Noyce Scholar Profile
Catherine Spachmann
Undergraduate major or graduate field of study: BS Biology MS Microbiology
Subject area(s) and grade level teaching focus: 10th Grade Biology
Category of scholarship/fellowship:
Noyce Teaching Fellow
Name of Noyce institution:
The University of Georgia
Current academic or teaching status:
I am currently teaching at Winder-Barrow High School. I have less than 1 yr. of teaching experience. Long term sub there as well
School and school district:
I visited Monroe Area High School and Loganville Middle School for the practicum; did student teaching at Winder-Barrow HS
Background:
I went to Virginia Tech where I earn my BS in Biology. I continued studying Biology and Microbiology at Georgia State University where I earned my MS in Microbiology. After finishing school, I worked for 1 year in Blacksburg, VA at an environmental consulting company where I worked to monitor stream and river water quality and helped companies comply with EPA guidelines for waste disposal. Finally, I came back down to Georgia where I attended UGA and earned my T5 certification in Biology and I have recently added General Science certification. I will continue to pursue the MAT in Secondary Science Education at UGA and I expect to complete the program in Summer 2011.
Why do you want to teach:
While I was in graduate school I worked as a teaching assistant for a Microbiology Lab course and I found that I love explaining science and sparking in people a curiosity about how life works.
Describe a memorable teaching experience:
I like to think about moments when my most disruptive class is completely silent staring at me with wide eyes as I tell a story about science. The most recent story involved using stem cells to treat patients with severe spinal cord damage. It just so happened that as we were in the middle of a unit about DNA technology, the news broke that the government had approved the first use of embryonic stem cells for the treatment of a patient with spinal cord damage right here in Atlanta. The connection of what we learn in the class to what is happening in the real world captivates the students and I can hear their brains churning as they contemplate these complex issues in science.
What does the Noyce program mean to you:
Coming to UGA as an out of state student, I would not have been able to pursue a career in teaching if it were not for the financial support of the NOYCE fellowship.
