David Helfand

I was worried that the subject would be too high-level (and sometimes it was), but Prof. Helfand was very knowledgeable and taught it in an engaging way, and the problem sets were much more manageable (which was the content used on the actual exams)

Professor Helfand is one of the most fascinating people I have ever met in my entire life. His lectures are incredible and he makes the subject as entertaining as possible. However, do not take this class if you're looking for an easy A. He assigns weekly problem sets that are much more difficult than they need to be. My engineering friends were all shocked at how complex his questions were for an introductory science course. His midterm and final were also graded pretty harshly, many people getting 30% or below despite the exam being seemingly easy. Overall, if you want to learn and meet an amazing human being, take this class. However, be prepared to work extremely hard and also take a slight gpa hit for it.

If you get this guy, thank your lucky stars. He will make that unnecessarily long two-hour discussion section a little more bearable. About Frontiers of Science in general, chances are you won't like it. If you like science, the necessarily short amount of time spent and shallow engagement with each subject will likely frustrate you. If you don't like science, you won't like this class because it involves science and a little bit of math and you didn't come here for that. Lectures are recorded and Powerpoints posted online, so there's no real compelling reason to go to lecture. Many don't go, but I did so half out of interest and half out of a weird sense of duty. In any case you'll need to budget an hour and a half sometime during the week to go/listen to the lecture and 30-90 mins a week to do your WIA (short problem sets, pretty easy). Which brings us back to the once-weekly discussion. It's too long, but its length gives each section time to do some pretty cool experiments and demos. Helfand himself is a force. He came up with this course and he really believes in it and its methods for better or worse. He was a little more informed in the Astronomy stuff because that's his area, but he was dynamic no matter what we were discussing. Plus he's just legitimately an interesting and cool guy. In conclusion, Helfand is good. Frontiers isn't, but it's not too bad. Much better th…

There are few at Columbia let alone any university that are as passionate as David Helfand. I took this class for him, not knowing it was one of the hardest science requirements. I went from failing the course to doing very well in the end - this I attribute entirely to him and his drive to teach me, a humanities student how to think like a scientist. If you care about learning, this man is a godsend. If you want to get out of Columbia without doing a thing, perhaps you should look another direction. It is rare to have a professor who will devote so much to a student - I advise taking advantage of this wealth of a professor.

This guy is AWESOME. He conceived of the whole Frontiers of Science idea in the first place, and I was blessed to have him as my seminar leader. He genuinely cares about his class, encourages thinking and is one of those science guys who can explain his thoughts in English, not metaphysical psychobabble. It's been my favourite class this semester, and I definitely recommend taking any of his other classes if not Frontiers...just for the way he teaches, if nothing else

Some basic intro stuff into astronomy and space concerning what specific researchers came in and lectured for us. Very good for just absorbing and learning intro astronomy.

I agree with that other CULPA review that says this is essentially a math course. It is. The lecture slides go more into description, but the lecture slides are ultimately much different from the problem sets/quizzes. The concepts of the concepts are interesting and it's evident that Helfand is passionate, but I was just taking this to fulfill the science requirement and I was very confused. The math was way above my level, and the math in the problem sets was much different from the focus of the lectures, making it hard to want to come to class. I think it would be interesting for people with a strong competence in math who are interested in dabbling in astronomy/physics, but it's not something I would recommend to another humanities student. However Helfand is a very passionate teacher and very intelligent in his field. He's a great guy and always SUPER available for office hours whenever, and is a very quick responder to his emails. He'll also often help you out with giving answers to the problem sets. No issues with him as a teacher, I'm just not a mathy person so wasn't a big fan of the course material in general. Helfand was also confusing at times, but he has a wonderful spirit.

I am not sure why David Helfand does not have a gold nugget. He is the best professor I have ever had. He is incredibly captivating during lectures, and is always available if you need him. Not kidding always available, he only does office hours by appointment so it is one on one and he can focus on your needs. He is incredibly kind and funny, and makes a complicated subject easy to understand. The work was challenging, but it was one of the most rewarding classes Ive ever taken. Everyone should take this class. On a side note - probably the coolest guy ever, look up his ted talk he started his own university.

About the class in general: Frontiers of Science, in general, is an ill-conceived, poorly-executed class. Science people are frustrated at the inane pseudo-science projects (create a made-up planet? really?) and non-science people stumble over the math and barely-explained equations. The worst of both worlds. The class attempts to combine scientific "current events" along with teaching a handful of random "scientific" skills and thinking processes, and ends up coming out a mess of disparate topics. The best decision I ever made was to never attend lecture. The two-hour recitation made me want to slit my wrists over and over, and god save you if you get stuck with an idiot group for a project. But, you need to take this class, so sorry freshman. About him as a section leader: He writes the exams. With that in mind, it is rather useful having him as a section leader, since he 1] knows exactly what is on them (and gives useful tips) and 2] is invested in you doing well. He is knowledgeable and passionate, although the general horror of the class tainted my love for him as a section leader. But anyway, he is decent and will perhaps make the experience mildly less painful than other section leaders.

This class is not an easy A...or an A at all, at least for those of us non-math people. However, if you're willing to forgo that grade, I would definately recommend it. Helfand's lectures are both theatrical and informative, and the workload is not at all difficult. Quizes are open note, and you can take one sheet of notebook paper with whatever you like written on it to the midterm and final. This is because Helfand encourages students to digest the material and think about it, rather than memorizing. He himself is incredibly well informed on astronomy and pretty much everything else.