Noyce Scholar Profile
Taryn Chapman
Undergraduate major or graduate field of study: BS Marine Biology, Chemistry MS Molecular Medicine
Subject area(s) and grade level teaching focus: Biology, grades 6-12
Category of scholarship/fellowship:
Master Teaching Fellow
Name of Noyce institution:
University of South Florida
Current academic or teaching status:
Lab Technician
School and school district:
I do not currently teach.
Background:
I earned a bachelor’s in Marine Biology with a minor in Chemistry from Eckerd College in St. Petersburg, FL. After that, I worked with the Environmental Protection Agency in aquatic preservation. Then, I went back to school at the University of South Florida and got my master’s in Molecular Medicine and spent two years working in various labs on campus focusing on projects ranging from virology to biomedical engineering.
Why do you want to teach:
I want to teach because I love to learn. I learned early that knowledge is something that you can never have enough of and something that no one can ever take away from you. The school system has been a big part of my life and so have great teachers. I can’t wait to be the kind of teacher a student never forgets.
Describe a memorable teaching experience:
I spent most of my adolescent life as a competitive figure skater, but once I reached high school, my passion for skating wasn’t what it used to be. Instead of spending so much time working on my own skills, I joined forces with a struggling inter-city rink in my hometown and began teaching students of all ages how to skate. Eventually it wasn’t I who was competing, it was my students! Helping kids who wouldn’t have otherwise had the chance to enjoy a sport such as competitive figure skating was more gratifying than any gold medal!
What does the Noyce program mean to you:
It is giving me the skills I need to be the best teacher I can be, and the school system thanks you! We need better teachers!!
