Noyce Scholar Profile
Layne Trinkley
Undergraduate major or graduate field of study: Geology
Subject area(s) and grade level teaching focus: Earth Science, grades 9-12
Category of scholarship/fellowship:
Noyce Teaching Fellow
Name of Noyce institution:
University of Arizona
Current academic or teaching status:
2 years teaching experience
School and school district:
Desert View High School, Sunnyside Unified School District
Background:
I grew up in Indiana and developed a love for astronomy. I came to Arizona as it is one of the foremost places to study astronomy, and got diverted to geology. I now teach astronomy and earth science at a local high school on the south side of Tucson.
Why do you want to teach:
I love teaching earth science.
Describe a memorable teaching experience:
A memorable experience is having telescopes out in Summit (south of Tucson), and the kids looking at the moon through telescopes after we had studied impact craters. They were so excited they could identify features on the actual moon, exclaiming, “I can see the crater wall and the central peak!” Having working for NASA’s HiRISE Mission on impact craters, it was a very cool moment for me to see them get so excited about what they learned.
What does the Noyce program mean to you:
It has given me the opportunity to do what I love – share the joy of science with my students.
