ASTR C2002

Assignments are fine. They're not hard. But the professor's grading is extremely unreasonable. For example, for regrade requests, I emailed her with detailed reasons as to why the grader should not have taken my points off (she doesn't allow us to request regrades directly on Gradescope for some reason), and within a minute, she replied saying no and her decision is final. My email should've taken longer than that to read, implying that she did not read the email. Overall, like in OH, I feel that her tone is quite hostile most times.

5 problem sets, 2-5 hours each, fair and designed to make you think. 1 final group presentation. Kathryn assigned all the groups (of 3 students) a different scientific paper related to some topic covered during the semester. This was her first year doing this, so I'm not sure if she will continue it or not. 1 midterm, 1 final exam, both of which were also fair.

Weekly problem sets. Open book midterm and final. Not easy, but not *too* hard either. Bryan is a fair grader.

Problem sets that are easy, fair midterm and final. She allows both mathy people and wordy people a chance to do well. Very fairly graded. In fact, for the midterm last year, she said "I think the TAs are being too harsh, so I'm going to grade these myself." Easy A. Very little math involved.

fair, midterm and final, five problem sets, extra credit assignment

I've loved astrophysics since I was around 14. So this was my first chance to take a structured, college course on it, in person, and I was really looking forward to it. Unfortunately, Professor Huang has been very disappointing. I will break my reasoning down: 1. Professor Huang drones from the lecture slides, and adds no substance to the material. In addition, she does not speak clearly, and speaks too fast in general. 2. She does not like to answer questions, e.g. do we have to memorize this diagram in detail for the midterms, or will the general gist do? These are very valid concerns for students, and it seems she avoids any questions relating to testing, even if they're reasonable. But most importantly, this is the first time at Columbia when I've felt scared to ask a professor my questions about the class. When I go to OH, she does not seem like she is in the mood to help, and oftentimes I feel looked down upon when asking questions. This is quite shocking to me, because other professors are usually really happy that students want to get to know the material better. Overall, strongly recommend everyone avoids this class. Unfortunately, Introduction to Astrophysics I is a mandatory course for astrophysics majors, but I know I will not take any of her electives.

Professor Johnston is one of the most enthusiastic teachers I have ever had, and is certainly a good fit for this intro class. She is extremely approachable and helpful, so do not hesitate to her ask questions or ask her for advice about the class material or anything else related to astrophysics. The material can be confusing at times, but never too challenging, and Kathryn does an excellent job of breaking down the different topics and relating them to other parts of the course. Her lectures usually consist of Powerpoint presentations, with breaks here and there to write out proofs or do examples. This course is usually one of the first courses students take in astronomy, so it provides some background material and a basic understanding of concepts in astronomy that can often be used in the more advanced astrophysics classes. Kathryn's excitement about the different lecture topics often showed, which made the class more enjoyable. She does not drone on in a boring fashion, but rather keeps an upbeat sentiment when discussing everything. The most disappointing feature of this class, though not a worrisome issue, was the grading. Kathryn was a very picky grader, so you might lose a point or two on each problem unless they are thoroughly thought out. Ultimately, this was for the better, and helped provide a deeper understanding of the material. The grading was not super harsh,…

This review is more a reaction to the May 25, 2008 review than anything. It is true that Bryan's class was relatively easier than Menou's. And Bryan was a relatively easier grader. But it was a good class, and he's a good instructor. He's a nice guy, and he's very accessible after class and any time his office door is open. First, the time "wasted fielding stupid questions" was because of an obnoxious kid sitting in the front row who wasn't even an astro major. He should not have been in the class, and Bryan handled him with grace while the rest of us were making faces. Second, the first 15 minutes of astro recent events discussion was a lot of fun for those of us who actually like reading and learning about astro. It was a very "Big Picture" pedagological tool. Taking this out of the class would be like having an econ class that didn't spend a few minutes talking about the current economic crisis. And what of spending the entire class describing the expansion of the universe? First, Fatty kept having his mind blown. Second, the quarks-to-cosmos class took weeks to do what we did in that one class, and those students still didn't have it down like we did. And finally, this is Columbia. If having to read outside of class to help get the material down is such a pain, then transfer to a state school.

I love Professor Kay. She is terribly sarcastic and amazingly intelligent. Her lectures are clear, to the point, and funny. They can be boring occasionally, but they're powerpoint so that's to be expected. She posts all of her lectures online, and will even copy her notes for you if you miss class. The subject matter is interesting, and if you're ever confused or just want to talk about something, go to her office hours. She's a bit hard to get to know at first, but then becomes very friendly. She's also led an amazing life--if you're ever curious, ask her about her time in Antartica, or her pilot's license, her EMT certification, and when she was so close to being an astronaut. The class itself is much more focused on theory and ideas than math or physics. If you're interested in more math-oriented astronomy, take one of the Columbia classes, because her math is pretty basic and she gives you all of the equations.

Yes, she has an accent. I think she knows this as well as we students have. She tries to help her students. She cares. And if you have a problem with her accent, ask her to speak louder. She will not be offended. I found Professor van Gorkam to be a very knowledgeable lady and approachable too. This means that if you cannot possibly figure out a problem from the problem set on your own, you can make a visit and she will prod you to the solution. If you are in a small class like intro to ast. then take advantage of it. Impress her. Answer her questions when everyone else is drawing a blank because they decided not to read the quick summary at the back of each chapter. She will reward you. Or if you're genuinely interested, read the chapter and answer her question in depth. Then she'll really love you. Of course we have to remind ourselves that she's in a field where a lot of the things she's teaching, she's also reseraching too and there are no definite answers to, only theories. If you just show her that you too can come up with a theory based on info from the book, she'll appreciate it.