Whether it is in research, new discoveries, or new techniques, there are many rewarding aspects of teaching.
The greatest joy that award-winning professor Adam Woolley feels is when his students grasp the theories he is presenting.
Woolley, associate chair of the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, was awarded a University Professorship at BYU’s Annual University Conference. This award honors senior faculty members who are remarkable scholars, teachers, and university citizens. It also distinguishes those who excel in creative work, scholarship, and classroom teaching.
“I was really surprised. It’s a great honor. I look at some of my colleagues who have had similar awards and they’re really people I look up to,” Woolley said. “It’s humbling to be in such great company of colleagues that I know in my own department and across the university.”
Using demonstrations, clickers, and discussions, Woolley has adapted many strategies to keep his students both informed and engaged.
“The really exciting thing is seeing people understand things they haven’t understood before,” Woolley said. “I love when they get it. That ‘aha moment’ when a student grasps a difficult concept, for me that’s one of the best things.”
Working with students one-on-one has proven to Woolley to be an effective way for students to learn. He has seen great success come as students come in and talk to him during office hours.
“The point of office hours is for students to come in here,” Woolley said. “We schedule office hours, we have the time available to help students. That’s a big part of what we do.”
The more students learn, the bigger the evolution Woolley sees in them and their work.
“I love watching, both with graduate and undergraduate students, this transformation as they become scientists,” Woolley said.
This change has brought much success to both him and his students, as they have published over 100 papers together and given over 100 presentations at conferences around the world.
“[I love] watching them develop to where they’re scientists, and they’re colleagues as well,” Woolley said. “The students that really develop that way, we can have a conversation and bounce ideas off each other.”