Professor: Huang Course format: Lecture Number of respondents: 14 Total Enrollment: 15 Class Composition: Froshs: 0 Sophs: 0 Jrs: 6 Srs: 7 Concs: 7 Non-Concs: 5 Don't Know: 0

Instructor Average: 1.65 Course Average: 1.62

"Biomaterials" exposes students to the structure and function of various biomaterials, and their applications to current biotechnology. The prerequisites for this course are either Bio 28 or Bio 20, and a course in physiology. Also, many agreed that a background in biology, organic chemistry, and especially engineering would have been helpful.

Eric Huang was a knowledgeable professor, and was friendly and approachable. He was the main instructor of the class, which was co-taught by several visiting speakers who lectured for one class each. Some of these lecturers had a tendency to speak too fast, and some students complained that this method of team-teaching made it hard to establish direction in the course.

There were two exams, one five-page paper, and one ten-page paper. There were no textbooks; all of the reading material consisted of journal articles. Reviewers reported spending between two to ten hours on the work for this course each week. However, most were willing to do the work, because the material was interesting and the professor was encouraging.

Overall, students were glad that they took this class, because they learned a lot about biomaterials and the current technology of various biological applications. The students in the class were a mix of grad students and undergrads, and some described the course format as somewhat like a grad student seminar.

If you're considering a career in biotechnology, this course is a must. And if you're just interested in the current applications of biomaterials, you should give it a whirl.

View BI/0112 in the Brown Online Course Announcement.