I took MCDB 144 with Dr. Rigueur after taking MCDB 138 with her. Overall, I would recommend taking the courses she teaches as she is a good professor who is clearly very passionate about biology.

In terms of course content, this course is pretty biochemistry heavy as it mainly focuses on molecular mechanisms involving DNA, RNA and proteins. The trickiest part of this course in my opinion was breaking down these processes as well as keeping track of all the various components and their roles (like transcription factors) in each mechanism. That being said, don't be too intimidated as this course is very doable if you put in the effort.

I would highly recommend paying attention to content covered in lecture for this course. This shouldn't be a big problem, as Dr. Rigueur is a very engaging lecturer and facilitates discussions about class content during lecture to enhance understanding. In addition to slides, Dr. Rigueur also includes helpful videos in her lecture slides to better visualize the processes she talks about in lecture and explains what is happening in the videos as well. She also provides really helpful resources like study guides to help students study for exams.

Discussions mainly focus on research papers loosely relating to content covered in lecture. Though it may seem daunting, Dr. Rigueur provides resources in the beginning of the quarter on what to pay attention to when reading a paper with is really helpful. When I took the course, discussion consisted of discussing the assigned paper for the week.

Lastly Dr. Rigueur encourages students to reach out to her if they need help. She has office hours which are very helpful and also provides her office line for students. Highly recommend reaching out to her if help is needed!

I Had Dr, Rigueur for MCDB 144 and absolutely luveeddd the class :3. I'll list just a couple reasons why here (but trust, there are many more lol)

1. The class was a lot of biochemistry review!! I personally loveeddd all my biochemistry and organic chemistry classes (I know yuckkk!!) so this class was a really nice refresher on things I already knew. I'll be honest, that definitely helped make the concepts easier to grasp for me, but trust I'll explain some more objective reasons for why I think the class is doable even if you don't like biochem/ haven't taken biochemistry classes before (although if you've taken a biochem class before and you liked biochemistry, I think you'll like the class even more just because you're getting to learn again about something you already liked before from a good and knowledgeable professor).
2. We had numerous opportunities for Extra Credit. I think there was like 40 points EC in all. I forgot how much total points were in the class, but 40 points EC was enough to cover you if you boomed like 2-3 quizzes, or got a C on one or both exams, seriously.
3. I liked that we read research papers. I had never done research before her class so research papers and being in a class with people who have/are doing research (in a major very focused on research no less) was admittedly, intimidating. But she did well to make sure TAs and she explained how to approach research papers, understand, and mostly, apply them. We encountered some test questions where we had to analyze research results and apply them which seems daunting especially cause I had no experience, but trust, this class, and her questions on the exams will make sure you know how to do both (her exam questions about research results really aren't that difficult promise)
4. She had study guides OMG this was soooo helpful. There's a lot of topics that can get overwhelming quickly but she had study guides for every test that were so detailed and helpful in pointing us towards what we need to know that I could cry of relief. It was so much easier and better studying for exams where I knew what was on it
5. She's just nice and very approachable. This is a little more subjective, but genuinely she's a kind professor and it's easy to see that as well as her passion. She wants you to learn, you just gotta be right there with her in that learning process too and you'll do just fine (and even better tbh).
6. I believe she dropped our lowest quiz scores + had options to drop either the midterm or final if we at least passed both. Put a lot less stress to feel like you had to do perfect on every exam, especially when you had multiple things to stress about during midterms and finals week.
7. Class was engaging as shed give time for us to discuss things, play videos for us to watch during lecture, etc. This helps break from lecturing and felt like she was talking to us rather than at us. Also helps with making friends in lectures as you're forced to either talk to someone or sit there awkwardly lol.
8. She had recorded Zoom lectures in which she'd lecture but also be on Zoom. She'd then post these recorded lectures for us to watch later on. This was EXTREMELY helpful in case you missed something during lecture, couldn't make it for one reason or the other, etc. Genuinely one of the biggest pluses of this class, these recorded lectures were awesome (and I like that she used Zoom instead of Bruincast bcs we all know how many times Bruincast will sometimes not record, miss audio, etc.)

There's a lot more things to be said, but to close it off, take MCD144 with this professor. Good lecture, very clear passion and knowledge, lots of opportunities for EC, and a clear intent for you to do well (due to study guides, drops, EC etc.) AND Zoom lectures which is always awesome

Dr. Rigueur is an outstanding professor whose passion for research and biology shines through in every lecture. I have taken her MCDB 144, MCDB 180A, and MCDB 180B courses, and she has significantly enriched my learning experience by fostering an engaging, supportive, and enriching learning environment. From the beginning, she made me feel welcomed by ensuring that every student, including myself, was recognized and included during class discussions.

MCDB 144 itself is an intensive class covering many aspects of molecular biology. However, Dr. Rigueur's lecture style is highly engaging as she is able to simplify complex concepts for students. Attending office hours is a great way to discuss material and get to know Dr. Rigueur herself. The exams were rigorous, but fair as long as you studied and understood the material well. Under Dr. Rigueur's guidance, all of the molecular biology knowledge and techniques that we learned has well prepared me for working as a research associate in a lab after graduation.

Overall, I greatly enjoyed this class due to Dr. Rigueur's enthusiasm, passion, and expertise across multiple fields of biology. Not only did she teach the material effectively, but she also cultivated a supportive community that inspired growth and enthusiasm for science. I'd highly recommend taking this class with Dr. Rigueur!

The class materials are super interesting and really dig into the molecular level of many fascinated biological pathways. Professor Rigueur is very passionate about teaching and is very approachable during class and outside of the classroom. I would really like to take this class again since it's an enjoyable process to learn all of these interesting topics with such a passionate professor.