Ep. 23
“I think museum collections are going to save the world because we have all the information about how animals, plants, everything really - responds to climate change.”
Birds in the Freezer and How the Scientific Collections of the Past Can Predict Our Future. Today I’m chatting with Senior Preparator, Becky Desjardins, from the Naturalis Biodiversity Center in the Netherlands. Among other accolades, this museum earned the prestigious award of the European Museum of the Year Award (EMYA) in 2021. Becky may have one of the most interesting, and definitely the most unusual, jobs of anyone I've had on the show. After majoring in Geology, Becky began her 20-year career traveling from Boston to the swamps of North Carolina to the Netherlands. She has an infectious imagination and passion for science that is unmatched. Becky has the unique ability to collect scientific information and data, break it down, and present it as an engaging story with endless possibilities. We have a fun conversation where we talk a lot about scientific collections, but also roller derby, the difference between life/work balance in the US vs. the Netherlands, why Becky has dead birds in her freezer, eco-restoration camping, what museum collections tell us about climate change, and how Becky thinks they are going to save the world.