Dorothy Eppler

Ms. Eppler was my instructor in two courses. On the basis of Biotech 221, I would have given her a grade considerably higher than a C+. In Biotech 101, though, she often became irritated with her students and sometimes had snide responses to questions that she didn't like. On one occasion, she slapped at the hand of a student who, while looking for some equipment, touched something that she was working on. She's pleasant most of the time, but her bad moments are frequent enough - and usually uncalled for - that I can't really recommend her.

Ms. Eppler was one of two instructors in Biotech 221, Biotech Process Instrumentation. The two instructors aptly describe this course as a hybrid. Ms. Eppler, who has a background in biotechnology, teaches the regulatory and validation parts of the course. Keith Mueller, who is an electrical engineer by training, teaches the instrumentation part of the course. The regulatory and validation topics are much easier than the instrumentation and software. The testing in the class on the instrumentation topics is not too rigorous, though, so I was able to get a decent grade.

Biotech 101, Industrial Biotechnology, is a considerably more difficult class. Most of the time is spent in the lab, running processes used in the manufacture of biotechnology products. There is actually not a lot of required work in terms of reading assignments or homework, but you still need to spend time on the Internet, for example making sure that you understand the theory behind the techniques and processes that you perform. My classmates were a good group. A lot of them already had science degrees and/or lab experience and had a good understanding of what we were doing. Things often got pretty hectic in lab, and Ms. Eppler sometimes showed her irritable side at those times.