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Chemistry professor seeks to make his students feel like more than numbers
Archive
Do you ever feel like just another number in your classes? Do you hesitate to greet your professors on campus because you think they won’t recognize you?
Meet Dr. Richard Banks, chemistry professor at Boise State. Banks takes the time and effort to put a name to each of his students’ faces. In a given semester this could mean learning the names of 250 students from five different classes.
“It’s important to know my students names because it makes them more comfortable, which provides a better learning environment,” said Banks, who takes pictures of each of his students and studies them like flashcards until they are engraved in his memory.
When Banks was in high school he hated it. All he wanted to do was join the marines. When he achieved his goal, he still felt pulled in another direction. When he decided to attend the College of Idaho, chemistry was the only logical major to pursue since it interested him the most. His love for chemistry began as a child, when he would mix different chemicals from his microscope set together and anticipate the reaction. His love for teaching, however, wasn’t discovered until graduate school.
While attending Oregon State University he worked teaching labs and loved interacting with the students. When the job was over he realized he missed it. Banks earned his Ph.D. in Organic Chemistry, graduating in 1968, and decided to become a professor.
“I’m lucky, there hasn’t been one day in all my years of teaching that I haven’t been excited to come to work,” said Banks who has received numerous teaching awards since 1972.
Banks says he sincerely tries to treat each of his students as he would treat a friend.
“It’s obvious that he really cares about his students; I’ve always felt really comfortable to talk to him,” said student Jeanne Orm. “I’ve had to reschedule two tests this semester and he’s been completely cooperative both times.”
Banks’ extracurricular activities include biking, weightlifting, fly-fishing, and playing with his grandchildren to name a few. Even with all of these activities he’s found the energy to introduce a glassblowing class at BSU and is Chair of the American Chemical Society 2002 Organic Test Committee.
Banks says his principle goal in teaching is to teach his students how to think.
“Although presenting material in a clear, logical fashion is very important,” he said, “a teacher should inspire and encourage students to have the intensity and focus in their studies and in their lives to be successful in their endeavors.”