Current instructor
Original student reviews · all captured dates
Amasino is passionate but not super good at lectures like the other 3 professors. He doesn't try as hard as other professors to engage with the class, and this might be also due to a more difficult Catabolism unit. The class is exam heavy with 4 exams but they are noncumulative and easy as long as you draw out pathways and do the practice exams.Rate My Professors ↗
The degree of boredom I experienced during this section defied the limits of possibility. Slides were dense and badly written- at least 20 lines of text per slide that I condensed into 6 words. 30% of material is untested and "FYI", giving much-needed time during lecture for you to go back and figure out what happened in the previous slides.Rate My Professors ↗
Personally, I found his lectures pretty hard to follow. There was a lot of information and I felt like his lectures jumped from one topic to another with no order. There was also a lot of information on the lectures slides that you didn't need to know which made it pretty difficult to study for the exams since there was just so much information.Rate My Professors ↗
Professor Amasino's lectures were always very interesting. Outside of class he was also very friendly and showed he cared about the students.Rate My Professors ↗
Professor Amasino's lecture slides were very dense and had lots of material to take in but he does his best to break them down. The slides are also old but he does make clear what you need to know.Rate My Professors ↗
Had a lot of material in his lectures, but a lot of it was just "historical context." Kind of a boring guy to listen to, but his exam was just like the practice exams. I wouldn't mind taking a class from him again, but I wouldn't jump at the opportunity to either.Rate My Professors ↗
Personal experiences, not a representative survey. Profile matching and captured coverage are shown in the source details.
Introduction to molecular life mechanisms and evolutionary diversity, exploring current topics like gene editing, genomics, and biotechnology to evaluate scientific claims.
Offering recorded · Spring 2027 · Sources
Recent recorded grades — Spring 2025: 3.96 GPA, 98.4% A/AB (n=728 letter grades); Fall 2025: 3.92 GPA, 95.5% A/AB (n=732 letter grades); Spring 2026: 3.93 GPA, 96.8% A/AB (n=698 letter grades). Includes jointly taught sections.
historical GPA · grades
Fall 2022–Spring 2026Independent Study involves research work under the direct guidance of a Biochemistry faculty member.
Offering recorded · Spring 2027 · Sources
Recent recorded grades — Spring 2024: 4.00 GPA, 100.0% A/AB (n=13 letter grades); Fall 2024: 4.00 GPA, 100.0% A/AB (n=21 letter grades); Spring 2025: 4.00 GPA, 100.0% A/AB (n=20 letter grades).
historical GPA · grades
Fall 2022–Spring 2026Survey of Biochemistry explores chemical properties of biomolecules, metabolism, and DNA processes, linking them to disease, drug design, and gene therapy; it does not prepare students for advanced biochemistry or med/vet admission.
Offering recorded · Spring 2027 · Sources
Recent recorded grades — Spring 2026: 2.93 GPA, 40.5% A/AB (n=37 letter grades). Includes jointly taught sections.
historical GPA · grades
Spring 2023–Spring 2026Introduction to Biochemistry covers the chemistry, nutrition, and metabolism of biological systems, emphasizing biomolecular structures, genetic information processes, and central metabolic pathways.
Offering recorded · Spring 2027 · Sources
Past student reviews · RIchard Amasino
Richard Amasino’s lectures were described as straightforward and passionate, with students appreciating his historical context and in-class multiple-choice questions. Other students found them disjointed or hard to follow because slides contained too much information. The class was exam-heavy, but non-cumulative exams were considered easy if students drew pathways and did practice exams.
historical GPA · grades
Fall 2022–Spring 2026Senior Honors Thesis: First semester of individual study for undergraduate students in an Honors program completing a thesis in Biochemistry, arranged with a faculty member.
Offering recorded · Spring 2027 · Sources
No recorded grade history
Second semester individual study for undergraduates in an Honors program completing a Biochemistry thesis, arranged with a Biochemistry faculty member.
Offering recorded · Spring 2027 · Sources
No recorded grade history
First-semester individual study for undergraduates completing a Biochemistry thesis, arranged with a Biochemistry faculty member.
Offering recorded · Spring 2027 · Sources
No recorded grade history
Second semester individual study for undergraduates completing a Biochemistry senior thesis, involving literature review, research methodologies, thesis writing, and communication of findings.
Offering recorded · Spring 2027 · Sources
No recorded grade history
Special Problems provides credit for supervised research, library, or lab work. Students arrange specific projects and credits directly with their faculty supervisor.
Offering recorded · Spring 2027 · Sources
Recent recorded grades — Fall 2007: 4.00 GPA, 100.0% A/AB (n=6 letter grades); Spring 2008: 4.00 GPA, 100.0% A/AB (n=7 letter grades); Spring 2015: 4.00 GPA, 100.0% A/AB (n=17 letter grades).
historical GPA · grades
Fall 2022–Spring 2026 · limited sampleIndependent laboratory research course for preparing a graduate thesis or dissertation under faculty supervision.
Offering recorded · Spring 2027 · Sources
No recorded grade history
Independent study involving research work in Genetics under the direct guidance of a faculty member, with students arranging work and credits with the instructor.
Offering recorded · Spring 2027 · Sources
historical GPA · grades
Fall 2023–Spring 2024 · limited sampleIndependent laboratory research in preparation of a graduate thesis under supervision of a faculty member.
Offering recorded · Spring 2027 · Sources
No recorded grade history
Distinct courses recorded per term
Explore courses taught by this instructor →| Term | Course | Title |
|---|---|---|
| Spring 2027 | BIOCHEM 104 | Molecules to Life and the Nature of Science |
| Spring 2027 | BIOCHEM 299 | Independent Study |
| Spring 2027 | BIOCHEM 301 | Survey of Biochemistry |
| Spring 2027 | BIOCHEM 501 | Introduction to Biochemistry |
| Spring 2027 | BIOCHEM 681 | Senior Honors Thesis |
| Spring 2027 | BIOCHEM 682 | Senior Honors Thesis |
| Spring 2027 | BIOCHEM 691 | Senior Thesis |
| Spring 2027 | BIOCHEM 692 | Senior Thesis |
| Spring 2027 | BIOCHEM 699 | Special Problems |
| Spring 2027 | BIOCHEM 990 | Research |
| Spring 2027 | GENETICS 299 | Independent Study |
| Spring 2027 | GENETICS 990 | Research |
| Fall 2026 | BIOCHEM 104 | Molecules to Life and the Nature of Science |
| Fall 2026 | BIOCHEM 299 | Independent Study |
| Fall 2026 | BIOCHEM 501 | Introduction to Biochemistry |
| Fall 2026 | BIOCHEM 681 | Senior Honors Thesis |
| Fall 2026 | BIOCHEM 682 | Senior Honors Thesis |
| Fall 2026 | BIOCHEM 691 | Senior Thesis |
| Fall 2026 | BIOCHEM 692 | Senior Thesis |
| Fall 2026 | BIOCHEM 699 | Special Problems |
| Fall 2026 | BIOCHEM 990 | Research |
Teaching history may be incomplete. Course pages contain course-specific feedback and citations.
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