Where is your favorite spot on campus?
That's a tough one. I seem to spend so much time in my office. I guess if I had to pick a non-work spot I'd say the Baughman Center. I love the lake and the center. So peaceful. And sometimes even a gator!
Do you have any pets?
I have a cat, Simon (aka the Bug), that I adopted from Gainesville Pet Rescue this past summer. He's almost 10 months old now and is a very sweet boy. He makes me laugh. I also seem to have adopted two silky terriers. They belong to my friend Veronica, but I watch them most of the time. They are smaller than I would normally choose for a dog, but they try hard to be big dogs!
Do you have a hidden skill/talent/hobby that students might not know about?
I have played and performed music since I was 10 years old. I started college as a music major, but switched to science (ecology and geology). Until I came here, I played and performed for weddings and with jazz and swing bands in the Madison area. I play saxophone, flute and clarinet as well as early music (renaissance and baroque) on recorder.
What Olympic sport would you like to try?
I love horses and have ridden since I was small. I would love to ride dressage or hunter jumper/cross country in the Olympics.
What is your favorite smell?
Jasmine or orange blossoms. I also love cinnamon or vanilla candles.
What is your favorite movie?
Princess Bride
What is the strangest food you have ever eaten?
Raw sea snail, in Japan. I lived in Japan for a little bit and ate all kinds of weird food. But the raw chicken and the raw sea snail I was served in northern Japan was probably the strangest.
What is your one guilty pleasure?
Probably reading science fiction/fantasy -- or role playing video games. But honestly, I don't know that I feel all that guilty. Games and sci fi are the stuff of creativity, and that's what keeps us ALIVE. If I only ever worked and never used my imagination I'd be a pretty boring person ...
Do you know any other languages?
I speak a smattering of several. I know French best, but haven't really ever had a chance to use it. I learned a bit of German when I worked and lived in Switzerland and I learned some Japanese when I lived in Japan. I am trying to learn Spanish now -- it seems like the most useful, overall.
What do you see as the most significant or useful quality in a leader?
Self reflection. A leader must always know them self best of all. That is hard. But so critical. They must know what pushes their buttons, what are their best strengths, and where they need others to help out.
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| Dean Balser and Flat Albert in Haiti |
I always ask students to ask questions ... and one of the oddest ones was when a student in honors biology asked me if I thought zombies could be real. I actually had an answer. I think that you could hypothesize that zombies are made from cell-cell communication by bacteria that have taken over the former bodies' cells. Bacteria and single celled organisms are capable of coordinated action, so why not create a zombie?
What is your favorite app?
Besides Mail? Well, I seem to use Google a lot, and Solitaire City. Sorry. I am boring that way. But when I can I play different tower or role playing games. I just downloaded Wraitheborne. Seems pretty good so far. I like hack and slash dungeon crawlers!
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| Dean Balser and a new friend in Haiti |
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| Dean Balser at TailGATOR 2011 |
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