Historical instructor

MARIO PENNELLA

Adjusted rating
RMP difficulty
captured reviews
About this rating

Raw average: 3.73/5 from 30 quality ratings. The adjusted rating blends this with the UW review average (3.66/5), weighted as 20 additional ratings. Smaller samples stay closer to that average. Each captured review is counted once in the prior; this does not correct who chooses to leave a review.

RMP profile ↗ · All captured review dates; profile matched by name.

What students say

Original student reviews · all captured dates

BIOCHEM 501
Quality 5/5Difficulty 2/5
I thought he did a really nice job with his section. He is very responsive, and I thought his lectures showed he wanted to help us succeed. Overall, very matter-of-fact and good at instructing a tough unit.
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BIOCHEM 501
Quality 5/5Difficulty 4/5
Let me retake an exam I had missed, very understanding guy. Do all the practice exams for this class they will make it a lot easier
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BIOCHEM 501
Quality 3/5Difficulty 3/5
Pennella is a good professor for the tougher unit in Biochem 501. He attempts to make the course more easy to follow but it's really up to you if you're into Anabolism. The class is exam heavy with 4 exams but each exam is noncumulative and easy if you put in the time to study with the practice exams and drawing out the complex pathways.
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BIOCHEM 501
Quality 5/5Difficulty 3/5
Despite some of the other ratings I found him to be the easiest to understand and follow along of all three lecturers. He is also extremely accommodating with no complaints, which I really appreciate.
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BIOCHEM 501
Quality 5/5Difficulty 4/5
Very kind and cares about students. Very difficult material but, so he makes the effort to hand write some of the material and organize it in a way that helps students.
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BIOCHEM 501
Quality 5/5Difficulty 4/5
Dr. Pennella's lectures were always very interesting. Outside of class he was also very friendly and showed he cared about the students.
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Personal experiences, not a representative survey. Profile matching and captured coverage are shown in the source details.

Classes with MARIO PENNELLA

BIOCHEM 100

Biochemistry First-year Seminar

1 credits

BIOCHEM 100 introduces students to the biochemistry discipline, department, faculty research, university resources, and career paths.

No offering record · Spring 2026

with this instructor · course overall, matching historical terms

Mario PennellaDanielle Widner

historical GPA · grades

Fall 2021–Spring 2026
BIOCHEM 104

Molecules to Life and the Nature of Science

3 credits

BIOCHEM 104 introduces molecular life and evolution, exploring current biotechnology and genetic topics to foster scientific literacy.

No offering record · Spring 2026

with this instructor · course overall, matching historical terms

Mario PennellaRichard Amasino

historical GPA · grades

Fall 2021–Spring 2026
BIOCHEM 299

Independent Study

1–3 credits

BIOCHEM 299 is an independent study course where students conduct research under the direct guidance of a Biochemistry faculty member.

No offering record · Spring 2026

with this instructor · course overall, matching historical terms

Mario PennellaBryce Lafoya+7 more

historical GPA · grades

Fall 2021–Spring 2026
BIOCHEM 301

Survey of Biochemistry

Credits unavailable

A survey of biochemistry covering biomolecule properties, metabolism, and genetic mechanisms for non-specialists.

No offering record · Spring 2026

with this instructor · course overall, matching historical terms

Paul FriesenMario Pennella+1 more

historical GPA · grades

Spring 2022–Spring 2026
BIOCHEM 501

Introduction to Biochemistry

3 credits

Covers the chemistry, nutrition, and metabolism of biological systems.

No offering record · Spring 2026

with this instructor · course overall, matching historical terms

Scott CoyleMario Pennella+2 more

historical GPA · grades

Fall 2021–Spring 2026

Recorded teaching history

Distinct courses recorded per term

Explore courses taught by this instructor →
Browse recorded courses
TermCourseTitle
Spring 2026BIOCHEM 100Biochemistry First-year Seminar
Spring 2026BIOCHEM 104Molecules to Life and the Nature of Science
Spring 2026BIOCHEM 299Independent Study
Spring 2026BIOCHEM 301Survey of Biochemistry
Spring 2026BIOCHEM 501Introduction to Biochemistry
Fall 2025BIOCHEM 100Biochemistry First-year Seminar
Fall 2025BIOCHEM 104Molecules to Life and the Nature of Science
Fall 2025BIOCHEM 299Independent Study
Fall 2025BIOCHEM 501Introduction to Biochemistry
Spring 2025BIOCHEM 100Biochemistry First-year Seminar
Spring 2025BIOCHEM 104Molecules to Life and the Nature of Science
Spring 2025BIOCHEM 501Introduction to Biochemistry
Fall 2024BIOCHEM 100Biochemistry First-year Seminar
Fall 2024BIOCHEM 104Molecules to Life and the Nature of Science
Fall 2024BIOCHEM 501Introduction to Biochemistry
Spring 2024BIOCHEM 100Biochemistry First-year Seminar
Spring 2024BIOCHEM 104Molecules to Life and the Nature of Science
Spring 2024BIOCHEM 501Introduction to Biochemistry
Fall 2023BIOCHEM 100Biochemistry First-year Seminar
Fall 2023BIOCHEM 104Molecules to Life and the Nature of Science
Fall 2023BIOCHEM 501Introduction to Biochemistry
Spring 2023BIOCHEM 100Biochemistry First-year Seminar
Spring 2023BIOCHEM 104Molecules to Life and the Nature of Science
Spring 2023BIOCHEM 501Introduction to Biochemistry
Fall 2022BIOCHEM 100Biochemistry First-year Seminar
Fall 2022BIOCHEM 104Molecules to Life and the Nature of Science
Fall 2022BIOCHEM 501Introduction to Biochemistry
Spring 2022BIOCHEM 100Biochemistry First-year Seminar
Spring 2022BIOCHEM 104Molecules to Life and the Nature of Science
Spring 2022BIOCHEM 501Introduction to Biochemistry
Fall 2021BIOCHEM 100Biochemistry First-year Seminar
Fall 2021BIOCHEM 104Molecules to Life and the Nature of Science
Fall 2021BIOCHEM 501Introduction to Biochemistry
Fall 2020BIOCHEM 100Biochemistry First-year Seminar
Fall 2020BIOCHEM 104Molecules to Life and the Nature of Science
Fall 2020BIOCHEM 501Introduction to Biochemistry
Spring 2020BIOCHEM 100Biochemistry First-year Seminar
Spring 2020BIOCHEM 501Introduction to Biochemistry
Fall 2019BIOCHEM 100Biochemistry First-year Seminar
Fall 2019BIOCHEM 104Molecules to Life and the Nature of Science
Fall 2019BIOCHEM 501Introduction to Biochemistry
Spring 2019BIOCHEM 100Biochemistry First-year Seminar
Spring 2019BIOCHEM 104Molecules to Life and the Nature of Science
Spring 2019BIOCHEM 501Introduction to Biochemistry
Fall 2018BIOCHEM 100Biochemistry First-year Seminar
Fall 2018BIOCHEM 104Molecules to Life and the Nature of Science
Fall 2018BIOCHEM 501Introduction to Biochemistry
Spring 2018BIOCHEM 100Biochemistry First-year Seminar
Spring 2018BIOCHEM 104Molecules to Life and the Nature of Science
Spring 2018BIOCHEM 501Introduction to Biochemistry
Fall 2017BIOCHEM 501Introduction to Biochemistry

Teaching history may be incomplete. Course pages contain course-specific feedback and citations.

Instructor identity & provenance 
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