You may have seen her around campus, documenting events and interviewing staff and students as part of the social media team. Now, Nancy Bidwell-Brown is taking the reins of MyMQ ­– the University’s brand new weekly e-newsletter for students, which launches next week. 

I’ve been at Macquarie for… 
Eight months all up, but just one week in my new role as the editor of MyMQ.

In a nutshell, my job is to…
Gather information about all the interesting and important news and events at Macquarie, and relay them to students in an engaging way.

The question I hear most often in my work is…
The nature of my job means that I do most of the question-asking, and I rarely get asked the same question twice.

The top three things on my to-do list today are…
1) Finalise the design and layout for the first edition of MyMQ.
2) Spread the news of the launch next week (thanks, This Week!).
3) Write, edit, rewrite, and repeat.

If I could do any other job at Macquarie, it would be…
An evolutionary biologist—I feel like they’re the seers of the next hundred years.

Name a Macquarie staff member that impressed you last week…
Professor Greg Downey. We recorded a podcast with him, and his ability to convey the role of neuroanthropology in the everyday is outstanding. Plus, he has an impressive skull collection.

I get my campus coffee fix from …
I don’t drink coffee, but I have a slight obsession with bubble tea, so I go down to The Globe Café for that.

My ethnic heritage is…
Coptic Egyptian. My parents immigrated to Sydney in the 1980s before I was born. Just another reason I feel an affinity with Macquarie: we’re the only Australian university to offer units in Coptic Studies.

Outside work, you’ll often find me…
Learning to play the accordion, mosaicing, or running.  ­

The most amazing place I’ve ever visited is…
The town of Castelmola in Sicily. Gobsmackingly beautiful, with Mount Etna puffing in the distance and the freshest, most delicious produce I’ve ever had.

If I could have dinner with anyone (living or dead) it would be…
Jon Stewart, because he’s hilarious, insightful AND a silver fox.

The last great book I read was…
Deer Hunting with Jesus by Joe Bageant: a brutal (but hilarious) look at the white underclass in contemporary America.

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The first issue of MyMQ will be emailed to students next Monday 1 August. If you have any notices, events or stories you’d like to include in the newsletter, or if you’d like to subscribe, get in touch with Nancy at nancy.bidwell-brown@mq.edu.au.