Andrei Ionescu-Zanetti

I had Phys111 with Andrei during the summer and even though a summer session physics class sounds challenging (because it is), he made it interesting and fun because of his great sense of humor. He really cares about his students and is always available to help you out. He is very fair with grading. Just do your very best in class, ask him questions, and you'll be fine.

The first thing you find out about Andrei on the first day of class is that he is "Andrei", not Mr. Ionescu-Zanetti, and that sets the tone: he is accessible, warm, friendly. He is also utterly devoted to teaching. He is truly a fantastic teacher: often really funny, very clear, very thoughtful about how he's going to order the presentation of the ideas. He is great in office hours, and provides lots of time to go talk to him. I also would emphasize that his accent is not a problem; he says "poomp" instead of "pump" and says "zis" instead of "this" but it's not really any thicker than the Count on Sesame Street (whose accent Andrei's resembles) and that's who first taught me math after all. I've never had a teacher at SFSU who was so good at engaging the class and making everyone feel that they should be very involved in everything he was talking about. He also learned students' names as soon as you went to office hours, and then used this to play off students' personalities to make the class even better. (A stressed-out student would be furrowing her brow, and he would say, "Now, -----, what is it that worries you about this equation?" And the student would be prompted to ask the question while she might have been too shy without the prompt. Or he would nab the most outgoing students as assistants for his class demos... etc.)

I will say, however, that he is quite tough; if he has a drawback it's that he consistently makes his exams too long; and though he provides formula sheets for the midterms and final (not for the quizzes though, so for those you've got to memorize), the formula sheets don't have absolutely everything you'll need. So, although he assigns (and grades) a fair amount of homework, you'd do well to do additional problems if you're having any trouble, and make sure you have a strong understanding of the material--don't rely on the formula sheets to bail you out. He also really emphasizes conceptual understanding and often asks you to solve problems without numbers (i.e., you solve for the relationship between the variables and not their values), and this means that you've got to have an understanding not only of math mechanics but of the meaning of mathematical relationships.

Because Andrei is not a Ph.D. he is not permanent faculty; this means that at any moment he could be snapped up to be permanent staff at a junior college (he is actively applying, according to another prof who came in and guest lectured while Andrei was at an interview). The fact that he hasn't already is sort of startling, but in the meantime, take advantage of him while you can--it doesn't get much better than Andrei, so don't put taking this class off if you can avoid it. Also based on reviews I've heard from many students over several semesters, avoid Fisher at all costs--another reason to grab Andrei while he's still here.

I took this class with Andrei a couple of summers ago and he was always happy to help me with the most challenging problems during office hours. I really appreciated that. Although in class he must be more formal, you will find that out of class he has a lot of empathy for his students. And in grading I think he is generous if you are working hard. This allowed me to relax and engage in the class without worrying about failing. My only criticism is of the course itself -- you can get by without really understanding the calculus because few of the problems require calculus to solve them. I had expected to improve my ability to use calculus and I didn't!

He was a very caring teacher. He was a good teacher. He was very communicative to his students. He concerns about his accent....:) That's the funny thing! Because he wants to make sure that his students are not lost at all (because of his accent) He's not a hard grader. He loves students who are hardworking, and he will be willing to help you if you have problems with the materials. Using his office hours will be helpful of your understanding to the materials for the course. I suggest whatever problem you have in class, you discuss them with this teacher, he would like to help you entirely. Again, he is a very caring teacher. So, don't be passive in class. Be active... I do think he's likely more a friend to me rather than a killer teacher. In this way, his students still pay attention to him and have respect.... in the better way we feel motivated and interested in coming to his class and listening to his lecture, and doing the tasks he assigned to us.

Prof. Ionescu is a very helpful and caring teacher. He assigns more homework (and more difficult problems)than the other Phys 111 Prof. but I think that is beneficial for the students. I feel that I've really learned and retained the material. I definately recommend his class for Pre-meds who must take the MCAT's. This is a demanding class but if you put the time and effort it, it is very rewarding too. Prof. Ionescu is very accessible and approachable. Definately take advantage of his office hours for help with homework problems and concepts. SFSU has few teachers who care as much as Prof. Ionescu does about his students.

Dr. Ionescu-Zanetti is a happy guy that deep down really loves physics, and wants us to appreciate it. This class is rather large, wherever you take it, being general physics for non-physics majors./n/n I recommend him highly, because he is approachable, and accessible. Fair and generous when it comes to grading. This works because if you really are slacking off, it will show in the end./n/n He's a nice guy with good demonstration skills. If you have the choice, take his section. Otherwise, deal with the other profs.