Out of Office

For many of us, our work spaces are fairly bland. We might have a desk and chair, a computer and phone, some shelves with photos of family who we don’t see as much as we do our colleagues because we spend more waking hours at work than at home.

There are plenty of offices at Middlebury, of course—some faculty offices are so interesting they could be museum exhibits. (We showed a handful in a photo essay titled “Eminent Domains” a few years back.) Yet for many—whether in Vermont, California, or abroad—one’s work space is a unique environment.

We offer a window into these places, these occupational habitats. Some you may never have seen before. And others you will see anew, through the eyes of their inhabitants, who call these spaces a home away from home.

Giddings Lab, Bicentennial Hall

Lesley-Ann Giddings

Assistant Professor of Chemistry and Biochemistry

If these walls could talk, what would they say?

“People are always here, generally from 7:30 a.m.–6:00 p.m. And if an alert goes out to say the freezer temperature is fluctuating, [Lesley-Ann] will come in, even if it is 4:00 a.m.” Adds Lesley-Ann, “This place is an extension of myself.”

Can you tell me something about the Giddings Lab that few people know?

We’re not only storing proteins that we make but we’re also growing the cells that make protein, growing other cells. We can do a lot in this small space: grow microbes, extract and amplify DNA and RNA, purify compounds.

Ralph Myhre Golf Course

Jacob Wilkinson

Crew Chief

Can you tell us something about the golf course that few people know?

We specialize in more than just cutting the grass. It is an art to grow turf and grow it well while maintaining extreme low heights of cuts. Many tools are involved with the operation other than mowers. This includes irrigation on the entire course underground, applications for plant health, cup setting on the greens, to name a few.

What’s your favorite time of day to be here, and why?

My favorite time of day on the golf course is during the sunrise hours (5:30) and sunset hours (8:30) during the mid-summer. At those times it is just nature and its beauty before golfers are out and machines are running. Picturesque moments.

Feneley Library at the Center for Medieval and Renaissance Studies, Keble College, Oxford

Paul Monod*

Principal, Middlebury-CMRS Oxford Humanities Program

If these walls could talk, what would they say?

“Where have the garment workers gone?”  The building was a shirt factory from the 1870s until the 1920s.

You’re walking out of here for the final time and look back over your shoulder—what are you thinking?

This summer, I did walk out of the building for the last time, as principal of the program, at least. I was thinking, “It’s all still here after four years and it’s going to continue for a lot longer.”

*Professor Paul Monod returns to the History Department at Middlebury this fall, after directing the Middlebury-CMRS program in Oxford for the past four years.

Printmaking Studio, Johnson Building, Room 402

Hedya Klein

Fletcher Professor of the Arts

If these walls could talk, what would they say?

“I have seen a lot of struggle and late-night shifts, which, in turn, allowed great work to happen.”

You’re walking out of here for the final time and look back over your shoulder—what are you thinking?

Frustration, exhilaration . . . all states of mind are possible in the studio.

Bake shop, Proctor Hall

Ashley LaDuke

Head Baker

Can you tell us something about the Proctor bake shop that few people know?

The bake shop features a rotating deck oven that has the capacity to bake 16 sheet pans at one time, meaning we can accommodate our students’ dessert needs with ease!

What’s your favorite time of day to be in the bake shop and why?

I love mornings, and the days when I start at 5:00 are my favorite. The world is still quiet, and I’m able to focus entirely on dessert production.

Student Mailroom, McCullough Student Center

Jacki Galenkamp

Mail Center Supervisor

Can you tell us something about this mailroom that few people know?

We received more than 88,000 packages in 2017.

If these walls could talk, what would they say?

“Calling the mailroom and asking if a package has been delivered from Amazon doesn’t help anybody.” (See prior question.)

Mittelman Observatory, Bicentennial Hall

Jonathan Kemp

Telescope and Scientific Computing Specialist

If you had only one sentence to describe this space, what would you say?

The observatory serves as a gateway to the universe, Middlebury’s gateway to the universe.

What’s your favorite time of day to be here, and why?

The later stages of dusk around nautical twilight are always impressive. At that point, the natural environment is amazingly beautiful and serene, and one can reflect on the day concluding and the promise of the night to come in studying the astrophysical mysteries of the universe. Dusk signifies an uncloaking and revealing of the nighttime sky as the sun exits the stage. This time of day often reminds me of Magritte’s L’Empire des Lumière

Special Collections and Archives, Davis Family Library

Rebekah Irwin

Director of Special Collections and Archives

If you had only one sentence to describe this space, what would you say?

One sentence? Can you imagine how many individual sentences are stockpiled here? Handwritten sentences, typed sentences, sentences in poetic verse and in song? Sentences typed into emails by College presidents and written with feather quills? I can’t even try.

Can you tell us something about your work space that few people know?

We have a massive safe that can withstand the unthinkable: fire, flood, explosion. The über-special of Special Collections reside inside: Henry David Thoreau’s personal copy of Walden with his handwritten notes; the College’s founding charter (on animal skin) signed by the governor of Vermont (with a feather quill, presumably); a small clay tablet from Mesopotamia, circa 2000 BCE; a 500-year-old handmade book illustrated with gold ink.

Biomass Plant

Michael Moser

Director of Facilities Services

You’re walking out of here for the final time and look back over your shoulder—what are you thinking?

With a purposeful pause and deep breath, I’d close my eyes, smile, and fondly remember the excitement of creating and designing early plant strategies, the milestone of construction, the commitment to mastering operations. I’d think about the wonderful people who participated in this journey. And I’d think I was a part of something that was—and remains—worthwhile, significant, and successful. This place has had such a positive impact and will be a part of Middlebury College’s legacy.

Seminar Room, McGowan Building in Monterey, Room 100

Anna Vassilieva

Professor; Director, Graduate Initiative in Russian Studies, Middlebury Institute of International Studies

If you had only one sentence to describe this classroom, what would you say?

It feels like everything at once: space exploration, a battlefield, a moving meditation, an intellectual oneness, a sip-by-sip presence of a Japanese tea ceremony, swimming in the ocean; joy, flow, touching the horizon.

Can you tell us something about this space that few people know?

This is a space where one can find a real me. Look at the image behind me: The seraphim holds a sword—a burning, precise weapon that cuts through the hearts of people to awaken them to action, to alert them to urgency of action, to enlighten, to comfort. This is what teaching is to me.

The Knoll

Sophie Esser Calvi ’03.5

Associate Director of Global Food and Farm Programs

Megan Osterhout Brakeley ’06

Food and Garden Educator

Can you tell us something about the Knoll that few people know?

Brakeley: Drought is one of our greatest challenges at the garden site, given the sandy loam soil profile; a surprise since we are surrounded by the Vergennes clay remnants of the Champlain Sea!

What’s your favorite time of day to be here, and why?

Calvi: Sunset. The light. The light. The light.

If the garden could talk, what would it say?

Calvi: “When you care for me, I’ll teach you to slow down and care for yourself.”