Georgetown College. Georgetown University.

Dr. Heidi Elmendorf (Photo: Roland Dimaya)

What do you regard as your greatest academic success?
I’d like to think that it still lies ahead of me.

Who or what was the greatest influence in your life that led to your career?
John Bonner. He was one of my professors and research mentors when I was an undergraduate at Princeton. Before I met him I thought that biology was all about memorizing what we already knew. He taught me that the real essence of biology lay in exploring what we don’t yet know.

If you could do it all over again, what would you do differently?
I don’t think I would do anything differently. I think I am where I am today—and doing what I am doing because of, not in spite of—the many detours and derailments along the way.

What do you enjoy about teaching?
Students. Giving them the opportunity to discover themselves and their world from perspectives and through new challenges.

Who are your favorite heroes/heroines in real life (and why)?
My dad. He managed to balance a very serious intellectual commitment to his career with a very strong emotional commitment to his family. I still haven’t met anyone as brilliant writing new computer algorithms—or as exuberant sledding down a snowy hillside—as he was.

Who is your favorite musician?
Depends too much on my mood. Can I pick a favorite baseball player instead? Hands-down: Graig Nettles, 3rd baseman from the Yankees in the late '70s and early '80s.

If you could change one thing at Georgetown, what would it be?
Georgetown undergraduates have a remarkably strong commitment to educational equity issues—as measured by the astonishing participation in educational outreach programs or the number of seniors who apply to Teach for America. I would like to see us better support and nurture this interest through curricular opportunities.

What is your favorite word?
My students this semester would probably say that it is “squelch”—a word I’ve used once too often to describe the effect of traditional science education on students’ enthusiasm for the subject!

What, if any, is your phobia?
Snakes. Definitely snakes.

How do you have fun?
Doing just about anything with my daughter, Clare. She has a remarkable—and contagious—ability to find the joy in even the must mundane aspects of life.

What is the best piece of advice you could give to your students?
Don’t become so focused on the goal that you miss the journey.

What is the best piece of advice you have ever received?
When you find yourself feeling like a square peg in a world of round holes, convince the world it needs square holes!

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