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Dylan

RETURN TO SCHOLAR LIST

Noyce Scholar Profile

Dylan Russell

Undergraduate major or graduate field of study: Phyiscs

Subject area(s) and grade level teaching focus: Physics and Mathematics, High School

Category of scholarship/fellowship:
Noyce Scholar

Name of Noyce institution:
Middle Tennessee State University / Noyce Physics

Current academic or teaching status:
Undergraduate Student

School and school district:
N/A

Background:

During the first three semesters of college, I was not interested in math or science at all. I was a journalism major who had a natural ability for writing but with little direction on how I was going to turn it into a career. After taking a reporting class, I knew that the high-stress and highly unpredictable field of newspaper journalism was not for me. Luckily, I was simultaneously taking an astronomy course that quickly became my favorite class. It was more challenging and interesting than any of the classes within my major, and I knew that I had to make the switch over to science.

Although I was interested by the world of astronomy and physics, I had very little confidence in my mathematical ability since I struggled with the subject in high school. After settling with chemistry for a few semesters, my fear of math disappeard after I took Calculus 1 and did very well. This was the final push I needed to major in physics. After taking 2 semesters of nothing but math and physics classes, I’ve never been more interested in the courses I have completed and am looking forward to the ones I have yet to take.

Why do you want to teach:

I want to teach because I feel like it is the most important thing I can do with my degree. I know that by becoming a math and physics teacher, I can build the analytical and problem-solving skills of students. By doing this, I hope to encourage students who would otherwise never condsider careers in math science to pursue careers in those fields.

Describe a memorable teaching experience:

N/A

What does the Noyce program mean to you:

The Noyce program has allowed me to focus completely on my classes without having to work a part-time job at the same time. Since I switched my major so late in my college career, I still have about two years of coursework to complete before I obtain my degree. Each year will almost entirely consist of upper-division math and science courses that require hours of study time each per week. If it was not for the Noyce program, I would not be able to devote the time and effort needed to succeed in these demanding classes.

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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.

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