Farewell, Montana

My sincerest thanks to Dave Dyer for giving me the opportunity to volunteer in the UMZM: without your initial support and encouragement, none of this would have been possible.
My deepest gratitude goes to Hank Green for seeing the potential and making The Brain Scoop a reality.
Thank you, Heather Hsu; without you the next chapter in my adventure would forever remain unwritten.
I thank The Field Museum for their continued support in the production of The Brain Scoop, and am so looking forward to becoming a part of their team!
And - from the bottom of my heart - thank you to everyone who has watched, liked, shared and commented: this would not have happened without you.
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Thank you to Martina Šafusová, Deanna Mavis, Gerda van Mierlo, Ada Häggkvist Aarvåg, Filipe Valcovo, Katerina Idrik, Catherine Côté, Tony Chu, Mariano Cepeda, Stella von Randow, Nur Iskandar Bin Nuruddin, and Seth Bergenholtz for providing transcriptions for this video!

[@thebrainscoop]

This is my favorite episode of The Brain Scoop. I've been asked to return to UM and give a lecture on my museum experiences, this program, and the future of it all. This video captured the last time I was in that collection, my exact moment of departure, and I cannot wait until March when I get to go see it again after being away nearly 2 years.

[@JimRandolph]

It does and it doesn't seem that long ago.

[@donvnielsen]

Thanks for treating us to your moment. Cruel lesson is that you may be one with the museum, the exhibits, the people, and you have a caring and loyalty to them. Unfortunately, the museum...the business entity itself...does not have the same feelings back to you. So, appreciate the feelings that you have. Share them. And take them without reservation to wherever you want to go.

[@katiemsipos]

I started watching The Brain Scoop a couple days ago and it definitely shows how much you care for UM and its collection. It didn't came across as small because you filled it with life. This episode pulled the curtains back, first slowly, and then dramatically, and it's heartbreaking, but a fantastic means to show how underfunded and under-utilized it is. I hope things have been at least maintained and look forward to catching up in time for your March update.

[@phoenixliv]

I was just rewatching this one and wondering if you still missed it from your beautiful and well kept museum out in Chicago... It seems like apples v oranges.

[@davidshi451]

Keep us posted! Would love to hear how the collection is doing :)

[@Guysm1l3y]

I'm not even kidding, have you thought about submitting this in the short film category at film festivals?

[@mickblock]

Mr. Aranda did a great job capturing Emily's transition to a place where she would see her passion and effort met with similar enthusiasm. I may or may not have cried a little.

[@howarthe1]

(1:25) "…I just feel like I've fought so hard, and it hasn't gotten me anywhere with expanding our space or getting more funding." It seems to be a sad commentary on our entire generation that hard work fails to generate success, but I'm glad that you have found a new place, and I look forward to watching more Brain Scoop.

[@RMoribayashi]

My very first job out of high school was at The Franklin Institute Science Museum. The floor staff was almost entirely made up of college students, many on work/study programs. Two months after I left they fired the entire floor staff and replaced them with untrained retired volunteers subsidized by government grant. Exchanging an opportunity to expose young minds to the joy of teaching science for a few dollars was a despicable crime. Their attitude towards science was made even clearer when they destroyed a large research library of primary source material, some of which went back as far as the 1820's, to make room for an IMAX theater and a couple of restaurants. A ghost of its former self, it has become totally dependent on income generated by traveling exhibitions created by other museums that are now out of its league. A sad comment on a what was one of America's first and best science museums.

[@alannar.8701]

My Girl Scout troop did a sleepover thing there two or three years ago. I've always been a STEM girl, so I noticed that there just wasn't a lot of actual science there.

[@RMoribayashi]

Alanna R. I actually worked the _very first_ sleepover back in the '70s. I hope you had a clear night. It was so much fun showing the kids Jupiter and its moons back then.

[@alannar.8701]

We didn't even get to do the astronomy stuff. We walked around for a bit, and went to sleep. That sounds like it would have been awesome, though!

[@WouldntULikeToKnow.]

I remember going to the Franklin Institute for school trips (it seemed like every year was the Franklin Institute). That was more than 20 years ago. How sad.

[@cassondrajanssen8351]

I was rewatching this video and was really curious as to what happened to the museum after Emily left it, so I took to google and found the website for the museum. On the staff page, Emily is still listed as an intern. It deeply saddens me to know that the museum has been left in such uninterested hands, and seems to be so forgotten that they haven't even updated the website in 3 years.

[@DenkouNova]

She isn't listed anymore now. Perhaps they read your comment :)

[@cscha101]

What really inspires me is that Emily was a late bloomer, and that she became so passionate and an active advocate to the public about the beauty and coolness of museums. Thank you. When I go to the Field Museum, I hope I run into you or the people that you have shown in the video to thank you guys.

[@izzieluv]

I'm so glad you got to take the racoon. Such a bittersweet episode ♥

[@izzieluv]

+Lizzie Fleck You are the Chief Curiosity Correspondent. What a GREAT job title! It sounds like you literally just get to be curious and encourage the curiosity of others for a living!

[@RocKiteman]

I am 54 years old {in 2015}, male, and I got a bit 'choked up' over a stuffed raccoon....

[@andyoli75]

I don't know how she kept it together. I almost couldn't.

[@maggiemauldin2196]

I love that title more than anything "Chief Curiosity Correspondent"

[@ak2wa2or]

i've only just started watching this series, but i found this one really touching. also, i can't help thinking of the embarrassment of riches poured into sport programs while things that actually matter languish away in forgotten basements

[@littlecuttlefish741]

I only discovered this channel a few weeks ago and stumbled onto this video. I did not realize Emily was from Montana and assumed that she always worked in the Field Museum. So learning that she knew Michael and Hank, and that she didn't even major in a science field was surprising, to say the least. The sheer juxtaposition between the latest episodes in the Field Museum and this episode with her saying goodbye to this humble collection is nothing less than awe-inspiring. This video was incredibly bittersweet. Emily looked so crestfallen saying goodbye to the university's collection, unknowing what its future would be, if it even had one. But now, in the Field Museum, Emily is so happy. Her curiosity has pushed her into history with the new butterfly species. Seeing someone like Emily, someone who didn't even think she was cut out for science, be passionate about it and continues to fight for its preservation is reassuring, especially with how tumultuous the world is now. Keep doing you, Emily. Keep doing you.

[@camrockerama]

I can't stop crying. Emily, you're my favorite. I'll miss the Wright Zoological Museum, and I hope it lives on and continues to inspire.

[@jennystratton1448]

This is probably my favorite Brain Scoop video. There is something so special about working in a small collection. You remember the first day you stumbled into it, clueless and impressed and overwhelmed, and yet in a few years' time you unexpectedly find yourself having become one of the experts - knowing every nook and cranny of the collection, the how-to's and the make-do's - with so many crazy and wonderful and horrible stories about it and the time you've spent in there! Nobody else, or very few others, care about or know the collection quite as well as you do, and it's so hard leaving it behind, not knowing what is to happen to all those carefully curated objects. I had an herbarium I had to leave behind once. I'm ecstatic that The Brain Scoop was recognized as a gem that could benefit an even bigger audience by moving to Chicago... but I love that it started because of one person's discovery of and devotion to a small, obscure, but no less valuable, collection. :)

[@TetraLoach]

This nearly made me cry. After this show got some publicity from decidedly NON-scientific things I decided to check it out and started watching from the start. After all of these episodes a certain kinship is felt and seeing Emily leave her cozy little museum and volunteer job that borders on full time hobby to move up to working in one of the largest Nat History museums in the world... It's an incredibly inspiring story. Watching her walk through the museum at the end and realizing the magnitude of this change is truly awesome.

[@agentsarahjane]

I just started watching the Brain Scoop and this episode touched my heart. If I had any real money, I know what I'd want to do with it - supporting the sciences. In the end, the best way is to make sure our government support the STEM fields and institutions.

[@tumblenc]

SO MANY FEELINGS such a beautifully shot video. :)

[@rb7297]

I wish these specimens could have been transferred to the Chicago museum as well instead of left in the basement. :(

[@randompersoncookie]

I love how gentle Michael's voice was every time he asked a question. I know it's already been 3 years and I came super late to the party, but man did I break down at the end. I'm glad to see you're doing well in Chicago, Emily :)

[@mothman69]

i really hope someone has been taking care of that museum with as much passion and care as she did

[@susannahayres-thomas7185]

Emily, you are WAY more than "normal"! You're a marvelous, intelligent, charming young woman. Hang in there, lady, your life is going to be wonderful.

[@miriamg32]

**trying not to cry** **trying not to cry** Oh, no, there go the tears.

[@emmypadge]

I've seen this episode before and I'm just now returning to it after bingewatching a bunch of older dissections... and I'm emotional, I'm actually crying. So proud of Emily for coming this far and getting this amazing opportunity.

[@petgirl913]

For someone just starting out in college for a degree in science, this video showed me that scientific careers are hard, unpredictable, sometimes discouraging, but still worth it. A love for science makes all that worth it, and, hopefully, helps lead us to a point of redemption. Thanks, Emily

[@PurplePalisade]

"I CAN do science! I can do SCIENCE! Science is a thing that I like!"

[@twojuiceman]

I need this as a shirt

[@ShubhamBhushanCC]

In India we fucking burned down our NATIONAL NATURAL HISTORY MUSEUM. A fucking national museum.Shame on us shame on us

[@tacticalultimatum]

Shubham Bhushan it's gone downhill after British rule left

[@Hypatia4242]

I read about that. I'm so sorry. Perhaps the tragedy will bring an awareness of its importance to the public?

[@cheesebean4040]

You know. You're the goal. To find that passion. The thing you willing to wake up everyday and go to, for no pay, and work for hours. Just cause you love it so much. This channel is amazing and you are amazing.

[@bluetoes591]

This video is a piece of art that should be on display in a museum, it paints such a complete picture.

[@callmelimitbreaker]

Emily has such a great level of passion and love for what she does. I wish I could be just like that with whatever fate will hold in store for me in the future.

[@SurikenJoe]

The level of feels. Man, life goes on and our squishy biological machines keep going.

[@catherine_404]

Watching this so much later, and I teared up. I hate it when science and knowledge disintegrates because no one values it, no one is willing to pay 😭

[@JMD3M410]

Without this video, I may have stopped watching when Emily went to Chicago. Part of the charm of Brain Scoop has always been that it was at a tucked away little place and it was so driven by Emily's interest. It was not another nature show talking about the same animals that everyone else fixates on. It was mostly Montana, it was raw, it was true.

[@CygnusiaX1]

Dangit all, this made me cry at the end. (I know, old video, but working my way through the playlist...)

[@MichaelMMorganm984638]

An amazing tribute of passion and purpose!

[@lucisue53]

I partly grew up in a university natural history museum, where my grandfather once served as curator. In the days where there was no money, it was his labor of love when he wasn't busy being a mathematics professor. The Field Museum holds an incredible collection, and your enthusiasm for all it contains will never lessen your contribution to the UMZM. You've given me a new appreciation for my grandfather's work. Best wishes to you in this incredible new adventure.

[@Mausi090]

3 Seconds in and I'm already crying. Awesome.

[@ThursdayTheNext]

This video still makes me tear up, just a tiny bit. It's kinda reminiscent of so many transitions.

[@marionrodrigo6385]

i watched it again... it is always the same feeling.

[@nathanielzivstern2325]

HEATHER HSU! Thank you for funding The Brain Scoop thus far! You are awesome.

[@crystalclare1000]

I have never cried over a video about a Museum........ until today.

[@Munchausen45]

I think this video is so touching :) I think everyone has their "museum" they find hard to leave. For me it was leaving the Navy after four years. Most important thing is to have that "museum " in your heart and never forget it :) Thanks Emily!

[@karenconda1289]

I want to find "my museum". I am so clouded, right now, I'm taking Masters in Atmospheric Science and I honestly don't like it. I am not happy, I can't get any funds for my research..I want to find somewhere where I can put my heart on wholeheartedly no matter how far it is from my major. This has been going on for almost 2 years. I need "my museum" by that I mean like what Emily found when she started as an intern. I wanna find that, and stay there, grow there. Sorry for this long comment. Emily, you're awesome!

[@punyapratyushasethi6048]

Karen Conda best of luck luf

[@garethbaus5471]

Clouded - atmospheric Good word choice.

[@ShubhamBhushanCC]

Baby you got ball and I got RESPECT for you. I am currently going through a fighting phase myself and seeing you letting your hopes take you really helps me when I am particularly morose. So thank you, Next Stop, London.

[@okayisouralways]

I'm so glad that Hank went and made that first thoughts from places video at the museum and now we have the Brain Scoop and we're all a little bit smarter for it. Thank you to Hank and Emily and Michael and Heather Hsu and everyone involved in this show!

[@richardking3328]

Congrats on the new position. Sad to see all those samples and such in that storage and state, very sad.

[@daltontiegs]

I don't think it's a loss for her. Anyone who is as passionate as her will find a more fulfilling job somewhere else. It's a loss for the university. Shame

[@pasapdub]

Emily, you'll never know how many people have been informed and inspired by your example as a young woman of science! Thanks so much! I look forward to many more revelations from you!

[@Zsaisse]

the whole video is a feels galore!! dangit its more heart wrenching than sad movies, dangit i need my manliness back!!

[@mamemimoma]

Aw your video made me so sad.. about all the fish in the basement and your little racoon and the leaving..

[@ElanLift]

I CRY WHEN I GET TO THE CREDITS

[@arthurphillips2567]

I truly love how she took the raccoon and still has him. It's so weirdly adorable. Especially because she's mentioned how she didnt like opossums or raccoons because they had hands lol. It just seems so perfect and idk why.

[@reinl7]

On the youtube home page, this video randomly came into my mind. I cried.

[@rhigel2269]

Loan the material to the University of Florida In Gainesville, Florida.

[@laurenalderman9660]

I want to be like you and learn things and work in a museum like you but I don't know where to start :(

[@codybarnett2217]

HollarForADollar :D Volunteer go to a museum and ask questions and pursue pursue never give up on your dream. Make sacrifices work hard and push through bad moments to get your goal.

[@cryptoli]

Congratulations I work at the American Museum of Natural History and I totally identify with so many parts of your story! Specimen care can be a challenge in many settings. This has been a great series and I am looking forward to more from a new location! I have loved all of your episodes and this one too. There are so many challenges and I loved it when you said you can interact with the collections, REAL STUFF! Some people think interactivity means a touch screen...

[@ryanpatterson1403]

i don't think u understand how much i love this episode

[@pastysam]

The Brain Scoop is just a fantastically fascinating back drop to the stunningly magnificent story of the heart warming Emily Graslie.

[@igsey]

Congrats to Michael Aranda for doing such an amazing job with the filming and editing of this, and the production and... everything else. Top work.

[@KingAlejandroTV]

The Brain Scoop theme playing softly on the piano at the end was really beautiful.

[@pinkfilly123456]

Congratulations Emily, Hank, Michael, and whoever else is involved in making the Brain Scoop. I can't wait to see what Chicago holds for the next season!

[@MrCardboardhero]

Thank you Emily and everyone who works on The Brain Scoop. I didn't know how interested in I was in this subject until this channel showed up. Looks like a trip to Chicago is in order.

[@florcita72]

A new chapter is commencing. We'll miss you UMZM!

[@SageIdle]

I never thought that I would fall in love with this show as much as I have.

[@sargentm71]

Congratulations Emily and the Brain Scoop team! This is excellent news!

[@TheGirlWhoExists]

"It still has brains on it..." Why did that make me so sad? Congratulations Emily. I hope someone finds the idea of your museum and comes to love it as you have.

[@brianjensen1390]

i just hope her friend gave her the hug she looked like she really needed.

[@pollytomat]

The technical quality and the quality of content of Brain Scoop always amazes me. Please never stop! I am ver happy for you, Emily!

[@balmung789]

The whole video was moving, but the classical rendition of the brainscoop tune at the end was probably the most beautiful sendoff I've ever seen.

[@DamonJames1983]

Thank you Heather Hsu. You allowed this amazing show to continue with your never-forgotten awesomeness. DFTBA

[@FailedRorschachTest]

Oh my god, I think I'm gonna cry. It still has brains on it.

[@hkwhsu]

I love seeing Montana in the videos. The hike to the bear was one of my favorites. One has to let go of something to grab something else.

[@countryrose93]

my heart is breaking. I really wish we could raise money to support it! it deserves to be taken care of!

[@sharonheater5838]

Ah, Emily, you are the living example of finding a way to do what you love and how that leads to real success. Congratulations!

[@poehlerbear91]

It seems appropriate, after this, to watch Thoughts from Dead Animals & then the subsequent very first Brain Scoop. Sincere congratulations! I hope UMZM comes to their senses.

[@The1stMachinist]

Yeah. Emily's emotion was really contagious.

[@thetinychapel]

Yes, Emily you are on your way!!! We love you. I worked in museums and universities for ...lessee ...40 years... and you are ONE OF US!!!

[@lavieenviolette]

I am just so so happy for Emily. I feel as if she's found her niche in the world, her happy place and is finally receiving the recognition she deserves. The pieces of her life seem to be coming together, and absurdly, that brings me immeasurable joy.

[@oneilphotostudios]

This was great. I love her passion and drive. Very important to have that. I wish her all the best in success!

[@mariposahorribilis]

All best wishes in your new adventure. It's great that Brain Scoop is going to be supported by the Field Museum! I hope people will take responsibility for your legacy in Montana.

[@Nicomis11]

I am so happy Brain Scoop will continue!! I was completely surprised by how much I love the show and that's always the best thing; finding something new to love.

[@Hypatia4242]

As a young person trying to launch her own academic career, this is inspiring. Emily is a role model.

[@CarbonDoggie]

The was, in my humble opinion. The greatest Brainscoop video that you Emily and Michael have ever made. It very emotionally, and honestly acted as a watershed event in the history of The Brainscoop.

[@DiscoDuck2222]

Seeing "Emily Graslie, Chief Curiosity Correspondent" on the door at the end...amazing. Just amazing.

[@jsarbino]

This is by far the sweetest, most touching tribute to dead animals I have ever seen. In all seriousness, Emily is a genuine inspiration. Not only does she make morbidity valuable, educational, and fun, but she embodies the ideal of someone who LOVES their work. I wish you all the best in your new adventures!

[@TheGFeather]

It's silly that this made me cry, right? I'm incredibly sad that the Montana museum has lost both of its key driving forces and looks to be rather adrift but also immensely pleased that you now have a job you can live off of in an amazing collection. Finding your passion is no small thing. That's not 'pretty normal,' it's pretty amazing! Like all your numerous fans and well wishers, I'm so glad you have a platform to share that passion with the world.

[@ZoyaStreet]

I've been in that same situation too. Spent a year interning in museums and did a master's at the V&A in London, learned that for me it's not worth the risk. My parents can't support me while I work for free. Thankfully I've so far been able to make a modest living as a freelance historian and journalist, which I'm very grateful for as it's not common for writers to make a living.

[@chuchuboogie]

I grew up in St. Louis and our family took regular trips to Chicago throughout my childhood. The field museum was and still is my absolute favorite place to visit when I go there. It is just a wealth of both information and inspiration. I'm sure you'll be very happy there.

[@wtfisditvoorbullshit]

After all this time..it still has brains on it. Beautiful video.

[@CheffBryan]

The closing of one door is the opening of another. I know we'll all miss the University but to take that step and move to the Field Museum will open so many new doors for both her and us as Brain Scoop watchers. I'm so happy for you, Emily!

[@jaxoncanseeyou]

I didn't dislike it, I was asking who could possibly dislike it because of how emotional and beautiful it was

[@oforth]

bittersweet. thank you Emily and Michael. ...anyone else having graduation flashbacks?

[@mflynn2009]

Thank you Emily and The Brain Scoop Team. I hope you have a wonderful experience in Chicago. It's been my hometown almost my whole life. Chicago is as amazing as a city as Montana is as amazing as country. Welcome!

[@twelge15]

Chief Curiosity correspondent? For one of the greatest museums in the world? Montana is beautiful,......but......Wow! Congratulations Emily!

[@recklessroges]

"... it still has brains on it" was very reassuring. "Cream always rises." I'm very happy for you.

[@mirandacooks]

I think that "chief curiosity correspondent" is like the best job title ever. You're the chief of curiosity! Ultimate Nerdfighter!

[@L0STH1K3R]

This was heart wrenching to watch. I hope everyone at the brain scoop finds happiness in Chicago and that the collection at the zoological museum is cared for and not neglected or forgotten. People especially future generations need to learn about our natural history. Thanks so much for being one of the best and most educational channels on KZbin!

[@sonoraorchard6153]

Real tears... Emily, your passion is absolutely beautiful. Your courage to put your whole self into a new thing that you found a love for is inspiring. I feel a kinship with you, I just bearly started studying veterinary science after years of studying and working on things I wasn't in love with. This episode really touched my heart

[@pepperwings]

I am SO glad there are people like you, who care so deeply and work so hard to keep up these things. Whether it's in Montana or Illinois, you will discover things and share them with others. Keeping that wonder alive is a very noble cause.

[@DetrimentallySane]

I legitimately cannot handle all the emotions here. I cannot.

[@Velociter]

I hope you like Chicago, Emily. I personally love visiting the city every chance I get, living in the suburbs.