Who’s Who in HQ: Chemistry Financial Officer Macall Zimmerman

Macall Zimmerman is the Department of Chemistry’s Finanical Officer, and as such, she is repsonsible for all of its money! Macall has been at MIT for nearly a decade, and has spent the past several years with the Department of Chemistry.  As the subject of this month’s Who’s Who in HQ, Macall divulges the piece of entertainment she would erase from her memory to relive again for the first time, the celebrity she once met in an airport, the job she’d pick if she wasn’t already working at MIT, and many other previously unknown facts!

1.  How long have you been at MIT, and what brought you here?
Almost 10 years.  After college, I worked as a research assistant in a biology lab at Tufts Medical Center, but it wasn’t for me.  I decided to go back to school to study Photography, but ultimately learned I didn’t like the unpredictability of that work.  Because I love the environment that Higher Ed has to offer, I began looking for jobs at local universities and found a job as an Administrative Assistant at the Whitehead Institute.  After a year there, I joined the Chemistry Department here at MIT.

2. What TV show would you like your life to be like?
Lost, but without all the dying.

3. Who are three of your favorite fictional characters?
Pippi Longstocking, Peter Venkman, Katniss Everdeen

4. What songs have you completely memorized?
So, so, many.

5. If your five-year-old self suddenly found themselves inhabiting your current body, what would your five-year-old self do first?
Probably ride roller coasters.

6. What piece of entertainment do you wish you could erase from your mind so that you could experience for the first time again?
Les Misérables (the musical – I’ve never seen the movie)

7. What is something you think everyone should do at least once in their lives?
Travel abroad.

8. What is on your bucket list?
More traveling – there are so many places that I have never been.

9. What could you give a 40-minute presentation on with absolutely no preparation?
Black and white photography.

10. What never fails to make you laugh?
The things that come out of my kids’ mouths.

11. What animal or insect do you wish humans could seamlessly eradicate?
Mosquitoes.  They LOVE me and I HATE them.

12. Who is on the guest list for your ideal dinner party?
My husband, Barack Obama, Bob Dylan, Dalai Lama, Kathy Griffin, Jon Stewart, William S. Burroughs, Thom Yorke

13. If magic was real, what spell would you try to learn first?
A spell to make my house clean itself would be pretty nice.

14. If you could turn any activity into an Olympic sport, what would you have a good chance at winning medal for?
Being myself.  If I can’t win gold for that, then I’m in trouble.

15. What was your first job, ever?
Babysitting.

16. What irrational fear do you have?
Honestly, I don’t think I really have any irrational fears.  They are all very rational to me.

17. Who is the most famous person you have met?
Dave Matthews in an airport.  I was 16 years old and a huge fan at the time.  I totally freaked out.

18. If someone narrated your life, who would you want to be the narrator?
Ellen DeGeneres.

19. If you could watch only one movie for the rest of your life, which would it be?
The Royal Tenenbaums.

20. If you could eat all three meals at only one restaurant for a month, which would it be?
Philippe’s in Los Angeles.  Their French Dip sandwiches are the best.

21. If you could have any job in the world, other than working at MIT, what would it be?
Travel Photographer

Thank you so much, Macall, for all you do for the Department of Chemistry on a daily basis!

Stay tuned for more Who’s Who in HQ in the months to come!