Laura Cram is professor of European politics and director of the Neuropolitics Research Lab at the University of Edinburgh. She is also a senior fellow on the Economic and Social Research Council’s U.K. in a Changing Europe program. Before she joined a panel discussion on what Britain owes Europe, Cram talked in the Zócalo green room about noisy data, amaryllis flowers, and her favorite flag.
What superpower would you most like to have?
I would really enjoy being able to fix things. When there are things that make people feel sad or guilty, or you see people feeling lonely or down, it would be nice to have the power to smile and make people feel better.
You study symbols of national identities, including flags. What’s your favorite flag?
I’d really like one with a smile, if I was going to have one. Otherwise, I quite like the Olympic flag with the joined circles.
What’s hanging on your refrigerator?
Absolutely nothing. We just finished building so our fridge is shiny and new.
You made an online quiz with the BBC Scotland to test the “mood of the nation” in 2012. What question was hardest to analyze?
The ones where we asked people how they felt about other people, whether they would help other people out if they were in trouble. I thought we would get clearer answers, but it wasn’t clear at all. The data were noisy. When you do research with the public, it gets noisy.
What’s your favorite plant?
I love amaryllis. It’s a lovely, big, blousy flower.
Did you have any nicknames as a kid?
No, I never really did. Not even ones I’m hiding.
What would you do if you had one more hour in the day?
I would fill it and fill it with about an hour and a half. It would be a choice between trying to squeeze up to the gym, watch a movie with my husband, or get out a game and play with my kids.
What’s the strangest job you’ve ever had?
Probably when I first left school, when I was 17. I worked in a bank, and at night I used to work as a bus girl at one of the discos, in the 1980s. I was too young to be allowed to serve at the bar until I turned 18. The first day I was at the bar, I got really confused. There was a guy who had a deep Scottish accent and I thought he asked for piña colada. I spent ages getting ingredients together because I didn’t know what I was doing. When I gave him the drink, he gave me a look. He said, “I wanted a pint of lager.”
What’s your favorite season?
I like the late winter when there are bright, cold mornings. We get a lot of rain in autumn and when it comes to the January-February period, you get some sunny days. It’s a bonus.
What advice do you give students who are considering going into academia?
Only do what you really, really want to do. Don’t do it because you have to or should. Do what you’re passionate about. Who knows what’s out there. There may be jobs that didn’t even exist when you started by the time you get out.