delight that makes one wonder if he simply enjoys posing for pictures or whether his happiness comes from the brown chunk of rock cradled in his hands. After interviewing Professor Brandriss, I would guess the latter.
The Birds and the...Senior Citizens?
Professor Brandriss grew up in upstate New York, where he experienced a "pretty normal" childhood, despite the "constant" fighting between himself and his two brothers. He recalled how his stay-at-home mother attempted to resolve the daily brawls by banning her sons from watching "The Three Stooges" on television. Did it work? "No, (laughing) it never really worked. We still fought," he said. However, Brandriss affirmed that he and his brothers get along fine now.
As for strange childhood hobbies, Brandriss said that he was "an avid bird watcher" since he was nine years old and up until he graduated from high school. In fact, he and his best friend were the youngest members of the Guinness Ornithological Society. He explained that this society was composed mainly of "50 to 70 year olds" who were "thrilled" to welcome young kids into their group. "They even called me every weekend to make sure I'd come to the meetings."
Judging from his apparent interest in the natural world and his field of study, I expected Brandriss to admit to having an impressive rock collection as a child. Surprisingly, it was not until he attended his first year of college at Wesleyan University that he stumbled into a love for rocks.
But to indulge those of you who have greater concerns than to look for Brandriss's picture online, I ask you to imagine a grown man holding up a sizeable rock so that it comes cheek to cheek with his wide-grinning face. His eyes exude such delight that makes one wonder if he simply enjoys posing for pictures or whether his happiness comes from the brown chunk of rock cradled in his hands. After interviewing Professor Brandriss, I would guess the latter.
The Birds and the...Senior Citizens?
Professor Brandriss grew up in upstate New York, where he experienced a "pretty normal" childhood, despite the "constant" fighting between himself and his two brothers. He recalled how his stay-at-home mother attempted to resolve the daily brawls by banning her sons from watching "The Three Stooges" on television. Did it work? "No, (laughing) it never really worked. We still fought," he said. However, Brandriss affirmed that he and his brothers get along fine now.
As for strange childhood hobbies, Brandriss said that he was "an avid bird watcher" since he was nine years old and up until he graduated from high school. In fact, he and his best friend were the youngest members of the Guinness Ornithological Society. He explained that this society was composed mainly of "50 to 70 year olds" who were "thrilled" to welcome young kids into their group. "They even called me every weekend to make sure I'd come to the meetings."
Judging from his apparent interest in the natural world and his field of study, I expected Brandriss to admit to having an impressive rock collection as a child. Surprisingly, it was not until he attended his first year of college at Wesleyan University that he stumbled into a love for rocks.