AMS Editor's Award, 2020: For insightful reviews of an article for the Bulletin of the AMS.
Fellow of American Meteorological Society, 2010.
Mountain Meteorology Award, 2008: honored with the first Award, "In recognition of outstanding contributions to Mountain Meteorology," by the Mountain Meteorology Committee of the American Meteorological Society.
NOAA/DOC Group Silver Medal Award for Scientific/Engineering Achievement, 2004. "For the discovery of a previously unrecognized major factor that causes ozone pollution in the Houston, Texas area."
Outstanding Scientific Paper Award, 2005: As a coauthor of the paper: T.B. Ryerson, et al., 2003: Effect of Petrochemical Industrial Emissions of Reactive Alkenes and NOx on Tropospheric Ozone Formation in Houston, Texas. J. Geophys. Research, 108, NO. D8, 4249, doi:10.1029/ 2002JD003070.
Outstanding Scientific Paper Award, December, 1995. For the paper: Banta, R.M., L.D. Olivier, and D.H. Levinson, 1993: Evolution of the Monterey Bay sea-breeze layer as observed by pulsed Doppler lidar. J. Atmos. Sci., 50, 3959-3982.
Outstanding Scientific Paper Award, December, 1993. For the paper: Banta, R.M., 1990: The role of mountain flows in making clouds. Ch. 9 in Atmospheric Processes over Complex Terrain, ed. William Blumen, Meteorological Monogr., 23 (No. 45), 229-283.
Organizations
American Meteorological Society - Fellow
American Geophysical Union
Sigma Xi (Scientific Research)
American Association for the Advancement of Science
American Wind Energy Association