Noyce Scholar Profile
Caitlin Nichols
Undergraduate major or graduate field of study: B.S. Field Biology and Ecology
Subject area(s) and grade level teaching focus: Science, grades 6-12
Category of scholarship/fellowship:
Fifth year or post-baccalaureate Noyce scholar
Name of Noyce institution:
Pacific University
Current academic or teaching status:
Master's Candidate
School and school district:
Woodburn School District
Background:
During my undergraduate degree, I worked for five semesters with the Science Outreach Program at George Fox University teaching one middle school anatomy class, a high school anatomy class, and a high school microbiology class. The program was designed to allow students who did not have access to a lab in their school to come to the university for specific classes to gain that experience. I really enjoyed teaching through the program, and it gave me a great introduction to the teaching field.
Why do you want to teach:
I want to become a teacher so that I can spread the excitement of science to today’s students. It is easy to forget the prevalence of science in our world, but I hope that as a teacher I can help students realize this as well as learn about the positions available to them within the field. I hope that I can inspire my future students to continually search for knowledge not only in school, but also in their lives.
Describe a memorable teaching experience:
One event that stands out in my mind was during the middle school anatomy class that I thought. There was a girl in my class who was forced into it by her parents, and she made that very evident. She was extremely squeamish and even freaked out by the human torso model that was in the room. The last week of the course we studied the nervous system and were dissecting sheep eyes. Although it took a bit of coaxing, she made the first incision into the eye and led the rest of the lab with her partner. After the lab, she told us that she was glad that she was able to do it, and found it really fascinating and interesting. As a teacher, it was a great moment to see the effort that we had poured in had paid off.
What does the Noyce program mean to you:
The Noyce program has given me a chance to pursue my dreams of becoming a teacher. A master’s degree would not have been possible without the financial help from the Robert Noyce Scholarship. I am very thankful that I was awarded this scholarship and am now able to achieve my dreams of becoming a teacher. I am now enrolled in a fantastic program; I cannot believe the blessing that has been given to me through this scholarship.
