With the Zoom complexion of a ripe cherry tomato and the demeanor of a jolly uncle, Christopher Kelty is an excellent professor. He taught the 2nd unit of this class, The Science and Politics of Conservation and Eradication, and Professor McEvoy taught the 1st (Antibiotic Resistance). Kelty was an engaging and entertaining professor who made sure that his lectures were never dry, mixing animal porn with goat hunting strategies nicely. Fun fact; he also has a PhD from MIT. McEvoy was also a solid lecturer, although a tad less jolly.

The workload of this class was pretty light overall, with 6 weekly section assignments (easy As), a "pod-based" group assignment (also an easy A), an exam for each unit, and a final paper (7 pages double-spaced). Both unit tests were pretty fair, open note open book, and could be completed within the 1.5 hours given. The Unit 1 test did feel harder than the Unit 2 test though. I suspect the Unit 2 test content and perhaps grading were made less stringent to support students because of the attacks against Asian Americans at the time, but I could be wrong. The paper wasn't too challenging and the format was pretty interesting, plus we had a good amount of freedom in choosing the topic. There's a lot of readings assigned for this class, but they're not tested directly and you can get by if you skim them. Carlie Leary was a good, no-nonsense TA who made a point of not wasting anybody's time during discussion sections. Overall, this class was a pretty easy A, especially if you're a good writer!

TAKE THIS CLASS! I loved Dr. Kelty. He is engaging, passionate, and genuinely a joy to have as a professor. This class opened my eyes to how interesting data can be, especially the ethics and implications of AI and data in healthcare. The material applies to real life even if you are not pursuing a healthcare career, and he also discusses everyday examples of AI and data you wouldn't even think about, like grocery shopping.

Participation is required for lecture and discussion, but there are flexible ways to participate for students who may not feel comfortable speaking in class. This can be as simple as showing up to discussion or being the note-taker during group activities in lecture. There are also online quizzes based on assigned readings. Late work is not accepted, but there are extra credit opportunities.

My favorite assignment was a quarter-long scavenger hunt where you find and reflect on examples of AI and data in everyday life. The final is a Shark Tank-style pitch for an AI-based healthcare product that you can do individually or in a group.

I had Skye as my TA, and she was the sweetest and most passionate TA I have had at UCLA! She was always responsive to questions and genuinely loved talking with students, whether it was about a career in data or your favorite TV show. Overall, a super interesting and relevant class with an amazing professor and TA!

Class isn't much of a guaranteed A as it is made out to be. There's a lot of required reading and you can't procrastinate with this class.