The Robert Noyce Teacher Scholarship Program

NSF
NSF
  • Home
  • The Program
    • NSF Noyce Program Directors
    • NSF Noyce Program Solicitation
    • Consider Becoming an NSF Noyce Principal Investigator
    • Become a Noyce Scholar or Teacher Leader
      • Noyce Scholar Profiles
      • Noyce Alumni Profiles
    • Voices From the Field Videos
  • Project Locator
    • Select from Map
    • Advanced Search
    • Submit Information
  • In the News
    • In the News
  • Meetings
    • 2022 Noyce Summit
    • 2021 Noyce Summer Events
    • 2020 Virtual Noyce Summit
    • Archived Noyce Summit Materials
    • Noyce Regional Meetings
  • Resources
    • Noyce Track 4 Research Book
    • Proposal Preparation Toolkit
    • Noyce Project Videos
    • Noyce Summit Abstract Catalogs
    • Reports
    • Toolkits
    • ARISE Research Community
  • Contact

Jesse

RETURN TO SCHOLAR LIST

Noyce Scholar Profile

Jesse Banwell

Undergraduate major or graduate field of study: Chemistry

Subject area(s) and grade level teaching focus: Chemistry, grades 9-12

Category of scholarship/fellowship:
Fifth year or post-baccalaureate Noyce scholar

Name of Noyce institution:
University of California, Santa Cruz

Current academic or teaching status:
Master's program (1 year long)

School and school district:
Interned at Aptos High School

Background:

I grew up in Santa Cruz County and live here still. After working in real estate financing for several years, I decided to return to school to pursue a budding passion: science. In school I narrowed my interest down to chemistry, and recently graduated from the University of California Santa Cruz (UCSC) with a Bachelor’s in Science degree. I currently live in the Santa Cruz mountains with my wife and our two-year-old son.

Why do you want to teach:

During my two years at Cabrillo College (before I transferred to UCSC), I experienced teaching for the first time. I had done quite well in Chemistry 1B, and the following semester the instructor asked if I would lead a supplemental instruction course. These “SI sessions” are set up through a program called ACCESS (through UCSC), that is intended to help students bridge the gap between junior college and 4 year universities.
I decided to give it a try, had a great time, and ended up teaching it for a full year. I also worked in the chemistry stock room and was the T.A. for a introductory biology course. During my education at UCSC, I got to work in a lab with a graduate student doing actual research. While it was an amazing opportunity, it also helped me to see that I would probably grow tired of doing that type of work over time. Another big reason I do not want to work in industry is that I prefer not to be exposed to the chemicals every day, especially with small children at home. I decided to look into teaching again, and found the CalTeach program at UCSC to be amazing. I interned at Aptos High in a science class and had a great time. Working with kids is a lot of fun, and I have found that I just love the teaching/learning aspect of chemistry more than the actual application in a laboratory.

Describe a memorable teaching experience:

My time interning at Aptos high was a very memorable experience, because I got to see what it is really like in a science classroom these days. I graduated high school over 15 years ago, so it had been a while since I had experienced it firsthand. My host teacher, Larry Johnson, is great at his job, and I learned a lot from watching him. Not only did I get to see how he relates the information to the students, I also got to witness the way he deals with discipline. Overall it was a very informative and rewarding experience.

What does the Noyce program mean to you:

Simply put, the Noyce program has made it possible for me to complete my goal of becoming a chemistry teacher. Without the help from the Noyce scholarship I would have an extremely hard time affording the certification program, and I am so grateful for the help! I haven’t had any interaction with the Noyce program yet (other than being informed that I have received the scholarship), but I look forward to the support and mentoring that will be provided to me as I continue down the path toward a career in teaching.

What’s New

  • 2023 Noyce Summit
  • 2022 Noyce Summit
  • Noyce by the Numbers: 20 Years of Noyce
  • Proposal Preparation Webinars
  • Frequently Asked Questions for the Robert Noyce Teacher Scholarship Program
  • Become a Noyce Scholar or Teacher Leader
  • Consider Becoming an NSF Noyce Principal Investigator
  • Noyce Alumni: Where Are They Now?

Check out our ARISE website for research & opportunities!

Checking In

NSF

This material is based upon work supported by the National Science Foundation (NSF) under Grant Numbers DUE-2041597 and DUE-1548986. Any opinions, findings, interpretations, conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of its authors and do not represent the views of the AAAS Board of Directors, the Council of AAAS, AAAS’ membership or the National Science Foundation.

AAAS

The World's Largest General Scientific Society

  • About Noyce Program
  • AAAS ISEED
  • Subscribe to ARISE
  • Contact Us
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of Use
© 2023 American Association for the Advancement of Science