Ron Levy is an Associate Professor at ANU College of Law.
1. Tell us a bit about yourself including what brought you to ANU.
Work at a world-class institution with a friendly vibe
2. What do you enjoy most about working at the ANU College of Law?
Ditto
3. What is your favourite spot on campus?
Great question. The grounds next to the Crawford School of Public Policy, where they begin cascading to the lake.
4. How do you relax away from university?
Walks up Mount Ainslie with my black Labrador, Boswell
5. How would you describe Canberra in three words?
Eucalypts after rain
6. What inspired you to pursue academia?
Love of asking questions plus the chance to impact real world
7. What was your dream job as a child?
Honestly? Constitutional law professor. Seriously. At some point as a kid I wrote a constitution - on parchment.
8. If you could meet one historical figure, who would it be?
Leonard Cohen
9. Who’s your favourite fictional character?
If I'm being honest, Jean-Luc Picard of the 1980s-90s
10. What’s a project or hobby you’re currently working on that motivates you?
Peacemaking by referendums designed to aid deliberation and achieve common ground between factions. Also co-constructing balsa wood plane with my son Josiah.
11. What’s your favourite quote?
"Lost among the subway crowds I try to catch your eye" from "Stories of the Street" by Leonard Cohen
12. What’s the secret to working from home successfully?
Work a certain number of hours starting or ending at the same time each day. "Quarantine" the time from interruptions. And, just as importantly, make sure to do something you love each day too, like listening to music, exercising, biking and bushwalking.
13. Who is someone you look up to?
My wife, Dr Kate Ogg. Also my late father, Eli.
14. What was the last book you read?
The Secret River by Kate Grenville.
15. What’s an under-rated movie?
Starship Troopers (1997) and Dazed and Confused (1993)
16. What’s your favourite dish?
The food at Lebanon and Beyond in Randwick
17. What’s your favourite place in Canberra to visit?
Canberra Deep Space Communication Complex. Did you know it's still communicating with the Voyager spacecraft?
18. What’s your favourite song or playlist to work to?
JS Bach's "English Suites" as played by Glenn Gould. And albums by the Cocteau Twins.
19. What’s a skill you’d like to learn?
Bartending
20. What advice would you give to others feeling uneasy during this time?
Another great question. At my home we're trying to see this as an opportunity to try a different pace of life. We normally maintain a busy schedule and head out, for work or fun, many times through the week. Now we're going to see what it's like staying put. We're imagining our place as an AirBnB place that we're renting.
We'll try to enjoy it as much as possible when we're not working - and even when we are. Obviously this doesn't mean we don't worry about what's going on. But you've got to quarantine your mind as much as anything else. Every evening, turn off the news sites and social media for the night at some fixed, early time.
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