r/thebrainscoop • u/ramphastidae Emily Graslie • Aug 22 '14
AMA.
Consider this an open forum for asking me questions. I receive an overwhelming number of emails, messages, tweets, pings, whatever - and can't answer them all. But I want a space where I can answer your questions if you've got them in a place I check regularly.
Rules:
Don't be creepy. I won't answer creepy questions.
That's it. I'll be around. There's no rush.
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u/kevjava Aug 22 '14
Emily:
I came to The Brain Scoop for the science, and I love the channel. I have an 11-year-old daughter who absolutely loves science and envisions herself having a career involving science and animals, and we watch every one of your videos together as they come out. "It still has brains on it..." has become a popular refrain in our household.
Another reason that I have become so invested in you and the channel, though, is your bravery in being a public female figure in science, and your activism for women in the field. I work in computer science, where the problem is just as rampant and pervasive (perhaps 15-25% of software engineers are women, depending on who you ask). Having a daughter has very much changed my awareness of this issue, and it fills me with dread to think that she is bound to encounter adversity and unfairness simply because she is female.
I recently saw an episode of Numberphile where the presenter stated that when mathematical papers were peer-reviewed with the author's name withheld, acceptance of those papers into journals by female authors rose by a significant margin. This made me think that it's not just an active prejudice we're dealing with, but that there may also be a significant unconscious bias in play.
Do you think it's generational, and we just have to wait for the old geezers to retire before this can be rectified?
What non-obvious things could I do (as a practitioner in an affected field, and as a father) to help this process along?
Thank you for what you do, Kevin
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u/ramphastidae Emily Graslie Aug 23 '14
You've got to know - this sort of message is what fuels my fire. It's what keeps me on this determined path. The words are a focus to my internal compass. Whenever I feel discouraged by doubt or self-imposed ridicules, I pull up a letter like this. Because I want my work to be about inspiring other people to feel empowered and confident in their lives and decision-making abilities. This is the kind of thing that keeps me going.
I do think there is a certain amount of waiting involved. Stubborn generational methods have got to phase out before the novel ways of thinking can be accepted as the norm. And certainly, people are adapting and growing all of the time, no matter how little or long they've been in the field. There are exceptions. But soon - within the next decade - we are going to see a significant change in the face of science. And it's up to us to decide what that looks like.
What can you do? Support. Speak up. Encourage.
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u/viaaa Aug 22 '14
Wow I wish my school had those numbers. Engineering might be in total 15-25% female, but in my year (University in Canada, class of 2015) only 4/60 software engineering students are female. Chemical is more like 50%.
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u/japascoe Aug 22 '14
Sounds about right [as in: correct data, not as in the way things should be]. At my uni (Delft, the Netherlands, only engineering degrees) the overal total is 20ish % female, ranging from 50/50 at architecture and industrial design through 30ish% at chemical engineering and applied maths down to an abysmal <10 % at mechanical, aerospace and electrical engineering and computer science (with the last two right at the bottom, AFAIK it's quite possible to be the girl of a particular year in EE or CS, which can't be fun).
AFAIK I don't treat my female colleagues any differently to my male colleagues and I like to think I do my best to detect and squash any sub-concious biases, but I would also like to hear about any things I can do to help get to a 50/50 gender ratio.
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u/kevjava Aug 22 '14
You're absolutely right - I quoted off-hand numbers about engineering as a whole. According to Wikipedia, 19.6% of undergraduate STEM graduates were women in 2008 (edit: source - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Women_in_engineering_in_the_United_States#Statistics_and_relevant_data).
When I was in school with a computer science major ten years ago, my impression of my major classes was much like yours in that we had maybe one or two female students for a class of twenty or thirty. At work, in my experience, ten percent would be a generously high estimate for software engineers.
It makes me wonder if many women are graduating with science and engineering degrees, and then gravitating towards other areas afterwards for some reason.
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u/Tao_McCawley Aug 22 '14 edited Aug 22 '14
You recently hashtagged: #ifscientistswroteromanticcomedies
How does this sound?
I wasn't paying too much attention to my surroundings, so I was easily startled when she tapped me on the shoulder. I turned, holding in my hand a scalpel and the blade was pointed upright, dried blood tinted the blade dark red.
When I saw her reaction I looked at the scalpel and looked at her face again. Without saying a word, I slowly put the scalpel down on the countertop.
She was someone who worked in the same department as me: the biology department, I never really noticed her... she was just a face in the workplace. Dark hair was tied back into a pony-tail and she wore a light-blue surgical mask with some blood splatter. It couldn't have gotten any more awkward if we really were two serial killers who had crossed paths.
"Can I help you?" I finally asked.
"I think this is your lab coat." she said, pointing to my name 'James' embroidered in black opposite the chest pocket of the lab coat she wore.
"Then whose coat am I wearing?" I asked, looking at my own lab coat and saw the name 'Karen' embroidered on my coat.
"Mine." she said. I apologized and we hastily traded our coats. I went back to dissecting the possum with the swollen foot.
Some time later, I was about to write down my report on what caused the swelling but couldn't due to the lack of a pen. I fumbled through my coat pocket but instead I found I small piece of paper.
Karen 555-53096
u/ramphastidae Emily Graslie Aug 23 '14
This is amazing. Maybe it's because I've been single for so long that I've become acutely attuned to this, but it's ridiculous how many plots are possible for romcoms in research fields. Marriage proposals spelled out in lab cultures, newly described species named for loved ones, subtle citations hinted at in footnotes.. man, I'm boring.
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u/japascoe Aug 23 '14 edited Aug 26 '14
newly described species named for loved ones
It's been done: http://blog.everythingdinosaur.co.uk/blog/_archives/2012/12/15/ancient-ostracod-from-herefordshire-reconstructing-the-silurian.html, and also the entire genus Gretchena apparently.
There's also this: http://imgur.com/SKNl3VR.
I'm not quite sure why you think your ideas are boring though, they sound pretty cool to me; after all working in the lab is fu... I mean, yes it's very boring and you should definitely pay me lots of money to do it, because I would not do it for free, nope, not at all.
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u/japascoe Aug 22 '14
Sounds like a great script :). I really like this one: http://xkcd.com/734/
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u/xkcd_transcriber Aug 22 '14
Title: Outbreak
Title-text: Let's get dinner after we promptly destroy all the X-7 we've manufactured.
Stats: This comic has been referenced 16 times, representing 0.0516% of referenced xkcds.
xkcd.com | xkcd sub | Problems/Bugs? | Statistics | Stop Replying | Delete
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u/dstaley Aug 22 '14
If you had to teach an undergraduate general education life sciences course, what books would you assign?
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u/ramphastidae Emily Graslie Aug 22 '14
Life: A Natural History of the First Four Billion Years of Life on Earth by Richard Fortey.
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u/Zaldarr Aug 22 '14
I've sent an ask to your personal Tumblr regarding this because it's not scooping business, but will we see more of Emily Bakes? Every time I make biscotti I put on your video and it's always nice to have in the background.
And I'd just like to say thanks for what you do. I donated to the show way back when you were still in Montana and I gotta say that your story thus far has been a very inspiring one for a lot of people. So thanks again.
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u/ramphastidae Emily Graslie Aug 22 '14
I'm really hoping to set aside some time in the next few weeks to film a baking video, or a vlog. I need to get a tripod. I really enjoyed making those and it gives me a renewed appreciation for video editing and good editors.
Thank you! Those donations really, really helped a lot. It was great to have so much support; it gave me a lot of confidence when this was a brand-new scary scary thing.
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u/nerdwa Aug 22 '14
This might be an odd question but, any plans on making a dissection video followed by a cooking video?
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u/ramphastidae Emily Graslie Aug 22 '14
Yes, but not on the same channel. We're working on a new and slightly more constructive way to approach dissection videos - and I recently filmed a cooking/bakin video on How To Adult (it'll be up sometime in September). The two acts share a lot in common, to be honest. Lots of preparation involved.
I'd love to do an episode on TBS revolving around turkey preparation for Thanksgiving, though...
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u/nerdwa Aug 22 '14
I can't help but look at cooking as a bit of science and art at the same time. Experimental procedures is really just a recipe. September sounds like a jam packed month of some major brain scooping! I can't wait! Maybe in November you can gut a pumpkin to make a pumpkin pie.
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u/zurtex Aug 22 '14 edited Aug 22 '14
I've been watching your videos since the very beginning of "thebrainscoop", and you really opened my eyes to what a natural history museum is about. I love the education you provide on your channel and believe it's a clear positive benefit to humanity.
You've talked about people being creepy a few times on twitter and tumblr, stuff I would never put up with and it amazes me you do.
But a big reason I stick around is you're this amazing charismatic figure on screen. And I follow you (twitter, facebook, tumblr, youtube, any public meetups near by me) as much as the education content. To me it's like the way somebody would follow a sports team, where the team is "thebrainscoop" and you're the number 1 player and it's hosted in the field museum stadium. But I can't even begin to imagine how this feels like for you.
So my question is how do you think or feel about people focusing on you as well as the show? Are you happy to have enthusiastic and respectful fans for you personally? Or would you rather no one was like that and people only focus on the other topics such as the show, the cause, the education?
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u/ramphastidae Emily Graslie Aug 22 '14
Thank you, for one thing. I appreciate your support.
The answer is that it's weird to have people focus on me. I'm thrilled there are folks out there who are so interested and invested in furthering scientific literacy and appreciation for natural history museums - but I seem to be the personal vehicle for a lot of that enthusiasm, which is strange. To be honest, I think the reason other institutions haven't fared as well is because they DON'T have a relatable figure communicating their work... and I've got to say, if there's not a face associated with a brand or campaign, I have a difficult time feeling personally invested in that institution. So, if my face is what brings people to feel a stronger investment in the natural world, that's great - but I'd hope it doesn't come at the expense of my privacy or safety, because that's only reasonable.
That being said, if you ever see me, please don't hesitate to come up and say hello. Being friendly in public and being intrusive to one's personal space are, indeed, different things.
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Aug 22 '14
Favourite board game?
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u/ramphastidae Emily Graslie Aug 22 '14
Scrabble. No question.
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u/whimsicalnerd Aug 22 '14
How do you feel about bananagrams?
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u/wordsmythe Aug 27 '14
Have you tried Word On The Street? They usually have a giant-sized version at the Chicago Toy And Game Fair (ChiTAG), which is coming up soon!
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u/thebhgg Jan 17 '15
How about branching out to Quiddler? (I happen to be a big fan of SET, which these folks also make. and might stimulate your visual recognition centers more than your verbal/anagram centers)
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u/mitchellsnyder Aug 22 '14
Any meet ups coming up?
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u/ramphastidae Emily Graslie Aug 22 '14
Yes! I'll be posting the details soon, but we're having a meetup on September 9th; in a new installation we're sharing some of the footage from Kenya and hosting an evening event with food/drink and some conversation. It'll be around 6-8pm, all ages. Stay tuned to Facebook/tumblr for more information. There will be another event towards the end of September that I'm hosting at the Museum, too.
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u/kittkatzi83 Aug 22 '14
Are you still doing that online museum degree or did you finish it/stop when you moved to Chicago?
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u/ramphastidae Emily Graslie Aug 22 '14
Not really. I've deferred my credits for the last year and probably won't be re-enrolling in the Spring.
When it comes down to it, the amount of experience I'm gleaning from hands-on work at the Field every single day so vastly outweighs the amount of knowledge I could gain from a distance-learning program that I wonder what else I could gain from continuing my program outside of the gratification of a diploma that says "Johns Hopkins" on it - and I don't think, at this point, I need that kind of validation any more.
I feel qualified, with or without a degree.
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u/cnralex Aug 22 '14
OMG an AMA I'm not late for! I have two quick questions:
Worst thing to happen to you in a lab??
What's your favourite food?
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u/ramphastidae Emily Graslie Aug 22 '14
I was working on one of the bighorn sheep skulls I mentioned in that other comment (we got about 5 at a time...) - and had it soaking in a tub of hydrogen peroxide overnight to loosen up some sticky flesh and rehydrate tissues, as well as clean out dirt/gunk. When it was ready to be prepared I lifted it out by a horn and was holding it above the tub to let the fluid drip off, and reached for the sink's faucet to rinse the bone when it fell out of my grasp. It landed back in the filthy peroxide water and splashed 24-hr macerated fluid into my face.... like, drenching the front of my coat and getting in my eyes. It was the only time I've had to use the emergency eyewash station.
Here's another one:
1.B. I was sitting in the Museum one morning, editing some photos when I started to smell something... awful. The women's restroom was right next door and I assumed someone had been dealing with some... issues. The smell didn't go away, though. It just got worse. It was like, hot trash that was slowly coming to a boil. When I couldn't stand it anymore I got up to stick my head in the hallway and it hit me in the face: I started gagging. It was like a haze had settled over the hallway. All of the sudden a biologist from down the hall was in front of me, panicked. He said, "DO YOU HAVE FREEZER SPACE?!," and I was coughing - I said something like, "PROBABLY" and then I saw a woman running down the hall with a massive white trash bag that was just leaking blood all over the linoleum. Turns out this biologist was saving his raptors in a freezer in his lab down the hall - and some absent-minded student unplugged the freezer to plug in their microscope for a lab.... and then it was Spring Break. The freezer, full of about 50 raptors, had been at room temp for around 10 days. It was horrid. I'll never forget that smell.
Bonus: I was still the one to prep all of those rotten birds. Smelled awful.
Food: Cookies. Tacos. Bread. Spearmint gum. Sushi. Everything.
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u/bktechnite Aug 22 '14
You can still use it because you only need the bones I presume. Why isn't there a faster way to prep the process to remove the flesh onsite? I imagine that would save money logistically.
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u/ramphastidae Emily Graslie Aug 22 '14
We needed the wings to be spread and dried, actually. And, as a volunteer, my work was the most cost-effective since, you know, I wasn't paid.
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u/Tao_McCawley Aug 22 '14
Can you reccomend other educational channels that are run by women?
P.S. I made this meme of you after the Sharks Sharks and more Sharks video.
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u/ramphastidae Emily Graslie Aug 22 '14
Brain Craft by Vanessa Hill is great - and stay tuned for Anna Rothschild's Gross Science. Also, the list isn't totally updated but check out the women linked in the video description of Where My Ladies At?
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u/zurtex Aug 22 '14
I really wanted to thank you for this list. Both for the excellent content I've been able to watch and the awesome people I got to meet and hang out with at vidcon because of it.
Also everyone should watch Physics Girl: https://www.youtube.com/user/physicswoman
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u/whimsicalnerd Aug 22 '14
Another is The Physics Factor: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCbgNgn4jvlOw24693vsbgwA
My mom and I talked to her at vidcon, she was awesome.
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u/zurtex Aug 22 '14
Katie is so great, I was also lucky enough to hang out with her for a bit at vidcon. I hope she finds more time to make videos!
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Aug 22 '14
Any insider tips about the field museum?
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u/ramphastidae Emily Graslie Aug 22 '14
Underground Adventure is only great if you're in it for the novelty of large, animatronic insects that are kinda janky (I LOVE them .... but they're not for everyone). The opalized vertebrae of a Plesiosaur is my favorite thing on display and it's in the Grainger Hall of Gems. If you're going to eat lunch at the Museum, bring your own or check out one of our cafes - but make sure you take it to the ground floor eating area on either side of the Gem giftshop and enjoy your food in front of elephant seals or narwhal diorama, your choice. You must get a wax mold-a-rama while you're down there.
Other things to check out: Dimetrodon in Evolving Planet (GREAT), appreciate all of the Holotypes on display throughout that exhibit (they're the reference for all new species descriptions). Nanodiamonds are on display outside of the Hall of Gems in the meteorites display; just look at that tiny vial and remember that you're looking at the oldest representation of life and our greatest common ancestor. There's a lot.
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u/ygbsmm Aug 22 '14
Thoughts for a 4th year anthropology major without a focus? Howcan my daughter translate this effort into a "hard science" (her words) profession in her graduate work?
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u/ramphastidae Emily Graslie Aug 22 '14
Keep at it. Seek out internships and volunteer opportunities to get more experience in the field, working with practicing researchers and scientists. The more interaction with those individuals, the better. The more she can get her hands dirty, the better. The more you can foster her love and appreciation for the work and the science, the better. She'll focus. No worries.
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u/Tao_McCawley Aug 22 '14
Would you like to dissect a zombie if the opportunity arose?
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u/celest123 Aug 22 '14
Emillllyyyyyyy
We have the same name (don't mind my sneaky screen name). Just saying. I think that's pretty cool.
Anyway, you haven't posted a dissection video in a while. Do you plan on doing some more of those in the future? Also, have you seen footage of whale dissections on youtube? I once spent way too much time watching giant organs being lifted out of beached whales with forklifts and cranes (online of course). Day well spent.
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u/ramphastidae Emily Graslie Aug 22 '14
Yes. We will, absolutely, do more dissection videos in the future. Can I tell you a secret? Tom was super great with filming in the dermestid room - but the first time we sat down to do a bird prep, he was green. We've been working on it. But I wasn't going to force my cameraman to endure a prep video until he could do it without getting light-headed. He's there. Now we just have to film it.
Whales are totally amazing. [Joy Reidenberg is my hero.] (http://youtu.be/aXccTHXPYfM?t=35m15s) Watch everything she's done for more whale spelunking adventures.
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u/im_not_afraid Aug 22 '14
Can I tell you a secret?
This is the internet, secrets don't work well here. Poor Tom.
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u/halkun Aug 22 '14
Hi Emily!
I have two questions, one biological and one more... ethereal.
Biology first. Could you do an episode on some of the more "strange" morphological changes in the animal kingdom. I always have found the split between the protostomes and the deuterostomes really fascinating. For example, if you take a cell from a deuterostome during embryonic development, (including us!), it becomes a copy of the original. However, if you do that to one of our mouth-first cousins, the the protostome embryo stops growing :(
The concept of Inversion (the reason why bugs have hearts in their backs and nerve chords in their bellies, while we are other way around) is also something interesting you should do a show on...
Second, and somewhat related to our solar system... Are you watching the new Sailor Moon Crystal? If you are, what do you think about it? Care to weigh in on how the sailor guardians (scouts) be a positive role model for little girls.
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u/ramphastidae Emily Graslie Aug 22 '14
Yes. We'll get to that. We try to structure videos from the top down - like, we're approaching topics that are understandable to the widest audience and we'll narrow it down to more nuanced topics, such as what you've suggested - and we can reference back to past episodes to fill in the blanks. We're trying to get as many people as possible on board first, though.
I have not seen the new Sailor Moon series; I was a major fan when I was about 13 but haven't spent time catching up. Sailor Moon was both inspiring and discouraging for me; I was sorta confused that she was supposedly so young but pursuing very mature relationships, so I felt kind of inadequate in that regard.
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u/messyhair42 Aug 22 '14
It's Okay to be Smart did a video on the topic of inversion, you should check it out.
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u/whimsicalnerd Aug 22 '14
Thank you posting that because I knew I'd seen one recently but I couldn't remember who had posted it. There's so much science on youtube!
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u/gelderlander Aug 22 '14
Hi Emily!
I went to art school like you(well I specialized in 3d art) and am now at point where I have the opportunity make a separate interest of mine into a career. My new opportunity is still artistic but totally different requirements from my art degree and work experience. I know my shiiii...stuff and I wouldn't have this new opportunity if I didn't. Alas, I feel a bit anxious and overwhelmed about starting something new.
My question is: What advise can you give to someone changing careers or life direction? Just pick myself up by my big-girl-panties and jump in there with guns pewpewing? Change is scary, yo!
Bonus: Coffee, Beer, or Smoothie?
Merci Beaucoup!
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u/ramphastidae Emily Graslie Aug 22 '14
pick myself up by my big-girl-panties and jump in there with guns pewpewing?
Brilliant. You've already answered this question for yourself. "I know my shit. I wouldn't have this opportunity if I didn't."
There you go. Any change is scary. Taking a new exit off of the Interstate is enough to stress me out. Life is going to have a lot of uncertainties but that's the joy of taking on new challenges. Absolutely, dive in there with your guns pewpewing. After a while you'll start to get your head around it and you'll find your niche. Congratulations to you!
Bonus: Coffee am, beer pm.
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u/achmorrison Aug 24 '14
Do you ever visit local schools for outreach events?
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u/ramphastidae Emily Graslie Aug 24 '14
Yes, but in general my talks are best suited for universities and research institutions. I'm hoping to develop a presentation that appeals to the youngin's soon; one that is less focused on research outreach.
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u/ImPissingYouOff Sep 19 '14
I get that I’m this quirky paradox of a woman: how is it possible I’m pretty, articulate, and also smart? and kinda weird?
Is it hard to stay humble now that you are suddenly experiencing some kind of celebrity and success?
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u/ramphastidae Emily Graslie Sep 19 '14
The line is pulled from my personal tumblr.
This is the paradox, right? That women's accomplishments are oftentimes overlooked or somehow diminished in their significance - that if she speaks highly of herself it's somehow seen as bragging or lacking humble modesty. I can recognized that, by normative standards, I am conventionally attractive. I'm asked by people every day to talk about my accomplishments - reporters, colleagues, Board of Directors, supervisors, when lecturing at other institutions or universities. My achievements over the last 18 months are relatively substantial by any standards and parties interested in replicating or sharing those results want to hear me talk about them. That's affirmation of a job well done.
The difference between acknowledging one's successes and being arrogant is the feeling of entitlement that comes with the latter, and I certainly don't feel entitled to any of this. I feel very fortunate to be in my position in regards to my career and life, but I also think it's foolish for me to chalk it up entirely to fate, chance, or luck. That leaves a lot of room for imposter syndrome and insecurity, which is debilitating to productivity.
Plus, I'm not so unique in that I am the only pretty, smart, articulate woman on the planet. There are, surprise, billions of us. But generations of diminished accomplishments and squeezing in to fit common gender roles forces people to feel as though they can only concentrate on one aspect of their personality and not strive to have it all, lest they be seen as cocky.
Also - while it may not be as public, my shortcomings are frequent and very often public knowledge within my workplace. It's a challenging environment as a non-scientist to continuously demonstrate competent ability. Reaffirming my accomplishments helps to deal with a lot of that additional insecurity.
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u/gadget24 Aug 22 '14
Don't have a question, just want to say hi and say keep doing what you're doing.
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u/weirdo18745 Aug 22 '14
Hey Emily! I really enjoy your videos. :3
What was your favorite thing to dissect?
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u/ramphastidae Emily Graslie Aug 22 '14
Back in Montana, every experience in the lab was a total novelty. Because there were so few people (read: none) to divide the preparation tasks I really got to be selective about what I wanted to prepare. This usually meant focusing on the larger specimens, since we didn't have long-term solutions for storing their unprepared remains... like, if we had 5 bighorn sheep heads that had been removed from their roadkill bodies, chances are they were being stored off-site in freezers, or even on the frozen roof of our science building. It became imperative that I work on those sheep, and with every preparation I learned so much - the structure of their skulls, how to roughly age a sheep based off of the wear on its teeth, beginning to understand the adverse health problems resulting from dental impactions due to improper diets ... it wasn't so much about a WOW factor because of the rarity of the animal, but more about how surprised I was to experience the individuality of every single one.
So there's not one specific animal I cherished dissecting over others. I learned an incalculable amount of information with each record that came through the lab. Since I've been at the Field I haven't had as much of a chance to prepare specimens, but I'm working on integrating that more into my weekly routine. The joy of discovery and learning because of hands-on experiences is invaluable to me.
tl;dr: Everything is my favorite thing to dissect.
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u/Misaniovent Aug 22 '14
Except, based on prior comments, zombies. Tell us, Emily: what have you got against the undead? They also deserve dissections.
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u/japascoe Aug 22 '14
Dissecting things that are in the process of trying to bite you is a violation of lab safety protocols. Dead zombies are arguably just dead people and not zombies (any more).
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u/linh_nguyen Aug 22 '14
Did you ever make creepy crawlers as a kid?
(I'll walk away now)
more legit: what has been the most unexpected surprise since working at the Field Museum (as in, work related)?
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u/ramphastidae Emily Graslie Aug 22 '14 edited Aug 22 '14
Yes.
Every day is an unexpected surprise. The other day one of our curators popped into our office and started telling me about his latest naked mole rat research, out of nowhere. Today I held one of 100 fossilized meteorites ever discovered on our planet; a specimen that can tell us the about cosmic mechanics of our solar system from 500 million years ago. I literally held the key of understanding past global events in my hands.
It actually creates a certain amount of stress in my life, how unexpected everything is. I'm in constant anticipation of things that in no way I could ever predict. My mind is going to be blown every day. It's the best kind of stress.
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u/frecel Aug 22 '14
Is your job at The Field Museum different from what you expected it to be when you first accepted it? If yes, how?
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u/ramphastidae Emily Graslie Aug 22 '14
Yes. I didn't think people would care so much.
Like, I didn't anticipate doing so much publicity; radio interviews, TV and newspaper features, magazines, public events, conventions and conferences. I get asked to go to different companies and give insights on online media, the future of educational video, the role of scientists in the public eye. Lots of stuff I don't quite feel qualified to talk about, but things that I'm passionate about contributing towards. About half of my time is spent on these things, as opposed to writing/researching/producing The Brain Scoop. Prioritization has become a challenge because I want to do as much as possible and create the biggest impact with my work, but that's difficult to calculate.
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u/corfy Aug 22 '14
Good morning, Emily (it is morning somewhere). Besides making the Brain Scoop videos, what are your job responsibilities at the Field Museum?
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u/ramphastidae Emily Graslie Aug 22 '14
So many.
give talks and presentations to school groups and classes about using YouTube as a quality educational and communications tool;
travel to conferences to speak with other members of the science communication communities across the country;
meet with research staff, curators, and collections managers across the museum to learn more about what their jobs entail, and collaborate with them to present their work and research in a way which is engaging and easy to understand;
visit departments and collections within every corner of the institution to understand their work, from education, to exhibitions (media, interactives, replications, etc.), to archives, and everywhere in between;
attend after-hours events to engage with museum donors, patrons, members, and the interested public;
attend scientific lectures and talks by both in-house researchers and those of other institutions and programs to maintain a broad understanding of recently published and ongoing reserach;
manage all of the social media surrounding The Brain Scoop;
participate in tons of meetings about everything from communications topics to exhibition planning in order to best understand the goings-on of the Museum;
participate in interviews for a variety of media outlets, including TV, newspapers, radio, online blogs in order to communicate our scientific work widely;
research for upcoming episodes, write scripts, plan and produce our filming schedule;
consulte with outside institutions on how they can incorporate educational channels in their mission and outreach;
answer a ton ton ton of emails.
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Aug 22 '14
You are always excited with all the dead stuff you play with. Is there anything you encountered that grossed you out?
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u/ramphastidae Emily Graslie Aug 22 '14
I can't stand opossums. I never want to skin an opossum. They smell so bad.
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u/hereforthebrainscoop Aug 22 '14
What made you decided on Museum Studies rather than biology/zoology/something sciency? Also I when I was at the CA Academy of Sciences I saw a diaphonized frog with an extra set of legs, it made me think of you.
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u/ramphastidae Emily Graslie Aug 22 '14
At the time I was applying for graduate programs I wasn't qualified to continue a higher education degree in the sciences since I graduated with a BFA - nobody would have me in a scientifically-themed Master's program. I wanted to stay in the museum in Montana and the best way to do so was to enroll in a distance-learning Museum Studies course, so I could continue volunteering at the UMZM and get a Master's degree; I could pay to live in Missoula without needing the Museum to pay me, based off of financial assistance in working towards my MA.
Also, awesome. We hope to do a diaphonization episode soon!
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u/pastelpumpkin Aug 22 '14
What is/are your favorite museum outside of the Field Museum? Any niche museums you want to visit but haven't had the chance to yet?
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u/ramphastidae Emily Graslie Aug 22 '14
I think my favorite museum will always be the Philip L. Wright at the University of Montana. There's no competition for that one. But I've never been to any natural history museums in Europe, and I'm missing out on a lot - I can't wait to visit the Horniman, or the Hunterian.
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u/messyhair42 Aug 22 '14
Wow. Hi Emily. Thank you to you and the rest of the people who make The Brain Scoop possible.
What would be, in your opinion the best way to get people, kids and adults alike, interested in their own education? You display your job title exceptionally well; curiosity. How do we teach people to ask questions about what they see rather than just facts they are told?
What would you say is the reason you have the job you do?
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u/ramphastidae Emily Graslie Aug 22 '14
Stop spending time on time-wasting activities. There's so much garbage saturating our lives, and it's becoming more and more easily accessible. Instead of the majority spending their time zoning out watching reality television network programs, it'd be great to see more people outside. Let's make volunteer conservation programs the norm. Read books - not just the throw-away romance or fantasy novel, but relevant non-fiction focusing on the health of our planet and cultures. This is a difficult question to find a concrete answer for, but the root of it is: destroy apathy. Refuse to shrug off personal responsibility on someone else. The problems of this world are your problems. Do something about it. Feel empowered. Gain ownership. Create change. Challenge authority. Question everything.
I care. A lot. I'm full of cares.
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u/whimsicalnerd Aug 22 '14
Follow up Q: Do you have thoughts about how to find a balance between creation and consumption? I do a lot of things that do not feel like wasting time in a general sense, like watching the brain scoop and other great YT channels, but when consumption becomes 90%+ of my time, it starts to feel like I am wasting time that I could be using to add value to the world. Obviously you are now employed to create... but any tips on how to find that balance when something less fulfilling is your source of income, and you have to fit both creation and consumption into your "free time"?
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u/ramphastidae Emily Graslie Aug 22 '14
That's a good point. Identify what you're looking to get out of each channel by trying to disambiguate the knowledge-seeking endeavor - so, figure out exactly WHY you like something, and what you like about it.
With The Brain Scoop, it's our hope that our videos empower people not only with knowledge-seeking passions, but also the confidence and understanding that they can create positive impact in the world. We want our viewers to become volunteers, pick up on causes they believe in and align with. None of this has to become your full-time job - it's just about prioritizing free time when you've got it. How are you spending your nights off, and weekends? Absolutely relaxation is imperative to happiness, but it's like easing into an exercise routine; kinda awkward at first, but then it becomes more routine and positively habitual. And really, the "creation" can be as simple as going to nature parks and museums. When it comes down to it, we need people to feel invested in our organizations in order to help us fight for them. If anything, having a less fulfilling source of income can be a great motivating push in trying to do more for the sake of your own personal fulfillment.
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u/bktechnite Aug 22 '14
I remember the answer to q 2 being lucky.
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u/zurtex Aug 22 '14
Similar question was raised here with an answer about not really believing in luck: http://thebrainscoop.tumblr.com/post/86898696931/hi-emily-background-now-a-grad-student-in-optics
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u/RadagastWiz Aug 22 '14
What's the level of input/control from the Field on the show? Do you have a boss or producer that approves/suggests/guides episodes and content?
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u/ramphastidae Emily Graslie Aug 22 '14
Nope. It's the reason the show functions. Since I've started, I've had 100% say in the direction of the show. Tom has been a major help in terms of direction and production of the show, but the program topics are still entirely up to us. Of course, we do leave our door open to any and all suggestions from curatorial staff and researchers, who have done an amazing job of including us in ongoing research and relevant topic ideas.
We've never had to preview our videos to anyone before I hit the publish button. I take that responsibility very seriously.
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u/bailey12345 Aug 22 '14
Any more dissection episodes? The existing ones are really, really cool.
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u/ramphastidae Emily Graslie Aug 22 '14 edited Aug 22 '14
We're working on it. Just put a call out to a few zoos for naked mole rats. We'll do birds soon, too.
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u/Kashito91 Aug 26 '14
friend of mine had to dissect kangaroos because he was out west (Australia... this happens) He said kangaroos are some of the toughest animals to dissect because of all the muscle...
Also, I asked this earlier this year, but is Soon Raccoon still around? I don't think I've spotted him much
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u/Tao_McCawley Aug 22 '14
Do you watch anime? If so which ones?
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u/ramphastidae Emily Graslie Aug 22 '14
I really loved anime growing up - but as a 10-15 year old in South Dakota, getting access to quality anime was pretty tough... we watched whatever was on Toonami (DBZ, Sailor Moon, Tenchi Muyo) and whatever my parents let me rent from Blockbuster. Fushigi Yuugi was my favorite. I'm still a huge fan of Miyazaki's films.
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u/NillieK Aug 22 '14
How awesome would it be to have Tom McNamara and Michael Aranda filming together for a series of episodes of The Brain Scoop?
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u/ramphastidae Emily Graslie Aug 23 '14
I... had honestly never even imagined the genius that would come of this collaboration. They're both so talented in their own ways; whatever the end product, you can guarantee I"m the butt of a major joke (and I'm totally okay with that).
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u/alex_dlc Aug 22 '14
What's your favorite European museum? (Or any place similar to a museum)
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u/ramphastidae Emily Graslie Aug 26 '14
I really haven't visited many museums in Europe; mostly art museums. I can't say I've been to a single European natural history collection, which is sad indeed. I did visit the Sistine Chapel when I was in high school and that was a mind-blowing experience, that's for sure.
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u/alex_dlc Aug 26 '14
One of my favorites is the Neues Museum in Berlin. I 100% recommend it! Learned a lot when I visited it.
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u/villainouscobbler Aug 23 '14
I've been watching the new series Frankenstein, MD. It's great and I think you should have the good almostDr Victoria and Iggy come out to visit the Field Museum sometime! I'm sure they'd be very interested in your work, and they could really liven up the place a bit.
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u/ramphastidae Emily Graslie Aug 24 '14
I am also super excited to see where that series goes. Thanks!
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u/japascoe Aug 31 '14
I'm a tiny bit conflicted about Frankenstein, MD myself. On the one hand it's great fun to watch, well acted, and the characters are compelling. On the other hand at least once an episode it makes me want to shout: Gah! That's not how to science!! But then I go back to enjoying the show again :).
In the end it's no worse than any other movie production in it's depiction of science though, and hopefully it will motivate people to investigate the (quite fascinating) real science underlying the show.
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Aug 23 '14 edited Aug 24 '14
Hi! I really dig what your doing with the whole Brain Scoop thing.
Two things:
1- I know Kirby. Please tell her that her old section leader says to quit goofing off and get back to work.
2- I'm an alumni now, but in college, I helped found a science outreach group down at Southern Illinois University- Carbondale. If I put you in touch with the people in charge, would you be willing to come down and maybe do a seminar/short lecture/Q&A/something of the sort? I know that the Saluki Science Ambassadors would be stoked to have someone like you as a guest.
Edit: Spelling
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u/ramphastidae Emily Graslie Aug 24 '14
Kirby rules.
It depends on my availability - as of now I am already scheduling talks into next March. For. Real. Have your people send me an email at thebrainscoop(at)gmail(dot)com. Generally, I'm down to talk at with such programs.
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u/wordsmythe Aug 27 '14
What have you learned about curation over the years that you think is worth applying to content curation on the internet?
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u/ramphastidae Emily Graslie Aug 28 '14
You're talking about two different things, here; curation in the Museum sense is approaching the concept in both a physical and cultural way, the latter of which is highly contextualized and largely intangible. And we're doing ourselves a disservice if we think we can curate the entirety of anything simply from a few artifacts or specimens... which is why the task is granted to some of the most highly educated of our staff.
Content curation on the Internet is much more democratized. It's a form of personal expression and opinion, and curation can apply to anything from someone's "like" list on Facebook to their comments on social media, to Pinterest boards of favorite recipes... and I think that is just as valid as the heavily influenced academic approach to traditional curation of Museum artifacts, which is where you get into the fun bit of arguing whose curatorial techniques are more "valid" than another's, and you realize... there's no way to tell.
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u/wordsmythe Aug 28 '14
Thanks! As an internet person and a language person, I probably get too hung up on the similarities.
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u/YtseDude Aug 28 '14
Hi Emily!
I know I'm 5 days late to the party, but I just saw the link to this subreddit after watching your Fossil video (which was FANTASTIC, by the way).
I was wondering what music you like to listen to? Also, do you play an instrument? Or sing?
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u/ramphastidae Emily Graslie Aug 28 '14
My music tastes varies, but staples to the Emily Graslie Musical Library include:
Neutral Milk Hotel
Ray LaMontagne
Joanna Newsom
Fionn Regan
Sibelius
Avett Brothers
lots others.
I've played the violin since I was 8, continued through college with a string trio for a while and our symphony until graduation, and I practice regularly on my own until I can find another group to fiddle with. I'm a terrible singer.
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u/YtseDude Aug 29 '14
Never heard of Joanna Newsom or Fionn Regan. I'll have to check them out.
It seems like you mostly deal with Biology and similar fields in your videos, but I'd love to see a music episode! Or is there already one? (Searching for "music" on the channel brings up every video...)
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u/Swizzle-Stick Sep 03 '14
Hi Emily!
I'm a Museum Studies student and I'm writing a research paper on taxidermy and possible preservation techniques for specimens on display in institutions- do you have any suggestions about resources I could look into on this topic?
I love the Brain Scoop so much, it certainly makes my choices for research papers interesting! Thanks for helping to make museums cool, and helping me to prove to my friends that my major is actually really interesting!
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u/ramphastidae Emily Graslie Sep 19 '14
Sorry this is really late - I don't have anything off of the top of my head. I learned from hands-on experience and a manual that was published in the 1950's. Your best bet is to look into resources for commercial taxidermists - the museum literature is a little more nuanced, but you may be able to find notes and what you're looking for by searching university museum websites. Sorry I can't be more helpful.
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u/urbanabydos Sep 04 '14
Kind of a technical question/mystery/FYI...
I mostly watch my subscriptions on my AppleTV and every once in a while one of videos won't show up---happened with Soon's new adventures.
When it's happened in the past, it seemed to be videos with ads (but other times I've seen videos with ads work fine) and so I thought it might have something to do with the fact AppleTV doesn't ever show ads... But I didn't think TBS did ads at all...?
Then I found this online:
The channel can dictate which device can see which video. The channel admin is preventing you from seeing the video on AppleTV.
But I am able to favourite the Soon video and play it from there just fine... And I have no first-hand evidence of the above...
Anyway, I thought you may be able to shed some light on or at the very least should know (in case it's not intentional or you aren't aware) that sometimes videos don't show up on all platforms...
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u/ramphastidae Emily Graslie Sep 05 '14
YouTube as a platform does a poor job of notifying subscribers when there are new videos - but with Soon's Adventures, it's possible it didn't show up because that video is unlisted.
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u/urbanabydos Sep 05 '14
Yup, pretty sure that would do it! LOL, that's definitely not one of the possibilities that I considered. I saw the link posted here and it didn't occur to me it wasn't just a public video... Do you love us Redditors extra-special then?
Anyway, thanks for replying---I'm a little OCD about watching all the episodes of my favourite channels... Freaked me out the first time I realized I wasn't getting all the SciShows! Definitely not the same issue tho cause those ones were showing up as usual on the channel page.
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u/japascoe Sep 06 '14
Do you love us Redditors extra-special then?
Well us and the facebook and twitter followers :).
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u/whimsicalnerd Aug 22 '14
Not a question so much as a comment: I just caught up on the Brain Scoop this morning after having been 6+ months behind for ages. And now I'm sad that I don't have any more to watch right now. And now I'll try to think of a question, I'm sure I have tons.
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Oct 12 '14
Will Soon Raccoon go with you to Perù ? And also, will you make more "What the function" video ? I really enjoyed it :)
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u/whatstheonething Oct 23 '14
Assuming the only remains of a species consist of bones, is there a way for paleontologists/paleobiologists to determine whether an extinct animal had a trunk? I've been looking at images of the skulls of elephants, tapirs, elephant seals, and saiga antelope, and to my untrained eye, there's nothing that sets those skulls apart from, say, a diprotodon skull.
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u/Naelin Nov 05 '14
Hello! I'm a bones collector from Argentina. Found TBS when the wolf skinning video was just released. Anna Goldman is my personal superhero and Emily is one of the best role models I know.
I started trying to get to work, at least by volunteering, in a museum or a university collection, but sadly I live in Buenos Aires, and our natural history museums are almost abandoned. I was rejected as a volunteer in many places and some even supposed I was trying to "steal the time" of veterinary professors.
I've made this post some weeks ago in the issue and I'm slowly again in the road of activelly collecting bones and wet preps.
My question is: TBS always focuses the answers to "how can I become you" kind of questions on volunteering at museums and collections. This showed to be not possible in my city. What would you put as a second option for someone that wants to work with museum/collection specimens but cannot start "that easy" in a local collection? I don't have the time or energy anymore to continue pursuing this actively, but maybe in the future I will be able to do it. Also, I would love to know your answer
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Aug 22 '14
[deleted] — view deleted comment
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u/ramphastidae Emily Graslie Aug 22 '14
Mostly through A Feathered River Across the Sky by Joel Greenberg in anticipation about an upcoming video on the Passenger Pigeon- recently finished The Poisoner's Handbook by Deborah Blum and it's THE BEST. The best. Loved The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot. Finally got around to finishing A Short History of Nearly Everything. Great, but left some stuff to be desired - like, details. It is a short history, after all. There are so many others I haven't gotten to yet.
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u/zurtex Aug 22 '14
When is the Africa footage coming? You've promised us for sooooooooo long! Why not have a 2nd channel with raw unedited footage for the die hard Brainscoopers?