Thomas M. Niesen

I have to disagree with the other reviews here. I have talked to a few people about him and they said that he was much different in Bio 555 - much better. I was really disappointed with the misappropriation of lab time as we only really had maybe 7 labs total (including the 4 field trips). I hate the fact that you only get 1 credit hour for 3 hours of lab time, so it was even more upsetting that we sat through 90 minute (and plus) lectures that were difficult to follow even though a handout of his outline was provided. If you are getting 1 credit hour for the lecture than that is how long the lecture should last. If not change the way the units are given. I thought with a little forsight on his part we could have had many labs dealing with Fisheries Management and Sanctuaries, etc. It was challenging to ascertain what exactly was the point of what he was saying and to see how long he would actually keep talking without giving us a break to take care of necessities. There is never a key posted so it is up to you to figure out what you are doing wrong on the exams. I guess for the most part he is an easy grader, so you can do pretty well without too much studying but I am not sad to see him go on sabbatical.

Prof. Neisen is one of those instructors you'll be glad to take a class from. Since the above review is so long, I'll make mine short. He is polite, well organized, and friendly. He enjoys the classes he teaches, and he respects the ideas of his students. I took the Steinbeck class(which was awesome)which Prof. Neisen taught alongside with Dean James Kelly. Neisen was the perfect balance for Kelly who is, although very knowledgeable about Steinbeck,a little stuffy. I would recomend this class to anyone who likes reading Steinbeck, or someone who would like to find out more about him. The class consists of one field trip to Monterey, two quote identification exams, one essay, and the reading of 10-15 Steinbeck books.

Dr. Niesen is a superb educator, a commendable scientist, and a man of exceptionally high taste and integrity. His teaching style is smooth and entirely effective - in fact it's downright remarkable. His unmistakable enthusiasm for varied aspects of marine biology, oceanography, zoology and evolutionary biology combines synergistically with his finely polished teaching skill and research expertise. In each of the three courses I've enrolled in with Dr. Niesen, he has succeeded in creating an altogether positive learning experience for the students (graduates and undergraduates alike). His well-organized lecture and seminar formats regularly inspire insightful discussion and his approach to student questions is always patient, mindful and precise. It is abundantly evident that Dr. Niesen regards his professorship seriously and, importantly, he is truly committed to each of his students. Dr. Niesen has a tremendous capacity for compelling students toward heightened knowledge and awareness, and he has a keen sense for functional experimental designs and methods. Dr. Niesen always works well beyond the prescribed task, both in his classroom presentations and in laboratory settings, making every effort to present the most concise relevant and interesting topical information available. Dr. Niesen also rightly expects his students to be attentive to detail and to the scientific process, and he typically demands quite alot of high quality individual work. The bounty of assigned readings, quizzes and practicals are reasonable nonetheless, and his examinations are always thought provoking - enabling students to continue to learn by applying course materials to new and often unexpected natural scenarios. Overall, I've found Dr. Niesen's classroom preparation, discussion topics, laboratories, reading assignments, teaching methods and professorial sensibilities to be absolutely first rate. Simply put, we're all very fortunate to have this Superman at SFSU!

He is the best teacher I've ever had. He makes a student want to learn because he is so passionate about the subject, that it makes you excited about a sometimes dull topic! He is extremely cool and very approachable. He gives very fair tests and grades on your overall understanding of the subject. I would recommend everyone to take Niesen's class. He is very organized in the way he lectures and gives you only the information you need so you don't get confused on side tracking BS. There are like 4 quizzes and 3 midterms, which I personally enjoy because you get many chances to help your grade. He has a philosophy to reward students if they study hard.