Peter Bower

Borderline retired--> so chill and lowkey. Easiest A. Fulfills the same requirement as math! Completely recommend!

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.

Hilarious class. This guy is a hilarious man. Really friendly and good-hearted. You will learn a lot by talking to him BUT this is not a real class. Seriously its not real at all. The prob sets are like HS chemistry and you read HS books. I knew pretty much everything he taught in the class and Im a poli sci major. Its just there to ease up your schedule and for an easy A. Honestly everyone who had half a brain in that class got an A and had fun doing it. The final he let us use a cheat sheet. It could not have been easier and more fun. He doesnt even lecture really. once in a while he will just start being serious but its rare. He usually talks about his careers as MAYOR haha of Teaneck NJ or his son in the military... HE IS A REAL AMERICAN HERO. I like Dave Chappelle..."Jokes and Jokes and JOKES!!!" If you want another joke take this class.

I found this class to be a terribly boring waste of time. If you’re in it for an easy fulfillment of the science requirement and you don’t care about wasting your time with busywork, then perhaps it’s for you. However, be warned: do not underestimate the annoyance and agony described in some other reviews. Many of my classmates, who would have been perfectly capable of acing his open-notes tests, decided to pass/fail the class because they were sick of wasting too much time on the busywork reading assignments (sometimes relevant, sometimes about good recipes for trout) and boring, irrelevant lab reports (one was a “field journal about our walk to look at and analyze the building composition of various structures in Morningside Heights- when we weren’t even studying geology at all). Listening to lab instructor Diane Dittrick’s voice for over two hours each week was enough to give me a headache for the rest of the day. This woman also consistently wasted our time and confused us each lab. The lab topics, aside from the one memorable trip out on the Hudson in a research vessel, were almost always boring. Once we dissected owl pellets. Very sixth-grade science class. As a humanities person who is interested in environmental topics, I thought this would be a great way to fulfill the lab requirement. However, I don’t think I can bear to take another course in the environmental scien…

I highly recommend Professor Bower's Environmental Law class. While I can't speak for his other classes, judging from my experience here it looks like he would be a good professor to have in ANY class. He is no nonsense kind of guy. Many girls would ask ridiculous questions and he would respond with the answers phrased in such a way that was so simple it really made everyone realize just how idiotic some of their classmates are- This is done without outwardly showing his feelings of contempt. The class does move a little slowly, but we cover complicated intricate case law, so it makes sense to carry out the class the way he does. Professor Bower is not a hippie, but a rational man with respect for the environment. There is no other class I know of in which you will learn so much about how the U.S. legal system interacts with the environment.

(Class co-taught with Paul Richards) About the profs: This was a fantastic class. Professor Bower gave great lectures and really engaged the class well. It was interesting to hear about his experience as an environmental consultant, as well as his work/visits to various sites, like Chernobyl. I know people find him pompous in Intro classes, but this was not my experience in this class at all. Professor Richards was less engaging, and had a tendency to remain aloof, especially during classes when he was not instructing. A few times he fell asleep during class or otherwise zoned out, so when students asked pertinent questions and Bower asked for Richards' input, Richards had no idea what the question was. To cover up his embarassment, he just gabbed about something totally unrelated . . . it was infuriating. I also found his lectures rather boring, although it was apparent that he was very interested in the subject and wanted the class to ask questions, etc. I hear he's teaching the class himself now, so I will let you all know that he does have redeeming qualities, too. (All is not lost!) First, Richards is a brilliant scientist and works on cutting-edge seismology research. I attended one of his lectures about his own research at the Earth Institute last semester which was fascinating. Also, if you ask questions or talk to him, he really cares about what you say and remembers…

Professor Bower is a good professor. I really enjoyed this class. You do not need a background in environmental science to do well here. The class is 2/3 on why nuclear power is bad and 1/3 on why incinerating municipal solid waste is bad. You don't need to do very much reading. He basically spoonfeeds you everything you need to know in class. The tests are pretty easy if you went to class and took decent notes.

The class is a bit unorganized but there are few chances to take courses that actually take you to the field to teach sampling methods

Peter Bower is a fantastic teacher. He has an amazing passion for everything he talks about, which rubs off on everyone in the class. Don't think you want to spend three classes talking about the blue crab? You will with Bower, and you'll be dissapointed when its over. I remember more of what I learned in this class than any other I took that semester. There is so much about Manhattan, and specifically Morningside Heights, that I never would have known without this course, and gave me such a better understanding of the area in which I live. Also, he takes the class on impormptu walking tours on nice days. I took the class to fill the category B Urban Studies requirement, but this class has single-handedly convinced me to concentrate in Environmental Sciences. That's how good Bower is.

This class is a reasonable way to fulfill the Barnard science requirement. However, I would not say it is an easy A. There is quite a bit of chemistry involved and lots of memorization required for the exams. Lab is fairly easy, but A LOT of busy work. Lab reports are not difficult, but very time consuming. Sometimes you do fun things like boat on the Hudson or walk through the park. Sometimes you do not so fun things like concave maps for four weeks. At times the class seems to lack cohesion as there are so many components: several books (Never Cry Wolf, Silent Spring, etc), nuclear power, the Hudson River, art history, groundwater, etc. Even though I didn't enjoy this class at times (especially second semester), I do leave it feeling pretty well versed in many aspects of environmental science. Bower is pretty funny in class (perhaps more so when he's not trying to be) and is perfectly nice when you go to him with questions. I can't give this class a rave review, but it's not so bad either.