Have you met Michael, Operations Manager with the nanoFAB Centre? Spend the next 2 minutes getting to know him a little better.
Where is your favorite place on campus?
It used to be the gardens on top of business, but I think they closed… so there’s a grassy knoll on the north side of Bio-Sci, just across from Saskatchewan Drive. That’s a good chill spot.
Tablet or paper?
Tablet.
Name one thing you’ve brought to work from home.
My exercise ball chair.
What is the one thing you can’t live without?
I can only think of the basic things — air, food, water… But in terms of creature comforts? Music. I don’t know if I could go without music.
If you won airfare to anywhere in the world, where would you go?
Somewhere in the South Pacific, I think. They always look like cool islands on Survivor. Or Japan.
You can invite anyone — alive or dead, real or fictional — to dinner. Who would it be?
Tariq Trotter — a.k.a. Black Thought of The Roots. He’s a very layered individual, and I think he’d be interesting to sit and chat with. I think I would appreciate his outlook on life and music.
If you could switch jobs with someone else on campus for a week, what would you do?
Your job seems alright, maybe I’d do Have You Met interviews for a week — roam around campus and talk to people. Or maybe something very different from what I do, like Grounds Crew. Actually, Matt Edmonds seems like he has a pretty great job, too.
What does “uplifting the whole people” mean to you?
I think it’s tied into For the Public Good — it’s about broad application and reach. Whatever your endeavours are, and whatever you’re trying to accomplish, you should try to have a positive impact on the broadest number of people possible. That’s what it means to me.
If you could solve any problem in the world, what would it be?
Clean Energy. It’s a big one.
I read an article the other day about some people who made a wearable battery that can harvest kinetic energy. So there are some cool solutions developing.
What 3 words best describe your U of A experience?
Diverse. Autonomous. Challenging.
With formal backgrounds in both electronic hardware and software, as well as IT and systems solutions, Michael brings a holistic view to systems and operations management at the nanoFAB Centre. He has held several roles on campus, including lab tech and instructor, and first started with nanoFAB in an IT role. He is now responsible for the day-to-day operations within the facility.