iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Matthew Kirk @microbialmatt.bsky.social · 10/12/2025

This quote from Octavia Butler, Parable of the Sower, seems particularly relevant today.

Embrace diversity. Unite-or be divided, robbed, ruled, killed by those who see you as prey. Embrace diversity or be destroyed.

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Matthew Kirk @microbialmatt.bsky.social · 15/11/2025

Octavia Butler, Parable of the Talents

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Matthew Kirk @microbialmatt.bsky.social · 05/10/2025

What the well sees when a team of students collects samples :)

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Matthew Kirk @microbialmatt.bsky.social · 22/07/2025

Our first black swallowtail butterfly of summer emerged this morning! Several more on the way soon.

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Matthew Kirk @microbialmatt.bsky.social · 10/06/2025

Groundwater raining down on the High Plains

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Matthew Kirk @microbialmatt.bsky.social · 10/06/2025

Groundwater sampling in south-central Kansas this week. Nearly half of the wells we have sampled in this part of the High Plains Aquifer have high nitrate levels.

Solar well and water tank for livestock. Old windmill in the distance.

Student recording data in front of a livestock pen

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Matthew Kirk @microbialmatt.bsky.social · 25/05/2025

Took a walk down memory lane and visited the woods I played as a kid in central Illinois. It’s a steep little valley cutting through Pennsylvanian cyclothems. Lots of stinky mud and springs. I suspect this place helped set me on my path to become a geoscientist.

View looking down into a forested valley from above

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Matthew Kirk @microbialmatt.bsky.social · 15/05/2025

End of semester gift from a couple of students :)

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Matthew Kirk @microbialmatt.bsky.social · 10/05/2025

The bedrock here in the Flint Hills consists of alternating layers of limestone and mudrock, which leads to lots of little waterfalls and springs dotting the landscape.

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Matthew Kirk @microbialmatt.bsky.social · 05/05/2025

The local crappie population was completely unharmed but I did get a nice view this weekend of Permian limestone along Tuttle Creek Reservoir just outside of Manhattan, Kansas.

Limestone outcrop ledge along a large lake

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Matthew Kirk @microbialmatt.bsky.social · 28/04/2025

Got a chance to look at some nice Cretaceous outcrops in central Kansas with wife and kiddos and we even saw our first local scorpion. Might need to be more careful when flipping over rocks :)

Clams in the greenhorn limestone. This unit was traditionally used to make fence posts since trees are sparse on the prairie.

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Matthew Kirk @microbialmatt.bsky.social · 23/04/2025

Spent the entire day in the field working with great folks on our woody encroachment research at Konza Prairie in NE Kansas. Great way to celebrate Earth Day!

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Matthew Kirk @microbialmatt.bsky.social · 16/02/2025

From Children of Dune published in 1976.

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Matthew Kirk @microbialmatt.bsky.social · 17/12/2024

One last plug for this one Hydro search linked below. K-State is an R1 university doing big things in #water, with 12 more water-related TT searches ongoing/planned. Its also located in a fun college town and a beautiful spot in Kansas, the Flint Hills. Come work with us!

Bison with calf at Konza Prairie. Photo cred Jeffrey H. Taylor.

Sunset on Konza Prairie during late summer/fall. Photo credit Barbara Van Slyke.

A view of the Flint Hills from above the Kansas River near the Manhattan airport. Photo credit: Matthew Kirk

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Matthew Kirk @microbialmatt.bsky.social · 09/11/2024

We had the presentation event today for our Groundwater Geopaths project. It was the culmination of another successful year of introducing community college students to geoscience while simultaneously helping private well owners learn about their water quality! Feeling really good about this work.

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Matthew Kirk @microbialmatt.bsky.social · 27/05/2024

Monument Rocks in western Kansas. Really cool Cretaceous Niobrara chalk outcrop. Our kiddos had a blast. Well worth the trip!

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Matthew Kirk @microbialmatt.bsky.social · 11/04/2024

Early signs point to kid #1 being a geologist one day!

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Matthew Kirk @microbialmatt.bsky.social · 14/03/2024

We took the kids on a mini vacation and made a stop in the Hutchinson Kansas post office to see this New Deal art program mural - Threshing in Kansas. Really beautiful. There are 26 sprinkled around the state.

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Matthew Kirk @microbialmatt.bsky.social · 11/03/2024

Got out to Konza Prairie today to sample some springs. Definitely one of the most fitting ways to start spring break!

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Matthew Kirk @microbialmatt.bsky.social · 01/01/2024

One of the best choices we made in 2023 was getting a little A Liner pop up camper. Got our kiddos a lot more nature time. Looking forward to more adventures with them in 2024!

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Matthew Kirk @microbialmatt.bsky.social · 09/12/2023

Got to dress like a wizard and celebrate some special graduates today! Pretty cool perk of the job!

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Matthew Kirk @microbialmatt.bsky.social · 04/12/2023

Always fun to get field pics from your students. Wish I was with them though!

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Matthew Kirk @microbialmatt.bsky.social · 26/11/2023

Got more yesterday than in all snow storms combined for last winter! Loving it!

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Matthew Kirk @microbialmatt.bsky.social · 26/11/2023

Snowy days are good for bread baking. Extra rewarding to do it with some flour from one of your study areas #kansas

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Matthew Kirk @microbialmatt.bsky.social · 17/11/2023

Getting past and current students together at a conference… so amazing. Really motivates me to keep doing this crazy job :)

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Matthew Kirk @microbialmatt.bsky.social · 23/10/2023

Got outside this weekend and it was fantastic! Hope you had a good one too!

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Matthew Kirk @microbialmatt.bsky.social · 28/09/2023

Participants and faculty mentors for our Groundwater Geopaths project during our recent sampling trip to south-central Kansas! Really proud of this group and grateful to be a part!

Students and faculty from Kansas State University, Barton Community College, and Dodge City Community College

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Matthew Kirk @microbialmatt.bsky.social · 23/09/2023

About 30 households in south-central #kansas will know more about the quality of their #water thanks to the students in our #nsf #geopaths project! Sampling finished today, lab work begins next week. ⁦‪@KState‬⁩ ⁦‪@BartonCC‬⁩ ⁦‪@DodgeCityCC‬⁩ ⁦‪@KStateGeology‬⁩ #geoscience

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Matthew Kirk @microbialmatt.bsky.social · 22/09/2023

First day of private well sampling was a success for our Groundwater Geopaths project! We’re proving students with training and an intro to #geoscience and helping well owners learn about the quality of their #groundwater #nsf #kansas

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Matthew Kirk @microbialmatt.bsky.social · 01/09/2023

It’s been a buddy few days but our fall 23 #GWgeopaths project is off to a strong start. #Groundwater sampling in south-central #Kansas begins in 3 weeks! It’s going to be a busy but fun and rewarding fall semester! #nsf #geopaths

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Matthew Kirk @microbialmatt.bsky.social · 25/08/2023

Gearing up for our Groundwater Geopaths project! These beauties will be assigned to student teams for groundwater sampling in a couple of weeks. The project aims to recruit diverse community college students to geoscience and includes groundwater quality research as a research component.

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Matthew Kirk @microbialmatt.bsky.social · 16/08/2023

Recently wrapped a fun summer project with an awesome mentee! Designing a meaningful 6 week experiment can be challenging and we kind of bit off more than we could chew. But it worked out and the student handled it like a champion! Bright future ahead for her! ⚒️

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Matthew Kirk @microbialmatt.bsky.social · 06/08/2023

Hi all! I am a low temp geochemist mostly doing hydrogeology and geomicrobiology research. Looking for an alternative to what has become of the other site and hoping this is it!

Grassland watershed in Konza Prairie after the grass was burned away in an annual controlled burn. With the grass gone, you can see lots of big Permian limestone chunks in the soil.

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