ENGR 2500

This has been, hands-down, my favorite class at UVa. The only prerequisite is to be able to write, and be able to do basic algebra.

Prof. Bean is an energetic and fantastic lecturer. He covers many aspects of nanoscience/technology, at times going into a particular field in-depth. However, his aim is to give you a broad exposure to the field. He puts in an incredible amount of time to preparing the lectures and labs, and is always willing to meet students outside of class. His lectures are peppered with his own personal war stories of when he worked at Bell Labs.

There is a weekly article summary and lab quiz that account for ~50% of the final grade. The midterm and final are both research essays. Aside from the lab quizzes, where there is a clear right/wrong, the rest is graded on whether or not Prof. Bean thinks that you are going out of your 'shell' (i.e., major) and learning new things. Attendance is mandatory and you cannot use cellphones/laptops.

Professor Bean's class is one of the most fun classes I have taken at UVA. I was fortunate enough to get into his class as a second semester first year. The lectures are boring at times but that's mostly because Professor Bean is so intelligent that you might not understand some of the things he says. He's just too smart. There are weekly reports which are graded pretty harshly at the beginning. I'm not sure if I ended up writing better or if he started grading more loosely. But they weren't too bad overall. You have weekly lab quizzes that aren't super easy but they aren't hard if you read over the material that he says they're going to be on. He is very approachable and more than willing to answer any questions that you have. He is very passionate about this subject and this class and you can tell. He knows his stuff but he still constantly stated that he didn't know everything. I thought I wouldn't end up with an A or an A- in the course like the grade distribution but I was wrong. You might feel like you're getting your butt whooped, but there's some type of great curve at the end because it wasn't possible for me to get an A at the end, but I did. The final is also a 7-10 SINGLE SPACED paper. So if you're not ready for that, don't take the class. It's due the last day of finals and you can't write it in one day. Don't let it intimidate you either. If you write a page or two a day in the weeks leading up to the due date, it'll be a breeze. This class is awesome. Take it if you can :)

Labs are awesome. Hands down the best science elective you can take here in SEAS. The lectures are boring and the weekly homework writings get to be a little annoying, but the class is awesome and provides a cool chance to understand a cutting-edge field. In lab you use some crazy machines and he gets a little grumpy in lab if people come in late or touch things they shouldn't touch, but it's understandable because of how expensive stuff is. Don't settle for taking some boring systems of info or materials science class: take nano tech! You won't regret it.

Most of the reviews are very old and this class has changed! I really enjoyed this class and I highly recommend it, but it's overrated. You have weekly single spaced 1-page analysis papers to write. These can be annoying, but they really keep you up to date on nanonews. Something that has changed is that Bean requires book work now. Some of the questions are actually pretty difficult. His grading for the book work is awful because he looks for specific answers. It doesn't matter if your answer answers the question... if it's not what he's looking for, it's wrong. Same goes for the lab quizzes. The lab quizzes are pretty straight forward if you study... but you need to answer everything with great precision. They're pretty easy in general though. His lectures are extremely boring and I didn't get much out of it. Sometimes it's interesting... but those are the complicated units... which make no sense after he talks for 10 minutes. He's an extremely knowledgeable person though!! He basically knows everything, so I never really questioned his grading or anything. Overall, I didn't really learn to much Nanoscience. This class isn't set up to teach you Quantum Physics or Nanoscience though... the class is here to help you "figure out how to figure things out." (as Bean would always say) Overall, I think it did. I have a much better understanding of science in general and I think I've developed better skills to analyze technology. It almost felt like an STS class (but way cooler).
The reason I would recommend this is because you learn to act like a researcher. You develop better analytical skills and you use really cool equipment. While the earlier labs tend to be boring... the labs near the end of the semester are definitely once in a lifetime experiences.
Overall, fun class that can sometimes be annoying. If you put in effort, easy A. (3-6 hours a week). He's a harsh grader. I think the highest grade in the class was like a 90.... but he ends up curving and gives out a bunch of A's. Just make sure you're above average.

This is hands down the best science elective you can take. The lectures can be very boring at times, but the labs make up for it. They were very interesting and engaging, and do not concentrate on filling out lab reports like other labs at UVA. The best thing you can do to get a good grade in this class is to study for the lab quizzes, as I think these had the biggest impact on your overall grade. John Bean is also an amazing professor, and goal is to make his students interested in the subject.