Making science understandable,
relevant, & empowering.

Remember that excited feeling you got when you learned about cool science as a kid?

Learning about science should still be like that.

My job as a scientist and science journalist is to set aside the jargon and offer you relevant information, using regular words and data-driven visuals.

Explore my writing & visuals:

My work has appeared in:

Hi, I’m Karin Kirk.

I was raised in a family of scientists—I probably had no hope of being anything other than a scientist. But I chose geology because it blended science with the natural world. As I studied geology in college I realized I was learning how to see through space and time, to envision the workings of the world around us. The more I learned about the planet, the more I found myself loving it.

In 1989, when I was a senior in college, the idea of global warming was first emerging in the public sphere. The topic was too new to be offered as a course, so I took it on as an independent study, immersing myself in reading, learning, and thinking about the relationships between the Earth and its inhabitants. I’m grateful that after 30 years, I’m still completely fascinated by this topic, every day.

Now my job is to share Earth science that’s cool, newsworthy, confusing, inspiring, or surprising. Because there’s so much misinformation about climate and energy, I strive to bring clear explanations to confusing topics. Better yet, I love to dig through datasets to bring numbers to life in the form of visual information. My aim is always the same: To give you the tools to understand these urgently important topics.

Understanding science will
empower you.