Dr. Natalie Blades’ statistics courses might be more interactive than most other college courses are.
Students in these classes can expect a personal email from Blades after each exam describing what they did well and how they can improve. Blades invites her graduate students over for dinner, and she welcomes students to her office for individual help.
She said these instances of individual care are part of an effort to show students that they are appreciated and respected.
“I care about my students, and one of my greatest hopes is that I’m able to treat students with respect,” she said. “I hope my students feel that I respect them and their efforts and sacrifices for their education.”
Blades, a professor in the Department of Statistics, received the Excellence in Teaching Award for faculty who have worked at BYU for three to ten years at CPMS’ College Awards Banquet on February 6.
“I was incredibly moved and appreciative,” she said of the award. “There are so many amazing teachers at BYU whom I admire, and they care about the students so much. To be recognized among that group is an honor and a privilege.”
Since joining the faculty at BYU nine years ago, Blades said that she has admired her colleagues and students tremendously. She was especially affected by the culture at BYU and in Provo after having grown up and performed her graduate research on the East Coast.
“I love Provo,” she said. “I love BYU. I had never been a student here, so I didn’t know what to expect. It’s a beautiful place to live. I was struck by colleagues who share my faith and whose faith and family are important to them.”
The students’ effect on Blades was no different from that of the faculty when she first came to BYU, and she still admires them now.
“I’m continually impressed and inspired by my students, by seeing the decisions they make, the kindness they show, and the service they perform for one another,” she said.
Blades received her doctoral degree in biostatistics from Johns Hopkins School of Public Health and then did a post-doc at a mammalian genetics laboratory in Maine where researchers work on animal and statistical models of disease. She was attracted to the diversity of research in BYU’s statistics department.
“When I came to BYU for my interview, it was surprising and delightful to hear about all the ways people were using statistics in this department,” she said.
She has fit seamlessly into that group of faculty, finding ways to give individual attention to her students and still make meaningful progress on her research in biostatistics. She said that she was drawn to teaching because of the power of students’ ambitions.
“I find that the dreams, plans, and aspirations of students are very inspiring,” she said. “I want to be part of that—it’s a renewable source of energy and inspiration.”