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Chloe Kirk, Ph.D.

Chloe Kirk, Ph.D.

Chloe Kirk, Ph.D.

Chloe Kirk, Ph.D.

  • Home
  • Chloe.the.Scientist
    • Science Reads
    • Research Advice
    • Normalizing STEM
      • Diversity in Science
      • Paths to STEM
    • Guest Features
  • C.V.
  • Contact Me
@ChloetheScientist Europe Featured Travel

Innovation in Norway

@ChloetheScientist Featured Travel United States

Discovered at Microsoft

@ChloetheScientist Featured Research Advice

Get Involved in Undergrad Research

@ChloetheScientist Featured Research Advice

How to Read a Scientific Paper

@ChloetheScientist Featured Research Advice

Why I Chose a Science Major

@ChloetheScientist Featured Research Advice

How to Apply for Graduate School in the Sciences

@ChloetheScientist Paths to STEM

Maria’s Path to Science Research

Hi everyone! My name is Maria O’Hanlon and I’m a final year Biology PhD student at the National Horizons Centre, Teesside University (UK), currently researching the roles of mitochondria in Parkinson’s disease, using fruit flies as a model system. It’s …

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March 30, 2022February 24, 2022
@ChloetheScientist Paths to STEM

Chandler’s Path to Teaching

Hi! My name is Chandler McElrath, and I am a third-year PhD student at the Medical College ofWisconsin, Department of Biochemistry. I attended college at Carroll University and graduatedin 2019 with a bachelor’s degree in biochemistry. Science communication is my …

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March 23, 2022February 24, 2022
@ChloetheScientist Paths to STEM

Asia’s Path to Cosmetics

Hi! My name is Asia Noelani Fee, Chemist & Founder of Alchemist Asia. I am a recent graduate from California State University, Channel Islands majoring in Chemistry and specializing in Organic/Medicinal Chemistry How I first became interested in science I …

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March 16, 2022February 24, 2022
@ChloetheScientist Paths to STEM

Hannah’s Path to Patent Engineering

Hi! My name is Hannah and I work as a patent engineer. Patent engineers are very similar to patent scientists, patent professionals, and patent specialists. These titles are sometimes used interchangeably as well. As a patent engineer, I work as …

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March 9, 2022February 24, 2022
@ChloetheScientist Paths to STEM

Sarah’s Path to Neuroscience

Hello world! My name is Sarah and I am a third year PhD candidate in the Neuroscience Department at UConn Health in Farmington, CT. I graduated from the University of Saint Joseph, an all-women university in West Hartford, CT, and …

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March 2, 2022February 24, 2022
@ChloetheScientist

My Beginnings in Science Outreach

My first experience with science outreach came as a junior in high school. My friends and I loved to go to the Minnesota Zoo, and one of them was volunteering at kids Minnesota Zoo summer day camps. She invited me …

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February 7, 2022February 7, 2022
America Travel

A Weekend on a Boat in Key West

One of the best things living in Miami is how close I am to other tropical places! Key West is just a 3.5 hr drive from Miami, along jaw dropping highway bridges across the Atlantic. The drive alone is worth …

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December 12, 2021April 22, 2022
America Travel

Chicago in 36 Hours

A whirlwind of a weekend vacation! Lots of delicious food & seeing family and friends packed into a tight weekend trip. Here’s what we go up to Friday night – Sunday morning! Friday Night We didn’t get a flight until …

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October 18, 2021November 23, 2021
@ChloetheScientist Research Advice

Virtual Conferences, Are They Worth It?

Virtual conferences were rare before the COVID-19 epidemic swept the world. Conferences were always in person, and I’ll bet many of you hadn’t even heard of successful virtual conferences before 2020. I was skeptical when I first heard conferences were …

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May 31, 2021May 30, 2021
@ChloetheScientist Research Advice

STEM Outreach: What is it and How to Get Involved

What is STEM Outreach I’m sure many of you have heard about outreach before, and likely done it, in some way shape or form (either because you wanted to, or for some high school or college requirement). Outreach itself means …

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January 27, 2021January 24, 2021

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chloe.the.scientist

Science Communicator
šŸ«–Powered by tea & books, owned by cats
🧬Cover scientists doing cool science
šŸ¤—Biochemistry PhD
šŸ’Œchloethescientist.info@gmail.com

My kids just took their first unit quiz And it wa My kids just took their first unit quiz

And it wasn’t a walk in the park, for any of usšŸ˜‚

It was all about ecology and ecosystems. How animals including humans work with each other to support our environment.

Overall, my kids did well. But I was just proctoring an online multiple choice quiz the school division gave us. 1 question didn’t have a correct answer, and another we ended up just telling kids the answer because even I was between two options šŸ˜‚ Frankly, I don’t think online multiple choice quizzes are good way to measure a student’s mastery of a concept. It’s just how well can they eliminate wrong answers and read through large chunks of text. But this raises the age old question of *how* do you best test a kid’s mastery of a topic? (I don’t have a good answer here but something I defs thinking a lot about)

My kids who didn’t study didn’t get a great grade. It was a good wake up call. Most of my kids have never had to study for a quiz before. I remember the first quiz in middle school where I realized I needed to study (it was math ā˜ ļø). 

It’s also a wake up call for me to remember many of my kids are actively learning right now what it means to be a good student šŸ‘©šŸ¼ā€šŸŽ“ sooo they are all learning about Grit this week as we get ready for unit 2 (have you watched the Ted talk about Grit?! 100/10 🤩) and getting a healthy reminder that you are not the summation of your grades :) the shock on their faces when I told them I failed my first organic chemistry exam šŸ˜‚šŸ˜‚ 

passion and perseverance get you much further than any standardized test! 

Also, if you’re wondering why the fits are extra colorful, last week was spirit week šŸ˜‚

#scicomm #teachersofig #womeninscience #science #scienceteacher
Summer Science Reads Recap! ✨ If you want to hea Summer Science Reads Recap! ✨ 

If you want to hear my thoughts about each book, keep listening :)

June: The Power of Life by Jessica Riskin (gifted by @riverheadbooks )

July: Disease Knows No Politics by Elias Zerhouni (former NIH Director)

August: If I Understood You, Would I Have This Look on My Face? By Alan Alda (recommend by expert scicommer)

September: Hidden Guests by Lise Barneoud (gifted by @theroyalsociety as 2026 science book finalist)

Which one are you reading first?? #scicomm #sciencereads #science #bookstagram
How I talk about life (on earth) with my kids! šŸ¤—šŸ¤“šŸ‘© How I talk about life (on earth) with my kids! šŸ¤—šŸ¤“šŸ‘©šŸ¼ā€šŸ”¬

This is COLT: Characteristics of Living Things. We are starting off the year in our 🌓EcologyšŸ¦… Unit and, of course, we have to define what makes something alive! 

#teachersofig #scicomm #science #ecology #characteristicsoflivingthings
#ad What does more mechanisms actually mean in our #ad What does more mechanisms actually mean in our laundry detergent? #TideLaundry #TidePartner
We want everyone to care about science! Sciencemax We want everyone to care about science! Sciencemaxxing at the new Aztrazeneca site in Cambridge, MAšŸ‘©šŸ¼ā€šŸ”¬

#scicomm #womeninscience #science #scienceresearch #astrazeneca
On a more positive note, here is what my classroom On a more positive note, here is what my classroom looked like before I added some science magic :):)

#teachersofig #scicomm
#womeninscience #scientist #science
One of my kids asked me this week ā€œhow is being a One of my kids asked me this week ā€œhow is being a teacher?ā€

I answered honestly - it’s rough.

I knew I’d be tired every day, I knew it would be a lot of free labor, using my own resources and extra time to make the kids feel seen and heard. But I wasn’t expecting how draining it would be. 

Teachers give everything during the day. The whole tank. And I’m struggling to figure out how to refill the tank so I can bring the same energy day in day out. Especially when you throw in the behaviors that haven’t been checked despite being in middle school (screaming, hitting, throwing, not knowing how to sit still or be quiet) and a literacy crisis that means in the same class I’m teaching someone who can’t read a sentence and someone who is reading Project Hail Mary for fun. 

I love my kids. I love the teachers I work with. But we are simply dealing with a system that is not preparing kids for the real world. I couldn’t imagine asking my teacher as a kid, bold faced, ā€œhow can I improve my gradeā€ WHEN I HAVEN’T DONE A SINGLE ASSIGNMENT FOR CLASS (mind you, 5 kids have already asked me this). 

There’s only so much teachers can do in a day to get kids ahead. So much of the system relies on parents and a home structure system that simply isn’t there for many of my kids. And even if it is, they don’t seem to grasp the idea of deadlines or consequences because - frankly - I don’t think there are many? At least not in the school system. Being sent to the principal, detention, homework, even point deductions for turning in assignments late are not concepts my kids know.

The short of it is I’m tired. But I’m trying to focus on the small wins instead of spiral into the losses ā¤ļø

#teachersofig #scicomm #womeninscience #scientist #science
Season 2 Reforming Academia coming to you every Tu Season 2 Reforming Academia coming to you every Tuesday wherever you get your podcasts! 

Episode 1 starts with a good friend & expert in Open Access Science - JP Flores, PhD. 

#scicomm #reformingacademia #openaccessscience #science #womeninscience
How on earth did I end up here?! I still ask myse How on earth did I end up here?!

I still ask myself this on the daily. Even when I was sharing science online during grad school, I had no clue I’d be able to someday share so many science stories with you guys! 🄰 

it’s an absolute blessing - I can’t believe I’m here, still getting imposter syndrome on the regular, but thank you guys for making my nerdy science dreams come true šŸ™šŸ¤©šŸ¤“ thank you for caring about science, even when trust in science is bleak. Thank you for supporting my crazy side adventures, my unhealthy tea obsession, my need to show you my cats like they are my babies, and for trusting me through the many many career changes šŸ˜‚

Feeling extra grateful as I finish up sharing some of the absolutely insane opportunities I’ve been part of recently. How is this life?!? 

For all my researchers in the trenches right now - YOU WILL MAKE IT THROUGH!!! ā¤ļøā€šŸ©¹ā¤ļøā€šŸ©¹ā¤ļøā€šŸ”„ You don’t have to stay in research to love science - and we honestly need so many more of you talking about your science to the public!! Come join us šŸ¤—šŸ¤—

#scicomm #womeninscience #phdjourney
First science research gala I’ve ever been to! Sup First science research gala I’ve ever been to! Supporting a great cause - check out A-T Children’s Project to learn more ā¤ļø

#scicomm #Ataxiatelangiectasia #raredisease #research #rarediseaseawareness
This is the mother of Charlotte, a 5 year old with This is the mother of Charlotte, a 5 year old with Ataxia-telangiectasia

Ataxia-telangiectasia (A-T) is a genetic disease that causes loss of muscle control and balance, cancer, lung disease and immune system problems in children & young adults, shortening their lives. The nonprofit A-T Children’s Project partners with academic and industry investigators worldwide – organizing and supporting innovative research, conferences, clinical teams, data platforms and biomarker development – to optimize disease management strategies, develop new treatments and find a cure.

#scicomm #atdisease #raredisease #research
First gala for Ataxia-Telangiectasia (A-T) ā¤ļø Or First gala for Ataxia-Telangiectasia (A-T) ā¤ļø 

Organized by A-T Children’s Project, this gala is specifically aimed at researchers to share the patient and family stories of those affected by A-T.

Ataxia-telangiectasia (A-T) is a genetic disease that causes loss of muscle control and balance, cancer, lung disease and immune system problems in children & young adults, shortening their lives.

Learn more about rare genetic disease Ataxia-Telangiectasia at the A-T Children’s Project, founded by Brad and Vicki Margus who have two sons with A-T.

#scicomm #raredisease #rarediseaseawareness #science
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