An Abiding Affection

This chapter provides a brief outline of Esther Zimmer’s early life. Born in 1922 to immigrant Jewish parents who had moved from Manhattan’s Lower East Side to the South Bronx, she demonstrated a talent for languages at an early age, learning biblical Hebrew from her grandfather and later distinguishing herself in Spanish and French. Despite her professors’ expectations that she become a foreign language teacher, Zimmer chose to become a scientist. Her love affair with microorganisms began in the mycology laboratory of the New York Botanical Gardens, her abiding affection for bacteria, especially E. coli K-12, memorialized in the beach house named Kappa Dodici, Italian for K-12. For Esther, this particular bacterial strain displayed the treasures of bacterial sex uncovered by her research. Esther cherished the joy of discovery far beyond academic tenure or recognition. Like renowned physicist Richard Feynman, her prime motivation for doing laboratory research was “the sheer pleasure of finding things out.”

Considering a new platform for academic campus interviews: Entering the virtual world

As a May 2020 Social Work PhD Graduate, I spent the spring semester interviewing for academic tenure track positions. When COVID-19 reached the United States, the interview process quickly changed course. My in-person campus visits became 8-hour long virtual interview days, which were quite exhausting. Since I completed five in-person campus visits and two virtual interviews, I compiled my lived experiences. As a “now” normal emerges and institutions must be more financially aware and uphold social distancing guidelines, in the reflexive essay I provide suggestions for improving virtual campus interviews—for both the candidate and the search committee. Some suggestions for the search committee include not using an 8-hour interview day, offering a delivered lunch for the candidate, and assembling the virtual visit to incorporate the school and University environment. For the candidate, I propose to dress as if one is on-site, integrate self-care throughout the day, and request a meeting with only students. I hope my experiences will motivate others who faced similar situations to consider their virtual interview experiences and further produce suggestions for their institutions.