Billman and Elizabeth Speck ’23 pose for a photo. Courtesy | Mardi Billman

In this Quick Hits, Mardi Billman, associate professor of chemistry, talks about science, video games, and what items she would want to have if stranded on a desert island. 

What is your best chemistry joke? 

I don’t have any, because all the best chemistry jokes argon.

What would you be doing as a job if you were not in the field of chemistry? 

I always joke that my back-up job would be as a stunt car driver. However, I was heavily involved with theater and the arts in college and always liked the idea of writing plays or short stories. I still keep up writing to this day as a hobby.

What is your favorite book? 

“Crime and Punishment” by Fyodor Dostoyevsky. I read it during my sophomore year in college. The experience was physically nauseating in the best way possible, and I’d recommend it to anyone interested in the human condition, moral chaos, and well-earned redemption.

What video game are you best at? 

This is a tough one, because how would one rank skill across different genres of video games? I’d probably have to settle on the main-line Pokemon games. I’ve been playing them since I was 10 years old and got into the competitive scene while I was in graduate school. I’m actually playing through another Nuzlocke of FireRed right now.

Who is the greatest scientist ever to live?

I couldn’t possibly pick one. Science is such a collaborative process, no one really works alone. Even the biggest accomplishments that we attribute to one person have been bounced around multiple scientists. However, I’d have to give a shout-out to Hans Bethe, who’s probably one of the greatest scientists you’ve never heard of. He was involved with everything from the quantum revolution to the Manhattan Project to solid state physics and chemistry. Give his Wikipedia page a peruse if you have the time. 10 out of 10.

If you were stranded on a desert island, what three items would you want to have with you?

I’m going to ignore the obvious answers like a water-skin or a lighter, etc. Those are no fun. The three personal items that I’d want would be a sketch pad, a pack of colored pencils, and a pack of playing cards.

What is something you wish more people knew about you?

I’m quite an open book, and I’m a terrible liar. All someone needs to do is ask me the right question, and I’d bare my soul to them.

Finally, what is one piece of advice you would give to Hillsdale students?  

Try to take advantage of the time you have with your friends as much as you can. I promise that you will not regret staying up until 3 a.m. to share your life’s story with them. You will not regret snowball fights, or movie nights, or spontaneous dances in the dorm halls. You will not regret cramming too many people into a too small car to get groceries together, or an autumn walk in the woods, or even that missed class because your best friend is having a crisis. I definitely don’t.