Professor Gardner was nice enough, but definitely strict. She had a no technology rule which made note-taking hard as she did not post slides and went too fast. She is the type who holds class the day before thanksgiving and fully expects everyone to show up. Was slightly condescending when asked questions but also did not force participation.
Dr G is an awesome professor! She makes science so accessible to people with a limited science background. Her lectures are pretty dense, but with information that is applicable and necessary. She has a super fun personality and I can tell she wants us to succeed.
I was disappointed in this class because I was hoping to get a comprehensive and in-depth understanding of toxicology, and I found the information she chose to present really random and surface level (lots of lists of things). I also found her homework assignments super unusual and her expectations were very unclear in my opinion.
Gardner is actually a really intellectual, honest, and well-meaning professor who wants her students to succeed. Her lectures are usually information-dense but she has a playful and light-hearted personality, which makes it better. She was quite unaccommodating for online classes, abiding by strict due dates. Overall, a very friendly professor.
Dr. Gardner is so rude to her students, & was incredibly unaccommodating during the pandemic, even tried to require we turn our finals in in person. Consistently behind on course material and class always ran late. When I had her in person I watched her yell at students several times during class. Offered no feedback. Take the chem series.
Helene does not care about her students. This is made clear by the way she refuses to post lecture recordings online for those in other time zones or busy dealing with the effects of coronavirus. Helene consistently begins class early and lets students out late. You will have to take her class if you are an ES major, prepare to hate it.
Dr G is awesome!! Best teacher ever
Dr. G is my favorite professor at UCSB! I took ES147 with her as well, and just had to take her again in 120A. She's always cracking jokes during lectures, and she moves slowly through the material so it's easier to absorb. She's a tough grader, but wants to help you improve! She has a unique teaching style, but it helps me really remember info.
I can see why everyone loves Dr. G, she often facilitates discussion and encourages participation, but if you like typical lecture style classes with powerpoints, then her classes aren't for you. She types on a doc as she lectures and I have no idea how to study for her tests and do her hw because she has very specific requirements.
Dr. G is one of my favorite ES professors! Her lectures are interesting but be prepared to take detailed notes. Attendance is also mandatory. Homework assignments aren't too bad but she has a list of specific requirements she looks for. Overall a very engaging, funny, and knowledgable professor.
Absolutely loved her! A difficult class, but if you go to class and take good notes, you'll do fine on the tests. She's super funny, and uses real world examples in class that really help you understand and grasp the material better. I'll be taking another class with her this fall!
Dr. G is great! She's really funny and incorporates her humor into her lectures. Her lectures are clear, organized, and she always makes sure everyone understands a concept before moving on. She does not post slides online and attendance counts towards your grade. If you're an ES BA major, take this class!
Chem with Helene is great, she makes it super interesting and her enthusiasm really helps with all the material. She goes at a decent pace. Expect weekly quizzes and then also a lab in 15B. As a person who hates chem, this professor was a great choice in the env department.
She is amazing, between being quite funny and throwing candy at students in class she wont move on from a topic unless she has thoroughly explained the entire concept. Material is very easy to understand.
She talks about interesting stuff but nothing she discusses is in the book and there are no lecture slides. If you don't write down everything she says, you have practically no study materials. She takes off points on her papers for every single thing. Like oxford commas. In a science class. Tests are hard and she doesn't prep you for them.
This class is probably easier than regular chem, but since this was the first quarter it was not very organized. Helene knows what shes talking about but has trouble saying it and making it interesting. Spent too much time going over boring examples. She recommends a textbook but you do not really need it.
iClicker, quizzes & 1-2 page papers every other week, 1 take home midterm (6 pages), 1 final (8 pages). You get to choose how each part of your grade is weighted. The papers & quizzes are worth more than the midterm & final which helps a lot. Go to class because she teaches different material from regular chem & she throws candy. Slides are online.
Dr. G cares about all her students. Attendance 10%, homework 70%, final 20%. Final is not that easy, its accumulative and all about memorization. I love Dr. G and will take ES147 with her again.
Dr. G is a great professor, and makes class fun (or at least not boring). GO TO CLASS. The material that she goes over isn't really that hard. There's just a lot of it, and you have to take very detailed notes. There is a long-ish hw assignment where good notes will be critical. For the homework, follow her guidelines to the letter.
MUST TAKE DETAILED NOTES ON EVERYTHING SHE SAYS. It will be on a test and she gives weekly quizzes in section. What she says sometimes might not seem important but write it down. Assigns 3 papers that are fairly simple and no longer than about 3 pages. If you're an ES major, take this class instead of chem. Way easier and she gives candy in class!
Best professor I've had. If you're an ES BA looking for an alternative chemistry class because let's face it, Chem 1ABC is complete death/misery/100% terrible, TAKE ENVST 15!! More writing based (easy short papers) and very conceptual. Lots of toxicology, shows chemically how we impact the environment. Gardener is really smart/talented/hilarious.
Favorite professor so far! Dr. G is funny, fair, and genuinely wants her students to appreciate and understand the subject. She might seem intimidating at first, but she is actually so easy to talk to. ES120 in particular is one of my favorite classes, and her method of teaching is totally engaging. Respect her, and she'll respect you.
One of the best classes I've taken at UCSB! Dr Gardner is always there in office hours to help you and answers any and all questions to help you understand. She's a bit picky when it comes to grading and is a stickler for attendance but she's a great professor and the class is super interesting.
The best professor i've had at UCSB thus far. Decided to change my next quarter schedule just to have Gardner again. Uses examples to put velcro on the concepts and helps your understand (not just memorize) the material. Go to all the classes and you won't need the book.