Richard A. Muller, Professor of Physics, always arrives ten minutes before class begins. This is not the act of an absent-minded professor. Muller says that he does so to "answer student questions and discuss current events" related to the topic of the class. Time and again students point to these ten minutes as an invaluable part of the course: "He will answer any questions students have. This type of intellectual discussion is very conducive to learning," says a student, and another says that Muller "is interested in students understanding the physics of the world, not just knowing how to do the problems."
Underscoring students' response, Muller himself says, "Learning is one of the greatest joys in life, and if I can trigger that joy in the students, then they will master the material with much less effort." Part of his philosophy is to focus on students as individuals: "Treat each student," he tells his new Graduate Student Instructors, "as if the next two minutes might have a profound effect on his or her life, and as if this may be one of the great moments in your teaching experience."
Former students say it was an honor to be Muller's student. Says one, "I cannot begin to express my gratitude for the incredible semester I had learning from professor Muller. His lectures were consistently the most engaging, challenging, and informative academic experiences I have ever had the pleasure of encountering."
Holder of several patents, former Berkeley restaurateur, author of a well-regarded book on the education of a physicist (Nemesis, 1988) , and according to one student, possessor of "some cool hair," Muller is a specialist in experimental physics and astrophysics. He received his B.A. from Columbia University and his Ph.D. from UC Berkeley. He joined the faculty of the Department of Physics in 1978.
Statement Of Teaching Philosophy
Teaching is a continual challenge. My goal in each lecture is to inspire the students. It is not sufficient to convey to the students that I find the subject fascinatingI must show them why I find it fascinating.
I want them to leave my lectures thinking about the material, wondering how it applies to the world that they see as they walk from class to class. I want them to understand the beauty of the ordinary, and see how everything in the physical world obeys simple mathematical laws. I want them to believe that knowledge of physics gives them an additional mastery over life and that it makes them more valuable citizens. It teaches them not only how to build better automobiles and satellites, but helps them address the larger issues of energy, health, and world peace.
In lectures I try to give the students insights that they can't get from the textbook. For example, when discussing the Heisenberg "Uncertainty Principle," I'll follow the math with a discussion of how this leads immediately to an effect called "pressure broadening." Pressure broadening was used by clever engineers to produce a lamp with a much pleasanter spectrum than the old fluorescent lamps. In fact, most of the streets in Berkeley have highpressure sodium lamps, and their comforting light is a direct consequence of the uncertainty principle.
Every year I give my Graduate Student Instructors advice on how to approach students. I tell them:
Think back to your undergraduate years, and remember someone who had an important effect on your life. Ask your friends for similar experiences. Most people remember one or two events that had a profound effect on them. Frequently it was a single interaction they had with a professorbut just as frequently, it was a GSI. As a teacher you will have students come back to you and tell you how you helped them. When this happens to me, it is the most rewarding experience in my teaching. Often I don't remember the event.
In the next year, every time a student asks you a question or comes to you for advice, imagine that this may be one of those times. Treat the student as if the next two minutes might have a profound effect on his/her life, and as if this may be one of the great moments in your teaching experience.