In 2023, long-time manager for the UAMN Genomics Collection, Kyndall Hildebrandt left the position, and Mammals Collection graduate student Mallory Gulbranson took responsibility for the collection’s multiple labs, research support, and cryovats. Director of exhibits and program host, Roger Topp had the opportunity to chat with Kyndall and Mallory about career trajectories and student opportunities, about the inception and growth of this unique museum collection, and what fun lies ahead for research support and for education and public outreach.
The More You Look is a production of the UA Museum of the North, on the campus of the University of Alaska Fairbanks and the ancestral lands of the Dena people of the lower Tanana River. UAMN illuminates the natural history and cultural heritage of Alaska and the North through collections, research, education, and partnerships, and by creating a singular museum experience that honors diverse knowledge and respect for the land and its peoples.
In 2023, long-time manager for the UAMN Genomics Collection, Kyndall Hildebrandt left the position, and Mammals Collection graduate student Mallory Gulbranson took responsibility for the collection’s multiple labs, research support, and cryovats. Director of exhibits and program host, Roger Topp had the opportunity to chat with Kyndall and Mallory about career trajectories and student opportunities, about the inception and growth of this unique museum collection, and what fun lies ahead for research support and for education and public outreach.
The More You Look is a production of the UA Museum of the North, on the campus of the University of Alaska Fairbanks and the ancestral lands of the Dena people of the lower Tanana River. UAMN illuminates the natural history and cultural heritage of Alaska and the North through collections, research, education, and partnerships, and by creating a singular museum experience that honors diverse knowledge and respect for the land and its peoples.
We can now generate so much more data. So I mean--I mean--you remember the Human Genome Project and how long it took and how expensive it was. And now for $10,000, I can send off a sample and get its whole genome back. Like, and but that's a lot of data. And so that's--I was thinking, when you mentioned that I was like, oh, that's the one of the biggest hang ups is now that you have all this data. And you have to remember, it's all As, Ts, Gs, and Cs. So like, for base codes, you have to make sense of it. And it's not something that we--it's really hard for us to just look at the string of numbers and try to pick out patterns or make sense of it. And so you really do need that computing power. Yeah, so people going into like, any kind of computing, like, don't think about all the possibilities in biology probably because it doesn't probably pay as well. But there's so many opportunities to figure out what to do with all this data that we are generating and need analyzed.
Roger Topp:Hello, and welcome to The More You Look, your behind the scenes journey into museum collections, research, exhibition, and public programming from Fairbanks, Alaska. I'm Roger Topp, director of exhibits, design, and digital media at the UA Museum of the North and host for today's episode. As one of the largest collections of its kind in the world, the University of Alaska Museum of the North's genomic resources facility contains over 200,000 frozen tissue samples from voucher specimens archived in the mammalogy, ornithology, ichthyology, and entomology collections. And by frozen, we mean very, very cold. Even the minus 80 freezers are near a thing of the past. In 2023, the museum's first manager of the genomics collection, Kyndall Hildebrandt left the position, and mammals collection graduate student Mallory Gulbranson took responsibility for the collection's multiple labs, research support, and cryo vats. I had the opportunity to chat with Kyndall and Mallory about career trajectories and student opportunities, about the inception and growth of this unique collection, and what fun lies ahead for research support and for education and public outreach. Welcome. Kyndall.
Kyndall Hildebrandt:Hello.
Roger Topp:And welcome Mallory.
Mallory Gulbranson:Thank you.
Roger Topp:And we're talking with the collection managers today for the genomics collection. And as I was preparing for this, I actually had to look up when we did Hibernation and the Science of Cold special exhibition, and it was in 2013. And the reason I looked it up was that that was the last time I interviewed Kyndall as collections manager. We made a nice little video and audio about the genomics collection. That was 10 years ago. And I haven't spoken to an awful lot since. We're in the same buildings, a lot of people hear a lot of collections. And I really haven't spoken to you. So I'm interested in hearing what have I missed. What's changed in 10 years?
Kyndall Hildebrandt:I actually know what I'm talking about now, because I think when you first interviewed me in 2013, I was brand new to this position. And so before, I mean, I had been a graduate student and I had worked at the Smithsonian in the mammal collection. But this was my first job as a collection manager for for the genomic resources. And I was actually the first collection manager for genomic resources. Before then we just had the technician. And so yeah, it was very intimidating because I was brand new to the position, I didn't feel like I was very comfortable in the position. And now 11 years later, I'm like, very comfortable. And it's very interesting now, we have Mallory who's taking over for me, and she's been in this role now what, two weeks?
Mallory Gulbranson:Two weeks, and I--it's interesting to see how similar the trajectories are because previously, I was working in the mammals collection here at the museum. And I am currently working on my masters and feeling very new. And, like, I have a lot to learn. So, very similar to where you had started off on this position.
Kyndall Hildebrandt:But that's the best part about the position. It's always changing. And you're always learning and we were talking about doing--we do work in the ancient DNA lab. And we've been doing sediment extraction for like, basically cores. And so you have different layers or different timescales, right? And so we're extracting DNA at these different timescales to figure out which fish fauna are these different periods of times in this lake. And she's talking about Josh[Reuther] asking her to do these and she's like, I've never done, and I was like, I never did it either before I just did it. And so it's constantly learning and just reading literature and asking people outside of the museum that have expertise, and figuring it out, which is fun. It's challenging.
Mallory Gulbranson:It can be intimidating, but it's also really exciting to get to have those opportunities for growth.
Roger Topp:It's, it's not often the case where you get to--not sure train is he right word--but train up your placement. Oftentimes someone leaves a position, then you go through a period of time trying to find someone new. So how great is it to have-- Mallory, how great is it to have Kyndall here right now?
Mallory Gulbranson:It's amazing. It's such a relief, because like, I mean, I haven't been working directly with Kyndall, previously to this position, but like we interacted a lot, because Kyndall worked so closely with the mammals department. So I got to see like how important the genomic resources position is in, like, collaborating with a mammals department, I got to see a lot of, like, how she operates, how she processes loans. And now that we're able to work directly with each other, I get a lot more of the inside scoop of, you know, how do we prioritize all of these responsibilities? What are all of the extra responsibilities that you have as a collection manager versus somebody that works for a collection? So just being able to ask all of those questions is really helpful.
Kyndall Hildebrandt:But there's also the history of the collection. So I think you lose a lot when you don't have that overlap. So I luckily overlapped with Aren [Gunderson], who moved into the mammals--. So he trained me. So, I was able to ask him questions. He showed me how the whole liquid nitrogen operating system works. When things go weird, like what things to look out for, and that it's completely normal. Do not panic. And so it's nice to have--I think more people should have that overlap. So you also get that legacy information, the history of the collection and history of strange samples.
Roger Topp:Maybe this is a good opportunity to talk about what the genomics collection is because it naturally overlaps with mammals collections and other collections, because that's what's in the freezers.
Kyndall Hildebrandt:So the genomic resources facility at the museum, it has three labs. So we have our modern DNA lab where we do DNA extraction, so extract DNA from fresh tissues, we have the ancient DNA where you're extracting DNA from degraded samples, so archaeological samples. And then we also have the bio repository or freezer room, where we have frozen tissue samples. They could be historic. So we have Blue Babe, Bison Bob--tissues from them frozen. But then you also have fresh samples that we've been collecting now probably for like 30, 40 years, since like about the 80s 1980s. And each of those in individuals is like a snapshot in time. It's, you know, a certain place, it's a certain time, it's very unique. And people often ask why we need more. And it's because everything's changing, right? Our environments changing, the animals change, they move, they migrate. And so that one individual is really important to have. And we are like a library, a biodiversity library. So people, researchers then can come to us and say, 'Hey, I'm looking at wolves throughout Alaska or throughout their entire range,' ask for a sub sample of tissue and generate more data about these individuals. And then we add that data to our existing data of that specimen, and it just grows.
Roger Topp:I don't remember the numbers back in 2013, in terms of what comprise the frozen tissue collection, I imagine it's grown considerably since then.
Kyndall Hildebrandt:Yeah, we we have about 250,000 samples, and they are mammals, fish, invertebrates. What else? Do we have? Birds. Insects.
Mallory Gulbranson:Do we freeze plant material?
Kyndall Hildebrandt:Plant material, not really that's more dried. So that's the silica collection, from Steffi's--. But it's still kind of somewhat in it, that's something that really needs curation. So that's, that's the next project.
Mallory Gulbranson:Yeah.
Roger Topp:I know last time, we talked, I think most of our discussion, maybe was because of the exhibit we're doing was focused on the tissue repository, and less on the research on the ancient versus modern DNA and the act of research going on there. So I mean, in your in the position of collections manager, taking care of the facilities, maybe that's primary, but then you're doing research, you're helping with research.
Kyndall Hildebrandt:Yeah, so there's several different roles like I will help with--when we get grant funding for research positions for research, then I will help like I've been doing the sediment extractions, and identification of fish material. And then we also had a walrus project through there. We also have PI's throughout campus, right? If they--if they need use of the ancient DNA, then I'll help get them set up in there. And they can do the research in there. And then also in the modern lab, there's a lot of graduate students that sometimes need outside expertise or just to bounce ideas to see why things aren't working. So you also work with graduate students that are working in the modern lab. So there's like the research we do in house right? And then there's the research that--the samples we send off to researchers and those are--I mean it, it varies. So people, like, one of my favorites was, there was a museum that was trying to identify ethnographic artifacts to figure out what material these, these--I don't know, like--these regions were making out of like, was it caribou? Or was it seal or what? And so they actually had taken some of our skin samples that we have in the freezer and doing a protein library. So making a protein library, so then they could test the samples--these artifacts and be like, Okay, this one matches with polar bear. This one matches with seal. It was somewhere in Canada that did that. And then there's also ones where, right now we just sent out--are sending out loan looking at leprosy in--
Mallory Gulbranson:In armadillos.
Kyndall Hildebrandt:Yeah. So we have armadillos in our collection, even though we don't have them in Alaska, you know, so.
Mallory Gulbranson:Yeah, I think this one is from South America.
Kyndall Hildebrandt:Yeah.
Roger Topp:I think one of the fascinating things about most collections and research here at the museum is that there's ongoing research projects Link[Olson] or Josh [Reuther] or Angie [Linn] have products are interested in working on. And
then there's this opportunity:the museum collects data holds data, you know, conserves it such that when the question comes up, it's there, and someone doesn't have to come up with the money to collect wolf samples all around the state just to learn about what they're studying. They're there. They're in the freezer, and we haven't going back X number of years. And--
Kyndall Hildebrandt:And that's the thing is, do you have them back a number of years? So we can actually look how they changed over time. And so it's not just like--we do have lots of people that want samples from the 1990s, or you know, certain timeframes, because they are looking for, like viral loads from that timeframe. Contaminants, stress hormones, so you're looking at all these different things, isotopes, which tell us about what they've been eating and seeing if that changed at different time periods. And so it's really important to have the time series and then having the ancient DNA lab, we're having the ability now--a lot of the hard parts in the collection. So like the bones, people are drilling a lot of the bones now because you can get DNA, you can get hormones, data out of bones. So then you can compare even this historic stuff with these modern samples. And you just, yeah, the sky's the limit.
Roger Topp:We have the repository, so we can send frozen samples to those who need them. Or, you can work them right here in the lab and send the results so the samples don't actually have to leave the building.
Kyndall Hildebrandt:Yeah, most of the time, we let them do their own research, though. Most of the research we do is for in house for like the curators and grant projects that people are working on in house.
Roger Topp:So, two different questions I want to ask. Which one to ask first? It's--So, genomics sort of was born shortly before you came in, or was was part of the museum but became its own collection managed by you in 2011 or so, 12 okay.
Kyndall Hildebrandt:So, so it actually started in the 1990s. So, I mean, 1980s is when people started more preserving tissues we had that like--genetic technology started really taking off and people started realizing it was really important to preserve genetic, like, tissues for genetic research. The collection here started in the 1990s with Joe Cook and Kevin Winker. They ended up buying the first kind of freezers and getting our freezer collection started. And they were in ultra cold freezers that went down to minus 80 degrees Celsius. And then, when we had the expansion, which was in two, what 2006 ish, then we moved down to the room that we occupy now, in the basement of the museum. And it was still ultra cold freezers. And then in 2008, Gordon Jarrell moved us into liquid nitrogen, and we're the museum--one of the earliest adopters of liquid nitrogen. So we were make your own liquid nitrogen, and then we had three cryo vats that held the samples. But that still wasn't enough to hold all the samples. So we had a combination of stuff in liquid nitrogen and combination of stuff in the ultracold freezers. And then I started in 2012. Gordon Jarrell left and Aren Gunderson, he was a grad student in the mammal collection, took over and what they called the position is genomic--I don't know he was a technician position even though he pretty much was a collection manager kind of role. And then he moved into mammals in 2012. And then I rolled into this position that was newly created as a collection manager in 2012. And then in 2014, we got to NSF collections and what, CSBR, Collections in Support of Biological Research grant, and that upgraded our liquid nitrogen plant from making--able to make 40 litres a day to now 120 litres a day. And then we upgraded to four cryo vats, and then we got funding for two additional cryop vats. Now we're at nine cryo vats and we have three ultracold freezers, and mostly those are for when we're processing samples like large tissues, skulls, we have Blue Babe's skull in one of the freezers. And so those are mostly for that. And all the collection is now in the ultracold freezer or in the liquid nitrogen.
Roger Topp:And where are we going Mallory?
Mallory Gulbranson:Yeah. Well, at this point, I feel like, you know, the more that we are collecting, and the more that we're saving, the less space we have in those cryo vats. So I think the future really is going to be expansion, especially with, I know from a mammals perspective, the mammals lab is talking about saving more tissues and more parts of each specimen. Just because, you know, every week, we don't know what future researchers are going to be able to do with these different parts of a specimen. So we should be saving as much as possible in case it can be useful in the future. But that means that each specimen is going to take up more space in a freezer. So eventually, we're going to run out of room and we'll need more space. We'll need more liquid nitrogen, maybe more hands on deck. So I think growth is the direction that we're going.
Roger Topp:Yeah.
Kyndall Hildebrandt:I mean, she makes a really good point with the--we're saving more because now to like micro biomes. Like people really interested in microbiomes, so we're saving a lot more gut content. People are interested in a lot of viruses and what, you know, viruses animals have and so from there, you need to collect a variety of different tissues samples, like brain and liver and kidney because the viruses will be stored in different tissues depending on what virus it is. And so yeah, just gotta start saving more and more.
Mallory Gulbranson:Yeah.
Roger Topp:And I believe that you helped out with virology early in COVID. Was that the case? I know some people did.
Kyndall Hildebrandt:Yes. So, I had a baby in May of 2020. So then, right after I got off maternity leave in August, I ended up doing a contract position. So the university signed a contract where the biology lab basically paid my salary. And then I worked over there for 30 hours a week for about six months, while then 10 hours a week trying to make sure everything was frozen here. So I balanced both. Yeah, so I worked over there processing COVID samples in their molecular lab, for them.
Roger Topp:Were you planning to move into medicine at that time, or--
Kyndall Hildebrandt:Yeah. I had already been taking prerequisites at that point. So my, my earliest, so I've always been interested in genetics, and I really, really wanted in high school to go into human genetics. I was like, my goal, I was gonna go into human genetics. And then when I was a senior in high school, there was a program. I don't know if it's still around, it's like the Alaska High School Science Symposium. And so they pair you with a mentor, usually at the university, and you help them, so I was working with Karen Stone, and I did a subset of her PhD project. I was looking at diversity of Marten in southeast Alaska. And after I graduated from high school, she hired me on to help her clean up her samples so she could graduate and move on. And I also started working in the mammals lab. So it was part in her lab and then Joe Cook's, which was her advisor's, and then part in the mammals lab. And then that summer I remember going with Gary Selinger. You remember Gary, yeah, so Gary Selinger and Gordan Jarrell were having coffee and donuts over in Arctic Health, and they were like, 'We really need somebody to go in the field, but they have to be eighteen.' And I was like,'Well, today is my 18th birthday.' And so they sent me in the field. And after the first after going to the field, I was like, All right, I want to be a mammal--mammologist. And so that kind of changed going into human genetics. And so I ended up doing fieldwork most of my 20s. So the summer you go in the field and the winters you play in the lab, and it was perfect. So that's what I did most of my 20s, and always with the museum. And then after I got my masters, I worked at the Smithsonian for two years, until this position came open, which is more in genetics. So it was great. It was mammology, and but it was not--my focus has always been genetics. So it was really nice when this position opened up, because it combined both my love of museums and my love of genetics. And so yeah, I've been doing that now for 11 years. And I love it. But also it's like, I just want something different. I've been doing this since I was like 17. And so, I've been thinking about careers that combine both science, but then also kind of the human component of it. And so yeah, I completed my nursing degree in May. And we'll start over at the hospital in the emergency department in June, like in a couple of weeks. I know it's going to be a big
Roger Topp:And Mallory, you're a grad student, so you're doing change. research. What's you're research in?
Mallory Gulbranson:So yeah, as an undergrad, I really didn't think that I would focus so much on genetics. I was looking more into wildlife management and conservation. But working for the mammals lab, I really enjoyed learning molecular techniques. And I just enjoyed the the organization of lab work. So now I'm doing my Masters on marmots. And I'm not really doing so much with genetics for this project. It's going to be more like literature review and working with--I'll be working with specimens in the collection. But I'm not sure that we're going to focus much on genetics for this project.
Kyndall Hildebrandt:But she's done a lot genetics. So you've worked on tenrecs, which are the Madagascar small mammals. You did bats.
Mallory Gulbranson:Yeah, I did work on a bat project during my undergrad.
Kyndall Hildebrandt:And you did tenrec work--
Mallory Gulbranson:I've been working on the tenrec project. That was while I was--before I got this position, I was working as the museum research specialist for the mammals department. So, I was splitting my time between the prep lab and the molecular lab. And in the molecular lab, we were focusing mostly on the speciation of tenrecs in Madagascar
Roger Topp:Did you get to go, we're you doing fieldwork?
Mallory Gulbranson:No. No, I haven't done much fieldwork. I
Kyndall Hildebrandt:You didn't hold out, because that's how did do some fieldwork during my undergrad. I got to go down to Link [Olson] got me to go to grad school, because I was Skagway and mist net bats. So we were doing like catch and working as his technician. And I was like, I'm just gonna take a release. We were tagging bats and taking small wing biopsies semester off and then go to grad school. And I was like a year to use back in the molecular lab. So that was really fun. But and a half at that point. And I think Link was running out of I have not gone to Madagascar. money. And he was like, I'll take you to Madagascar, if you go get your Masters. Okay. I'll go to grad school. You just got to hold
Roger Topp:My graduate work was on under ice current currents off Greenland. And I didn't actually get to go there on that trip to collect the data because I was off in Europe at the time, before I came to Alaska. But, you know, so most of my travel was working for other other professors, getting the fieldwork experience doing their work, and then coming back and working on my data in the lab.
Kyndall Hildebrandt:But still getting to do the lab--fieldwork.
Roger Topp:Since then I've been to Greenland, so it's all catches up in the end.
Mallory Gulbranson:I probably will be doing some fieldwork for my thesis. I think the plan is the summer we'll be going up to Wickersham Dome to check out the marmots that are up there. So some local fieldwork.
Roger Topp:And then Link's feeding you back quite a bit data from-is it Southeast he's at?
Mallory Gulbranson:Yeah, he's, he's been doing a lot of fieldwork in southeast Alaska. One of the things I'm really excited about is just, like, you know, after I kind of get used to the daily operations of the position, I'm looking forward to collaborating with different departments. I like seeing all of the different opportunities Kyndall has had to work on different projects, and just be like somebody that can really, like, support research within the museum. And I'm especially looking forward to working with grad students and undergrads because, you know, I was an undergrad in the museum and I benefited a lot from the opportunities that the museum provides for undergrads. I participated in a class that the museum offers, the museum research, apprenticeship program, or MRAP. I did that with the mammals department and gained a lot of experience. And then also just being a student employee in the mammals department was really valuable to me. So I'd really enjoy the opportunity to offer those same opportunities within the genomic resources collection, to have students work with me and help them gain the experience that they want to kind of propel themselves them forward in their, whatever their goals are for their education and for their careers.
Roger Topp:Jen [Arseneau] mentioned you volunteered for education.
Mallory Gulbranson:I did. I did an internship with the education and outreach department. And I loved that that was a great opportunity for me to see like how the different departments all collaborate, you know, between all of the research in the basement versus all of the, like the outreach and, you know, connecting with the community. I remember when I did that internship, I was like emailing people that worked in the herbarium or in mammalogy and asking them questions like 'Hey, we want to do this outreach that has to do with, you know, this type of plant, like what can you tell me so that I can, you know, create an activity that teaches little kids about this.' And I would get emails back with like all of this great information. So that was really fun to see how the different departments collaborate there. And then I've also done a few outreach events with the mammals lab. You know, we do Halloween, we do different family days. And those are always fun. It's fun to see like the different questions that we'll get and the different people that will interact with. And people are always excited to come and talk with us. So, and I'm always excited to talk with them.
Roger Topp:Great pitch for open house.
Mallory Gulbranson:Yeah.
Roger Topp:We love just the exhaustion of talking for four hours straight with visitors.
Mallory Gulbranson:It's amazing. Yeah, what--I was working in the mammals department for the last open house, and I was, like, pushed back against the counter, because we just had this constant stream of people coming through. And so many questions, and so many interesting stories that people would tell us about their experiences with wildlife and different mammals. And it's, it's really cool to have so many people come and see the museum and all of the labs downstairs.
Roger Topp:It's a fantastic pitch, also for the museum is a multidisciplinary institution. And I was in a specific science and found my way into exhibits. And of course, what I love about working with Steffi in the herbarium for this year. And next year, I want to work on a fishes project with Andres and people he knows. Sometimes it involves skilled work, and sometimes it involves just great stuff coming through the door. So yeah, it's fantastic.
Kyndall Hildebrandt:And that's why I like Mallory loves outreach too. I love outreach, and genomics is hard, because it's not like you can put a nice, beautiful skull, or you know, it's not, you have to, you really have to think about how you're going to make it exciting. And you can and you will and yeah, so it'll be exciting to see what she comes up with for future outreach programs. And, and she's also working part of her Masters. there's a--was it a science education--
Mallory Gulbranson:Yes, there's a science education and outreach certificate. So yeah, I've taken one of the classes already, it involves, like, doing an internship, where you kind of create your own curriculum for outreach. So, I'm hoping that that will provide a lot of good insight into how to connect with people, and, you know, bring people in science together. I think that one of the difficult things about doing outreach with genomic resources is that, like, people won't necessarily relate to it right away. Like, when you do outreach with mammals, people immediately are able to relate to what you're talking about, because we are mammals. And, you know, we seen mammals every day. And you know, everyone, you know, like, if you ask somebody their favorite animal, a lot of times it's a mammal. So it's very easy to just like, put these specimens out, and people come up and like they touch the furs or the antlers. And it's easy to start a conversation and break the ice that way, but it'll be more of a challenge with genomics. But I'm looking forward to it.
Roger Topp:Two choices right? A bunch of letters on a piece of paper, or it's meat in a vial in a drawer, and has to be kept really cold. So you really can't look at it for more than a second.
Kyndall Hildebrandt:Yeah. well, that's the thing like they like really people like when I take the lids off the liquid nitrogen, you get that big vapor plume that always wows them, that draws them in. And then I also have the lab equipment, you know, just like, you know, stir plate with glitter, so it makes a little glitter cyclone. Kids love them. But yeah, I mean, there's just so many possibilities. I mean, we did I've done OSHA lifelong learning classes for the older adults, and they asked some really good questions. And then there's also like you said, the teens and little kids, you know, everybody's interested in DNA if you sell it, right.
Mallory Gulbranson:Yep.
Kyndall Hildebrandt:And that's the thing too, is, as someone who started at the museum in high school, but then even before that, I was one of the students. I remember coming up to the old classroom, and sitting on the little carpet with the docents and doing the tours. And I don't think people realize how important us connecting with the public is because it really--I mean, it shaped my career path for the last 20 years. So--
Mallory Gulbranson:Right. Yeah, and I didn't grow up in Fairbanks. But I really credit my career trajectory to museums as well. I grew up on the East Coast, and we would go to the Smithsonian and we would go to different science centers. Like the Franklin Institute in Philadelphia was my favorite, and I would beg my mom to drive us to Philly anytime they had like a new traveling exhibit.
Roger Topp:Where are you from?
Mallory Gulbranson:I'm from a tiny little kind of like a farming community in Maryland, very close to Pennsylvania and Delaware. So just close enough that I could convince them to take me, but you know, far enough away that it was an annoying drive to do, I'm sure. But it was worth it. We had so much fun going to those exhibits.
Roger Topp:The giant heart, right? Yeah, yeah. I grew just north of Philly.
Mallory Gulbranson:Oh okay. Yeah, that giant heart was definitely a draw.
Roger Topp:No one forgets it.
Mallory Gulbranson:Yeah.
Kyndall Hildebrandt:Yeah. Yeah, I think that's--yeah. The love of museums. You got to start them young. And then introduce them to--not just the exhibits--like I don't think a lot of people realize what's below, like the research that goes on.
Mallory Gulbranson:That's very true.
Kyndall Hildebrandt:And same with zoos, like people go to zoos and they don't realize there's a whole research component with zoos too. And same with museums, we have the whole research side of it too. It gets people excited about the museum, it gets people excited about research. It makes people excited about the university.
Mallory Gulbranson:Yeah, I really feel like it benefits everyone, including myself, when I do outreach. Like it just it makes me so happy to make these connections with people in the community or visitors. So--So that's definitely something I look forward to.
Kyndall Hildebrandt:You excited?
Mallory Gulbranson:Yeah, I'm ready.
Kyndall Hildebrandt:I'm excited too. I'm excited that we have really good person replacing me. It makes me feel better leaving the collection, like it's in good hands
Mallory Gulbranson:Thank you.
Roger Topp:Happy you're going to come back and volunteer, Kyndall. But it's also lots of fun to see, there's just a fair amount of new faces coming to the museum, just right now. And one more soon to come. So it's gonna be nice.
Kyndall Hildebrandt:Yeah. Well and no offense to Mallory, but I don't plan to volunteer in genomic resources, because I kind of want you to make it your own. This is your chance to like steer it the directions like--I have my vision and where I took it. And now it's your turn to take it where you want to take it? Yeah. So I'm thinking more I'll probably be in mammals, numbering bones. And then yeah, maybe some lab work for Link[Olson] and then also, education department because I do love outreach. I was like, Oh, my new work schedule, I might be able to become a docent. Yeah, that would be fun. I know.
Roger Topp:You would--Yeah. Please. Have you talked to talk to Jen [Arseneau] yet, because her eyes would be lighting up.
Kyndall Hildebrandt:I gotta--I gotta make it through my orientation part. But because of my schedule, because I didn't have three days on, four days off, and now my kids are going into school, you know, I know sounds really bad. But I'm like, Oh, I have all this free time. Now. It's like, Oh, help out. Family Days.
Roger Topp:At my speed on my day off, I'd be probably working in the lab and have a nice, you know, music on, conversation, working on specimens.
Kyndall Hildebrandt:Exactly. And the thing is, you don't have the responsibilities. I mean, that's my mind. Like, it's great. But there's a lot of responsibilities. And it's not one of those jobs. Like at the hospital when I'm off. I'm off. Here, you're never off. Right. Your phone is on. If those freezers go down, you're coming in on Saturday, Sunday, you know, unless you don't answer and then poor Aren has to do it.
Mallory Gulbranson:Right. Yeah, I would rather not have that happen.
Kyndall Hildebrandt:Yeah. So it's a lot more responsibility. At we're at the hospital, get a clock out.
Mallory Gulbranson:Right.
Kyndall Hildebrandt:It's your responsibility. 24/7.
Roger Topp:There's that. Yes.
Kyndall Hildebrandt:But it's worth it. I mean, that's why we do what we do is because we believe in what we do.
Mallory Gulbranson:Yeah.
Roger Topp:Well, thank you very much, both of you.
Mallory Gulbranson:Yeah. Thank you.
Roger Topp:I'm really, really cool. Thanks for catching Kyndall before you. I mean, again--
Kyndall Hildebrandt:I know
Roger Topp:Have you both here--both working today, in the building--it's a treat. So--
Mallory Gulbranson:Yeah.
Roger Topp:Thank you very much.
Kyndall Hildebrandt:Thank you.
Mallory Gulbranson:Yeah, thank you.
Roger Topp:Thank you to Mallory Gulbranson and Kyndall Hildebrandt for the conversation and memories. And good luck to Kyndall and her new career in nursing. So glad to see you're still in the building as a volunteer. And as for that 2012 interview, where Kyndall was brand new to the position, it's still available on the museum's YouTube channel.
Kyndall Hildebrandt:I start with a tube about the size of a peanut, and then from that you extract about a piece of tissue half of the size of a flaxseed.
Roger Topp:And before we go, remember that the museum hosts an open house each March. Now, if that still a long way off, find the nearest calendar and circle it. Plan a visit. And when you do, seek out Mallory--and possibly Kyndall--in the genomics and mammals labs. And as a final note, since we taped this episode last spring, Mallory has had a change of heart, and she'd like everyone to know that her graduate thesis is now very much all about genomics. The More You Look is a production of the UA Museum of the North on the campus of the University of Alaska Fairbanks and the ancestral lands of the Dene people of the Lower Tanana River. UAMN illuminates the natural history and cultural heritage of Alaska and the North through collections, research, education, and partnerships, and by creating a singular museum experience that honors diverse knowledge and respect for the land and its peoples. Thank you for listening. Please subscribe and share and rate the program. This helps other listeners discover more about not only the work of this museum, but quite possibly other museums in their neighborhoods. The more you look, the more you find.