Ganesh Sriram

This professor has taught: BIOE120, BIOE689L, CHBE100, CHBE101, CHBE333, CHBE444, CHBE484, ENCH468M, ENCH609, ENCH648

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Ganesh Sriram BIOE120 Expecting an A Anonymous 10/05/2024	Literally I am writing this a semester late because I miss this professor so much. He prepares you so well for any science course. Exposes you to amino acids and functional groups. Also exposes you to different bioengineering methods and careers. He is very passionate about the quality of his work. His canvas page is the most organized canvas page known to man. I have nothing bad to say please take him. I am taking BSCI330 right now and I can think in higher understanding because of how well this class prepared me. Sriram is so so kind and literally bends his schedule to even give us learning hours which we can literally spend time with him and our classmates to understand material better.
Ganesh Sriram BIOE120 Expecting an A Anonymous 07/27/2024	Dr. Sriram is a very knowledgeable man. He is compassionate, kind, and importantly, understanding for his students. I would DISREGARD any and most reviews before the COVID-19 pandemic; I find them to simply be unjust. The assigned homework takes time (~1–3 hours). However, the discussion section of the course provides plenty of guidance to help you. There was a total of 3 exams (2 midterms and 1 final). In my humble opinion, the exams were 100% fair. He provides multiple example exams that are representative. Make sure to be specific in written responses, as the points add up; hold onto his custom worksheets, they will show up on your exams; form study groups with the peers around you; and attend office hours, he responds to email promptly. I highly suggest taking Dr. Sriram for BIOE120.
Ganesh Sriram BIOE120 Expecting an A Anonymous 06/07/2024	Dr. Sriram an awesome and engaging. His Elms page and all his notes are super organized and clear, his exams are graded very fairly, and you are allowed to bring a number of cheat sheets depending on the exam. I was taking chem134 and am taking Orgo 1 now during this next semester, and his class prepared me super well. Having exposure to functional groups, partial charges, stereochemistry, and more have all helped me pick up the new material much faster. Although I have not taken biochemistry yet, I feel more prepared for that also having taken his class. His class covered topics from enzyme kinetics, amino acids, DNA & RNA, thermodynamics, metabolic engineering, the Krebs cycle, and more. There is a tiny curve at the end. I totally recommend taking him, especially any chemical engineers as he sometimes related what we are learning in class to chemical engineering applications.
Ganesh Sriram BIOE120 Expecting a B Anonymous 05/09/2024	I think the way that they format classes currently is very instructive and helpful. They are a lot of Hw and they weighed pretty heavily, but I honestly think they give it their best and they do a pretty great job being accommodating.
Ganesh Sriram BIOE120 Expecting a B Anonymous 04/23/2024	Lecture + discussion is mandatory, which is annoying. A good chunk of assignments are Desmos, which are all locked with a keyword given in class, so if you miss it you're screwed. He's a mediocre lecturer: lecture can be really annoying, but he seems to be trying his best. SO MUCH busywork and annoying assignments: the homeworks are tough and take a lot of time, and there is no shortage of assignments at all. The exams are stupidly hard; they're similar-ish to the hw and Desmos, but there are WAY too many questions for the time allotted. Really, really time-consuming class: he expects you to completely devote yourself to this class. Overall, know what you're getting into; this is definitely not an easy class.
Ganesh Sriram BIOE120 Expecting an A Anonymous 05/26/2023	If you want to actually learn, take Sriram. He actually cares about your success and understanding and he provides you with all the help you need to succeed. Whether it be canvas resources, finding in-class activities, learning communities, office hours, or even a quick email, Dr. Sriram can definitely answer any questions or concerns you may have. If you forgot to submit something, let him know, and he will let you redo it for full credit. ATTEND THE LECTURES, #1 he's a great lecturer #2 though he shares his notes on OneNote, you need to know what he is saying because thats where he pulls questions from for the exam. If you miss a lecture, let him know and ask him about what you need to know and what you can use. The only reason I gave him 4 instead of 5 is because of some of the assignments. There were maybe 1 or 2 assignments that felt like we were expected to ride a bike without knowing how to. Then again, asking the TA and the prof himself helps a LOT! And his homework and assignments, though intimidating, are pretty straightforward and really help you understand the topics. Bottom line, put in the effort, ask a lot of questions, and you will do great!
Ganesh Sriram BIOE120 Expecting an A+ Anonymous 12/17/2022	Took BIOE120 with Dr. Sriram in Spring 2022. Dr. Sriram is an incredible professor. He's very knowledgeable in this field and wants students to succeed in the course (which they do thanks to his great teaching). Dr. Sriram hosts 2 hour exam study sessions before an exam, and they are extremely helpful. Midterms are extremely fair. Homework is on the slightly challenging side, but the TAs assist greatly. Would definitely take BIOE120 with him if you have the chance.
Ganesh Sriram CHBE333 Expecting an A- Anonymous 02/10/2021	Mediocre lecturer: may have a strong understanding of first-principles, but has no business teaching them
Ganesh Sriram CHBE444 Expecting a B Anonymous 11/28/2020	Sriram is of another dimension. If you are not capable of committing 20+ hours a week to complete all the work he has set out for the class then you will suffer and there is nothing you can do about it. He tries very hard to organize the course in a unique method but it only serves to make finding anything pertinent annoying. Rather than find a more effective method to engage the class to ensure understanding every assignment is made unnecessarily complicated so you have to spend hours on end working through each assignment. Lectures cover the simplest of examples while assignments more based in reality are impossible as the class material is practically irrelevant. After many complaints about the strenuousness of the course, rather than reduce the complexity of everything, Dr. Sriram instead overhauled the course entirely so that the only consistent portions of the course were now gone and we had to adjust to an entire new structure half way through the semester. All of this is to say that while his heart is in the right place in trying to be a good teacher, every effort misses its target by a country mile and instead the class is simply punished week after week.
Ganesh Sriram CHBE444 Expecting an A Anonymous 01/17/2020	Great Teacher. Work hard, and will get good results.
Ganesh Sriram BIOE120 Expecting an A Anonymous 01/15/2019	He had a good lecture style, printed packets for you, and had interesting lectures. If you ever needed help for anything in his class, he was more than willing to take time and go through it with you. He would also post multiple hints or clarifications on ELMS promptly whenever you emailed him a question. Though I found his discussions kind of pointless (but mandatory) he was a nice guy who genuinely loves teaching his students and the materials.
Ganesh Sriram BIOE120 Expecting an A- Anonymous 05/11/2014	I am posting this review to potentially sway you to NOT TAKE THIS PROFESSOR. As a straight A student at UMD, and a very-hard worker, I found the content and manner in which Sriram teaches class to be ineffective at evaluating my knowledge of basic biology-engineering concepts. The content of the tests and homeworks are completely irrelevant to the Engineering curriculum of your major, and test you on material that is most often not taught in class. Expect to be taken back by the arrogant attitude of the professor as well as his hasty emails that lack any sort of professionalism. Also, expect to spend the majority of your time at Keystone, with the TA. Having Dr. Sriram teaching Biology for Engineers, is a disgrace to the University as well as the Engineering School. Does not care about the students. AVOID AT ALL COSTS
Ganesh Sriram BIOE120 Anonymous 05/11/2013	Professor Sriram is very intelligent and knows what he's talking about... That being said... He is not a good teacher... I very much dislike him and his attitude. He acts like biology is the end all be all of the world and that everyone loves it as much as him and knows as much as him. He makes the homeworks and the exams near impossible. Also, I had to miss a couple of his classes (and one exam) for medical reasons, and he was completely uncooperative! It took me an entire month A MONTH to finally get ahold of him and get him to give me the make up exam... I wound up taking it two days before the second exam causing me to have little time to study for the second exam (I wound up failing the 2nd exam). He has a very high opinion of himself. Sriram is lazy and never gets anything graded and returned to you in a reasonable manner nor does he ever get anything to you on time. Yet he penalizes us very heavily for being even a minute late on our homeworks. Overall, I am not a fan...
Ganesh Sriram Expecting an A- Anonymous 12/31/2012	He's okay. As totally typical of Sriram, his homeworks are hard and will take you a long time. However, this class is easy, and there were only 5 hws total, and 1 of them was really easy. Our class had all sorts of majors in the class, so I feel like it had to be that way. You have to be comfortable with basic matlab scripts for this class. He also lets you bring anything to the exam. You don't need any textbooks for this class.
Ganesh Sriram BIOE120 Expecting an A gsneck 04/11/2012	Sriram might pull some ridiculousness when it comes to turning in homework in time (He arrives late half the time too) but he also knows what hes talking about. he overplays his own research, but he knows how to explain what he wants to, and the same things he stresses in class he will stress on a test. if you go to class every day and pay attention you should have no problem acing any class he teaches, he's the kind of genius being a doctor at the age of 26 suggests
Ganesh Sriram BIOE120 Anonymous 02/24/2012	Dr. Sriram is TERRIBLE. like others have said he's brillant, and he really is; but he expects you to know as much as he does while taking this intro course. His homeworks are ridiculously hard and his grading on his homeworks are pretty unfair. Its HW #3 and I've spent hours upon hours in research for things the average bio person doesn't know. this is an intro class but he treats it like a 300-400 level class. I don't know what the exams are like but I'm sure it wont be pretty. whatever you do DO NOT TAKE THIS PROFESSOR! if you have to wait a semester for another one I'd strongly advise it.
Ganesh Sriram BIOE120 Expecting an A Anonymous 12/09/2011	Sriram is extremely smart, and sometimes I think he expected his students to think the same way he does. You have to go to class, as he memorizes all 100+ students in the lecture by name and will notice if you aren't there. He expects quiet at all times and the class can get extremely boring, but he is kind at heart and will occasionally try to crack a joke. The class itself was difficult in that the weekly homework he assigned always seemed to take a couple hours and would be more difficult than anything covered in class. His tests also were very tough. This being said, he was an easy grader. On tests, the range for an A was usually anything over a 70. I ended up with an 85 in the class (without any curves) and was comfortably in the A range. He is also very receptive to students during office hours.
Ganesh Sriram BIOE120 Expecting an A- Anonymous 05/29/2011	Dr. Sriram is tough. Not gonna lie. But hes absolutely brilliant and really knows his stuff. From wht ive heard the other professors for BIOE120 are also really hard so I'd say Sriram is as good a bet as any but be prepared to work hard. Theres a good curve though so if u stay above the average you should be just fine.
Ganesh Sriram BIOE120 Pochacco 05/19/2011	Dr. Sriram is the DEVIL. He knows what he's teaching inside and out. He's an extremely intelligent person and a good lecturer, albeit a little monotone and too fast-paced. Unfortunately, his homeworks are super hard and take me HOURS to do, and his exams are just ridiculous. Even if you understand the material, it's a very comprehensive class. He tries to get you to apply concepts in ways that are difficult to see at first. He also teaches stuff that you apparently learn in upper level courses, making it unnecessarily difficult... I think his manner of teaching this class is really unfair for an introductory level class. I got a 5 on AP bio and an A in bsci207, and I still found his class very difficult. He's not very approachable and makes you feel rather stupid when you ask questions. His exam averages are really low (like 60%). Not entirely sure how big his curves are, but as of now, I have a B-. He likes to curve the class so that most students will get a B, but his class is honestly not worth the time. If you have the option of taking another teacher DO IT. It'll save you hours of time, and your ego from taking a beating.
Ganesh Sriram BIOE120 Expecting a B Anonymous 05/09/2011	Dr. Sriram really knows his stuff! He teaches using the chalkboard, and gives examples and stuff, but when you start the hw, it's like 10 times harder then what he went over in class. Also, he says that he'll have something done by a certian day (like assigning the new hw, or updating grades), but it never is. You'll come to expect that saying he'll return something on monday really means thursday, or friday at the earliest. He does take advantage of the discussion feature on bb though, and it is extremely helpful!!!! I wish all of my teachers used this feature. Basically, take a crapload of notes and ask questions, and you'll be fine.
Ganesh Sriram Expecting a B+ Anonymous 06/17/2009	Good professor, knows his chemE. Tough course with tough exams and tough homework. Put a lot of time into reviewing notes/book/homework and go to his office hours, and you should do well. ~70% cutoff for an A
Ganesh Sriram Expecting an A+ Anonymous 05/30/2009	The first equation Dr. Sriram wrote on the board was "THERMO=HARD", and it turns out it is a hard class. That being said Dr. Sriram was able to clearly explain most of the concepts and was always available during office hours. His exams were extremely difficult and he ended up curving to make a 70 an A. Some of his homeworks are ridiculously hard, but if you show him that you have attempted the problem, he will give you some hints. P.S. NEVER go late to his class and NEVER interrupt his lectures, or you will be on his shitlist.
Ganesh Sriram Expecting a B Anonymous 05/19/2009	I wouldn't say Dr. Sriram is the best professor, but he definitely tries to get the material across in an understandable fashion. Obviously in a chemical engineering course, if you don't keep on top of your work, you'll fall behind, and have to work your ass off to catch back up, so I don't understand why people are complaining about his course, especially since he makes himself readily available via email and office hours. If you have Sriram as your professor, it's important to go to lectures and write everything down. Yes, I mean everything. You never know what might help you on the homeworks or tests (tests are open note, open book).
Ganesh Sriram Expecting a B Anonymous 04/20/2009	As the first class in chemical engineering, it is hard to know what to expect in ENCH215. However, if you have Professor Sriram, expect a fairly difficult class. Sriram himself wasn't a bad lecturer and was able to explain the concepts clearly enough (for me at least). Unfortunately, he seems really distant and condescending in lecture, but he is a pretty nice guy outside of class. However, that is about all the good I can say for the class as a whole. As far as I know, Sriram only has one graduate student under him and therefore only one TA. This TA is horrible. It is difficult to understand him and he does not teach well so going to discussion is pointless. Homework was just enough of your total grade to mess it up if you did not do well on the homework. Homework was weekly and it was impossible. No matter how much I worked on the homework during the week, I would still end up staying up all night the night before homework was due. Because of Sriram, I have seen more sunrises than I care to count. No matter how well you think you know the material from the lecture, the homework will still make you desperately search through the book for a way to solve the problems. Quizzes were annoying, but they were pretty easy especially if you brought your book (open book). However, they did not reflect the tests. Even though tests were open note/open book they were still pretty difficult. The sample exam was approximately the same difficulty as the actual test, but the actual test was changed just enough that you felt like the sample test did not help at all. The only redeeming quality in all of this is that Sriram's curve is pretty generous, with a majority of the class getting B's. If you're looking to get an A then good luck, but if you're okay with a B then with some effort it is not too difficult because of the curve.
Ganesh Sriram Expecting an A Anonymous 01/14/2009	Sriram relies far too much on PowerPoints for a class that centers on problem solving and analysis. The basic material was presented clearly, but the strategies and tools needed to actually solve the problems on an exam were difficult to learn from his Powerpoints. I found him to be quite approachable and likable during office hours/appointments, but he comes off as very arrogant and condescending towards his students during lecture. At some points during the semester, he would single out certain students in class as some kind of attempt to set an example. Sriram is also very nitpicky. Homework (which was often excessive and difficult) needed to be completed on engineering paper, stapled, signed with the honor code, and folded LENGTHWISE. If this was not done correctly, your homework would not be graded and you will receive a zero. Exams were okay for the most part, but a huge curve was always needed for half the class to pass. The overall grades for the class were fair (majority A's and B's), but most of us felt like we were going to fail for about 90% of the semester.
Ganesh Sriram Anonymous 12/24/2008	I wish you could score less than a 1. This guy is totally pointless and the TA is even worse. He uses powerpoint which when you take a class on concepts and theories don't help. He expects you to be able to get this new information from day 1 with no problems whatsoever. He's wrong. The book is pointless too (tip: don't bother finding the solutions manual since it has a lot of errors and he'll trap you if you use it for help). I'm pretty sure I'll be changing my major now thanks to him. Some people liked him, but a man that uses a "factor of 5" on how long it's projected you'll finish a test is a total failure of a teacher especially for an introductory level course. He makes himself available to the students, but he'll make you feel like a moron too. No redeeming qualities at all.
Ganesh Sriram Expecting an A Anonymous 12/17/2008	As a lecturer, he's relatively clear and gets the concepts across well. However, I feel as though he is entirely out of touch with what its like to be a student. HW sets take several hours and are graded so harshly that getting even a B (80/100) on them is near impossible. Also, the HW problems are far harder than the exams. I feel like the HW sets are generally useless and did not help me understand the material. He's not very understanding... counts HW sets late if you don't arrive at class precisely on the hour. He expects everyone to ask regular questions, but then mocks students for not understanding some material. Generally not approachable. I think he enjoys the fact that small mistakes can really mess up your grade. For instance, failing to bring the book to lecture could result in you failing the pop quizzes.
Ganesh Sriram Anonymous 12/02/2008	He's a fuck face. He can't teach for crap and assumes the class knows everything. I know you probably don't have a choice if you take him or not, but good luck (you'll need it)