EESC BC1001

There is hw questions each week, 2 tests, some in class quizzes (you can drop/miss 2 of them), and the final is not a test which is really nice.

Lecture: 4 short essays (~600 words; lowest of the 4 grades dropped) 2 short homework assignments (lowest of the 2 grades dropped) Readings in textbooks (give context for class, but not explicitly needed) Lab: Readings for labs (usually 1-3 short scientific papers for context on lab; needed) Weekly labs (~2 hours each time for in-person; longer when self-guided trip to museum) Lab reports (~1,500 words each, depending on topic)

2 regular exams (only the one with the higher grade is counted) and a final based on class slides, a textbook, and a compendium of statistics (ye gads!). Questions on the exams range from the insanely easy to the unbelievably difficult. Not easy by any means, but an 'A' is possible if you read, read, read.

3 equally weighted tests and "lecture responses" for each class, which is basically an in-class easy worksheet you fill out to prove you attended class. If you're also taking the lab, your lab grade is 30% of your final grade. Trip to the Met and trip to the American Natural History Museum.

2 midterms, one final. For more advanced classes, some weekly or bi-weekly problem sets. For labs, weekly lab reports.

This class is overall pretty easy. I took this to fulfill my lab class and did not P/F it and I am doing well. The test questions come straight from the info on the slides so as long as you study them you will do fine. I am not interested in environmental science so I find the lectures a bit boring, but Terryanne is super nice and funny.

Professor Olsen is a fascinating lecturer and an even more fascinating man. Coming into this class, I was extremely excited to learn about dinosaurs, as someone who loves Jurassic Park and the works. However, much to my surprise, the class was about so much more than dinosaurs. In this class, you cover Earth history from the Big Bang until the rise of mammals, all done with engaging and thought-out lectures that Professor Olsen spends hours on; you can tell his dedication by each cited source and personal drawing he adds. While some people are complaining about the class and the workload, they (most likely) took the class thinking it would be an easy A, which it can be IF you are dedicated and don't slack off. As someone who took the lab component as well, this class was a foundational experience at Columbia, as it taught me the breadth of what I can learn and accomplish here. I never thought I would be sketching fossils at the Natural History Museum and actually understand the work I was doing and the intricate world of the Mesozoic Era, but Professor Olsen made it happen. Some of the reviews have painted Professor Olsen to be a disinterested, unengaging professor, but this is far from the case. Professor Olsen is extremely well-versed in this field (and his stories about his experiences are genuinely entertaining and sometimes a little crazy), so this adds to the immersive a…

Mancinelli is a character, no doubt about it. His heavy Italian accent takes some getting used to, but some of his exclamations (such as threatening to whip students with a "nine-tailed cat") are amusing. The real problem is he teaches from slides and only deviates to start ranting. I care deeply about environmental devastation and found some of the material very enlightening, but must admit his presentation leaves a lot to be desired.

As the other reviewer said: EVS 101 with Bower is a decent way to fufil the lab requirement if you're not a strong science person. Overall, I have enjoyed having class with him, although his tests are relatively difficult(though not impossible). I would say the test(there are three equally weighted tests) average is about 75-85%. There are no curvebals on the tests, and he will not put anything on the tests that he hasn't actually gone over in class. Answers emails very quickly, although is very difficult to get a hold of after class and doesn't really have office hours. Also, Professor Terryanne Maenza Gmelch was my lab instructor, and she is lovely and very helpful.

Professor Ammirato is a wonderful teacher and person. He clearly loves what he does - not only his life's work with plants, but teaching what he knows to others. He is an easy person to get along with and is always available. His exams and homework assignments are fair, along with his grading style. Although he is very understanding and accomodating, don't expect to get away with anything you didn't deserve. Overall, his kind personality makes plant physiology a desirable course, even for those clammering to get into animal physiology.