Students mentioned that the professor was very engaging, approachable, and that he wanted his students to do well. They liked the reasonable workload of this course and the extra credit field trip. As for a negative aspect, students said the lectures were sometimes dry and hard to fol ow because the professor used a Word document instead of slides. Also, some homework questions were not always covered in lecture. Students suggested doing more hands-on problems in class to prepare for the homework and having better lecture notes that clearly defined what is actual y important to study. Students should know that this course requires some math and problem sets, but overal it is not too difficult and is a good introduction to the major.

Students loved the professor’s passion for the subject, as well as the way he thoroughly explained materials in the course. Students also liked the field trip and the guest lecturers and thought that the breadth of topics covered made the course extremely interesting. Students did find the homework questions to be difficult, however, and the amount of information covered in the class to be a bit daunting. Students suggested shortening the lecture slides and materials covered in order to focus on the topics that were most important. Students also wanted additional office hours so that they could get more help with the materials. Prospective students are encouraged to take this course if they have any interest in math, environmental health, engineering, or social sciences. Students should be prepared to take plenty of notes, keep up with the reading, and pay attention during the lectures.

Students thought the best aspect of this class was that the engaging instructor covered a broad range of interesting topics. Students also appreciated the incorporation of field trips into the course. They believed that one of the least favorable aspects of the course was digesting the large number of notes provided by the instructor. Students also found that the course could have benefitted from better examples of problems in class. Students thought it was valuable for future participants to know that the emphasis of the class was on technical and mathematical aspects of the field rather than broad environmental issues. They also believed that the course was a good introduction to the field for those considering it as a career.