Join us for a broad exploration of the geology and chemistry of the petroleum industry, as well as alternatives to petroleum. From rocks to factories to plastics and medicine, we will discuss the ways that petroleum is sourced and used. We will take in sights with a mandatory class field trip on February 20 to see natural tar seeps at Carponteria Bliffs and a leaky oil well at Towsley Canyon. At the end of the quarter, each student will prepare a short presentation about a topic of their choice that is relevant to our class discussions.
2
UnitsPass no pass
Grading1, 2, 3
PasstimeUpper division only
Level LimitLetters and science
CollegeDon't believe anyone who says the Final is hard!!! IT IS NOT! The final was similar to the midterms, it's difficult because there is partial credit since its multiple choice. Gainer is a pretty awesome professor I wish he could replace some of the faulty lab professors on campus. Again, the final exam is not hard! Please don't believe the others
Tough as I am competing for the Nobel prize.
Gainer seems like he genuinely cares, and I will say that the actual labs didn't waste my time like the gen chem labs do; we learned relevant skills we could take into industry. He also curves to a B, which is very fair, and the tests weren't that hard. However, I don't understand his rationale for the impossible final.
Gainer was a nice guy who cared about his students. HOWEVER, that man has an evil final exam. I got As on all of the midterms and the final, not only felt out of the blue, but also brought me down almost 10%. There's no way to properly study for it, try to get the small points on everything else.
As long as you try to understand the fundamentals of the lab techniques and put effort into learning IR/NMR/Mass Spec, an A/B is pretty much guaranteed. Gainer gives you enough resources to succeed in the class. I'd recommend doing all the book problems, and showing up to lecture/labs so that you can drop the lab practical for your lowest lab.
why the hell are these 2-3 unit chem labs obsessed with giving impossible finals. my grade dropped 10%...