Andrew Berry, Lecturer on Organismic and Evolutionary Biology

In this series, we probe the minds of people around campus by asking them the same set of questions about Harvard and Cambridge life. Want to suggest an interviewee? Leave a comment or e-mail us at flyby@thecrimson.com.

ANDREW BERRY, Lecturer on Organismic and Evolutionary Biology

What time do you wake up in the morning?

7:06.

Who is your favorite Harvard alum, real or fictional?

Harvard alum? God. President Obama. [Why?] I think he’s a good guy.

Was Larry Summers sexist?

No. I think he was somewhat cruelly misinterpreted.

Who is the smartest person you know?

R. C. Lewontin, who’s an emeritus professor here and who’s an alum, I guess, of this august institution.

What have you always wanted to tell tourists in the Yard?

That’s easy. That the foot they’re touching is a storied repository of undergraduate urine.

What was your most recent CVS purchase?

In my neighborhood I go to Rite Aid. And I think my most recent purchase was clothes washing powder, and I can’t even remember what brand it was, because that’s mandated by my wife. Not a condom in sight, sorry.

Harvard Bookstore or Coop?

That’s easy. Bookstore.

Where do you get your burritos?

I live between Harvard Square and Porter Sqaure, so I got to Boca Grande. It’s superior to all the offerings in Harvard Square based on intensive sampling.

Who is the most interesting person you’ve passed on the streets of Cambridge?

Well I’m always curious about the chess master guy outside ABP. I don’t know if he’s interesting, but I think he certainly has potential.

What’s your neurosis?

Getting my schedule messed up and not showing up for class.

When’s the last time you took the T?

Yesterday a week ago, Tuesday—was it the 12th? I walk to work, and I’m a cyclist, so I tend only to use the T when I’m going to the airport.

Describe Harvard students in one word.

Varied.

Photo courtesy of Andrew Barry.