Skip to Content
  • Home
  • Chloe.the.Scientist
    • Science Reads
    • Research Advice
    • Normalizing STEM
      • Diversity in Science
      • Paths to STEM
    • Guest Features
  • C.V.
  • Contact Me
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

Asia Japan Travel

Hiroshima

Hiroshima is one of those places everyone wants to go to because of its historical significance in world war 2, little do many foreigners remember there is more to Hiroshima than the atomic bomb. I myself fell into this trap …

Read more
March 23, 2018August 10, 2019
Asia Japan Travel

Universal Studios Japan

Today was probably one of the most exciting days for me since I have been in Japan: I went to Universal Studios Japan (USJ)!! I have wanted to go to USJ since week one of being here, but I needed …

Read more
March 22, 2018July 3, 2019
Asia Japan

Kani Party

Anytime anyone ever asked me if I like to eat crab I would have said no. I had never actually tried crab, but crab lies in the same seafood category as fish and I don’t like fish so I assumed …

Read more
March 14, 2018July 3, 2019
Asia Japan Travel

Nankinmachi: Kobe Chinatown

About half a week before going to Kobe, I asked around what people in my laboratory and dormitory suggested. After giving me a ā€œwhy are you going thereā€ look, all people could suggest was Kobe beef and Nankinmachi, Kobe Chinatown. …

Read more
March 5, 2018June 27, 2019
Asia Japan Travel

Japanese Take on Afternoon Tea

A coworker recommended Monter au Plus Patisserie for my next outing, and so when sightseeing had lulled I decided to treat myself to a fancy afternoon. My coworker warned me it would be expensive, and right she was with small …

Read more
March 2, 2018April 2, 2020
Japan Travel

Claustrophobic

Last time I was in Tokyo, I was hoping I had seen more of the craziness Tokyo is known for, and my goodness did I find more than I could ever dream of on my next trip! This time, I …

Read more
February 27, 2018May 19, 2020
Asia Japan Travel

Whale Sharks, Purika and Okonomiyaki

Embracing being the classic Osaka tourist, I headed out to explore Osaka’s Aquarium: Kaiyukan. The aquarium borders the ocean and a shopping mall. Kaiyukan is famous for its whale sharks, and so there are countless pictures and statues displayed of …

Read more
February 24, 2018July 22, 2019
Asia Japan Travel

Bless You

You know that communication will be difficult when going to a different country, but it is a whole new dimension of difficulty that I found myself in after moving to Japan. You think everyone will be able to understand your …

Read more
February 23, 2018July 3, 2019
Asia Japan Travel

Chicken Sashimi

My company apparently really likes parties, and so we went out one night for chicken sashimi. I didn’t know what chicken sashimi meant, but I like chicken and thought this would be a great opportunity to get to know my …

Read more
February 19, 2018July 3, 2019
Asia Japan Travel

Nerd City

This weekend was my first time in Tokyo, and I thought plane would be the best way to go. Tokyo is only one hour away from Osaka by plane, or three hours by shinkansen (bullet train). In retrospect, I think …

Read more
February 15, 2018June 27, 2019

Posts navigation

Older posts
Newer posts

Follow Me!

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
Follow on Instagram

Categories

Currently Reading

© Copyright 2026 Chloe Kirk, Ph.D.. All Rights Reserved. Blossom PinIt | Developed By Blossom Themes. Powered by WordPress .