BMD RES 5HA
Biomedical Research: Concepts and Strategies
Description: Lecture, three hours. Designed for freshmen/sophomores. Exploration of scientific concepts and experimental approaches through seminars by UCLA faculty members on their cutting-edge research. Topics may include areas of study such as cancer, stem cells, and infectious disease, as well as more basic research in cell and molecular biology. Letter grading.
Units: 4.0
Units: 4.0
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Most Helpful Review
Winter 2020 - Dr. Clark is a very good professor and you could tell he cares about his students. I took this class with only LS7A under my belt (had no previous science experience before) and managed to get an A, but I did work for it. I really did not know anything about research coming into this class (I am a freshman) and this really gave me insight on what biomedical research is about. After this class, I was able to decide if I really wanted to pursue biomed research and I think I rather not. So if you don't know if you would like to pursue biomed research, take this class to dip your toes. The minor is really meant for students who are passionate about it (not just to make yourself look good for med school or anything like that), and it is super highly competitive to get in. Even though I may not pursue biomed research, I am glad I took this class.
Winter 2020 - Dr. Clark is a very good professor and you could tell he cares about his students. I took this class with only LS7A under my belt (had no previous science experience before) and managed to get an A, but I did work for it. I really did not know anything about research coming into this class (I am a freshman) and this really gave me insight on what biomedical research is about. After this class, I was able to decide if I really wanted to pursue biomed research and I think I rather not. So if you don't know if you would like to pursue biomed research, take this class to dip your toes. The minor is really meant for students who are passionate about it (not just to make yourself look good for med school or anything like that), and it is super highly competitive to get in. Even though I may not pursue biomed research, I am glad I took this class.
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Most Helpful Review
Fall 2020 - Biomedical Research 5HA was a very easy class and the workload was light. My biggest issue with this class was the professor and her self-described "snarky" attitude. Her assignment guidelines were not clear and she acts very condescending when students ask the "wrong" questions. Being in her class for ten long weeks was extremely unpleasant. Take this class with a different professor. You will still get an A, but avoid the headache that is Amy Fluitt.
Fall 2020 - Biomedical Research 5HA was a very easy class and the workload was light. My biggest issue with this class was the professor and her self-described "snarky" attitude. Her assignment guidelines were not clear and she acts very condescending when students ask the "wrong" questions. Being in her class for ten long weeks was extremely unpleasant. Take this class with a different professor. You will still get an A, but avoid the headache that is Amy Fluitt.
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Most Helpful Review
Spring 2020 - Overview: This class was a deep dive into research methods. It's great if you're interested or curious about getting into research. However, the content can be a bit overwhelming if you've never taken biology and/or learned about topics such as genetics. The content will vary since the instructor will bring in different researchers to talk every quarter, but generally speaking a knowledge in basic genetics will help. Content from LS 7A will help too, since there is some overlap. Prof Ira Clark also went over the Biomed Research minor on week 6. Structure: The instructor will bring in a researcher to talk about their research, and the instructor will break it down over the next 5 weeks (during which you'll hand in some reports). On week 6, the cycle starts anew and another researcher will come in (but this time it'll be easier since you will have gone through a lot of overlapping research techniques and terminology from the first researcher). For each researcher, there will be an initial report (50 pts), a problem set (100 pts), and a final report (100pts). Participation counts (10 pts per week), totaling 600 pts. There wasn't any extra credit but Prof Rigueur is very light on grading. She's more interested in you working through what you've learned rather than getting everything right. The instructor: Prof Rigueur is a very enthusiastic lecturer. She was flexible with students during the pandemic, and light on grading. Lectures were recorded and posted on CCLE. She encouraged discussions through the forum and made a point in thoroughly answering every student's questions (there were many). Grading took some time, though (partly because of some technical error on Turnitin). Overall, I recommend this class if you're interested in research.
Spring 2020 - Overview: This class was a deep dive into research methods. It's great if you're interested or curious about getting into research. However, the content can be a bit overwhelming if you've never taken biology and/or learned about topics such as genetics. The content will vary since the instructor will bring in different researchers to talk every quarter, but generally speaking a knowledge in basic genetics will help. Content from LS 7A will help too, since there is some overlap. Prof Ira Clark also went over the Biomed Research minor on week 6. Structure: The instructor will bring in a researcher to talk about their research, and the instructor will break it down over the next 5 weeks (during which you'll hand in some reports). On week 6, the cycle starts anew and another researcher will come in (but this time it'll be easier since you will have gone through a lot of overlapping research techniques and terminology from the first researcher). For each researcher, there will be an initial report (50 pts), a problem set (100 pts), and a final report (100pts). Participation counts (10 pts per week), totaling 600 pts. There wasn't any extra credit but Prof Rigueur is very light on grading. She's more interested in you working through what you've learned rather than getting everything right. The instructor: Prof Rigueur is a very enthusiastic lecturer. She was flexible with students during the pandemic, and light on grading. Lectures were recorded and posted on CCLE. She encouraged discussions through the forum and made a point in thoroughly answering every student's questions (there were many). Grading took some time, though (partly because of some technical error on Turnitin). Overall, I recommend this class if you're interested in research.
Most Helpful Review
Spring 2017 - Dr. Romero is an absolute saint. I took this class three years ago, but was recently asked about Dr. Romero as a professor; I felt the need to express just how thoroughly amazing he is. This class was split into 2 sections. We talked about Wallerian degeneration in the first half, and about Duchenne muscular dystrophy in the second. At the beginning of each part, a researcher came in and gave an in-depth presentation on their research. The next five weeks were then spent with Dr. Romero carefully explaining every aspect of the work the researcher had presented, introducing little naive undergrads to many basics of research without us necessarily having to be in a lab. He assessed us with little assignments to test our understanding throughout; he was always available for questions, and his office hours were packed because he explained things so well. Then we took a "midterm" (take-home essay questions), submitted it, and repeated the whole process again. Seriously, this class changed my life. It opened my eyes to the world of research, and piqued my interest in a wide set of topics. By teaching us about research methodology, he gave those of us that were not yet in labs a leg up in joining them. And the cherry on top is that this class is the gateway to the biomedical research minor, which is an amazing program if one is interested in seriously pursuing research. The support, mentorship, and training received from the minor all began in this class. Thank you so much, Dr. Romero!
Spring 2017 - Dr. Romero is an absolute saint. I took this class three years ago, but was recently asked about Dr. Romero as a professor; I felt the need to express just how thoroughly amazing he is. This class was split into 2 sections. We talked about Wallerian degeneration in the first half, and about Duchenne muscular dystrophy in the second. At the beginning of each part, a researcher came in and gave an in-depth presentation on their research. The next five weeks were then spent with Dr. Romero carefully explaining every aspect of the work the researcher had presented, introducing little naive undergrads to many basics of research without us necessarily having to be in a lab. He assessed us with little assignments to test our understanding throughout; he was always available for questions, and his office hours were packed because he explained things so well. Then we took a "midterm" (take-home essay questions), submitted it, and repeated the whole process again. Seriously, this class changed my life. It opened my eyes to the world of research, and piqued my interest in a wide set of topics. By teaching us about research methodology, he gave those of us that were not yet in labs a leg up in joining them. And the cherry on top is that this class is the gateway to the biomedical research minor, which is an amazing program if one is interested in seriously pursuing research. The support, mentorship, and training received from the minor all began in this class. Thank you so much, Dr. Romero!
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