Major: Biology

Minor: Secondary Education, UFTeach Science

Graduate: May 2013

I have visited many different museums around the country and have enjoyed them all. Science museums were always my favorite, and that carried over into my formal education. I have always been proficient in and passionate for the sciences, and have developed a desire to teach them.

Again, I am passionate about the sciences, but even more so I am passionate about students. I benefited greatly, not just in education, but in life from a few select great teachers I had in school. I want to have a similar impact on the next generation of students and scientists. Also, I feel like science is taught in a very impractical context in most schools. I want to change that, and show how huge the word “science” is to students who brush it off as just doctors and people looking for dinosaurs. There are huge needs in the scientific community that I know can and will be filled by the next generation.

I will be working in Gainesville at the Florida Museum of Natural History and the Natural Area Teaching Lab. These are two great areas that have a lot of neat information and relaxing, educational atmospheres that too many university students and Gainesville residents overlook. Hopefully my work there will increase awareness of these areas and spark some community scientific interest.

The Noyce program has enabled me to keep my college learning on track while allowing me to better prepare for my future career as a teacher. The importance of informal learning practices in the classroom is growing, and hands on experience like this is a great tool I will be able to lean on for years to come.