Professor
Kirsten Turlo
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Most Helpful Review
Spring 2025 - Oh my did I love taking this class, and I think it's very helpful for those who are thinking about a Ph.D or other research related degrees. In short, the class delves into what it is being a researcher and the logistics of research. It talks about the money, the methods, how to write a proposal, how to read a paper, and dips a little into the politics behind research. The class is structured into 2 halves, with the first half discussing diversity in research and alcohol and the second half discussing about vaccine research. Grading was very light, and it shows that Dr. Turlo heavily values your participation in class. Most of the grade came from participating in lecture by filling out a paper worksheet based on the content Dr. Turlo covered in-class and attending discussion, so bring a pen/pencil. There are also 2 papers assigned in the class, but they're both designed to be very brief and concise -- it was more of a struggle attempting to shorten the paper compared to actually lengthening it. Discussion was kind of lacking compared to lecture however, and I found it boring to attend discussion other than for peer reviews for the papers. There are also some problem sets that need to be completed for homework, but they're really not too hard to complete. Dr. Turlo's lectures are one of the few lectures I was actually excited to go to. She's very engaging and loves to entertain questions, and it is very clear she is very enthusiastic about teaching the class. Even though lectures are technically mandatory, it's not that big of a deal considering how much effort Dr. Turlo puts into ensuring that you learn. Furthermore, the class size is relatively small, so it is a lot easier to speak up and ask questions. At one point, Dr. Turlo brought in a professor colleague to discuss what it is like being a professor and the many challenges research brings. You may need to put your phone away for this class, as Dr. Turlo doesn't particularly like it when you are doomscrolling or texting during her lectures. Overall, I really enjoyed this class and would heavily recommend taking it if you are interested in learning about research as a life scientist.
Spring 2025 - Oh my did I love taking this class, and I think it's very helpful for those who are thinking about a Ph.D or other research related degrees. In short, the class delves into what it is being a researcher and the logistics of research. It talks about the money, the methods, how to write a proposal, how to read a paper, and dips a little into the politics behind research. The class is structured into 2 halves, with the first half discussing diversity in research and alcohol and the second half discussing about vaccine research. Grading was very light, and it shows that Dr. Turlo heavily values your participation in class. Most of the grade came from participating in lecture by filling out a paper worksheet based on the content Dr. Turlo covered in-class and attending discussion, so bring a pen/pencil. There are also 2 papers assigned in the class, but they're both designed to be very brief and concise -- it was more of a struggle attempting to shorten the paper compared to actually lengthening it. Discussion was kind of lacking compared to lecture however, and I found it boring to attend discussion other than for peer reviews for the papers. There are also some problem sets that need to be completed for homework, but they're really not too hard to complete. Dr. Turlo's lectures are one of the few lectures I was actually excited to go to. She's very engaging and loves to entertain questions, and it is very clear she is very enthusiastic about teaching the class. Even though lectures are technically mandatory, it's not that big of a deal considering how much effort Dr. Turlo puts into ensuring that you learn. Furthermore, the class size is relatively small, so it is a lot easier to speak up and ask questions. At one point, Dr. Turlo brought in a professor colleague to discuss what it is like being a professor and the many challenges research brings. You may need to put your phone away for this class, as Dr. Turlo doesn't particularly like it when you are doomscrolling or texting during her lectures. Overall, I really enjoyed this class and would heavily recommend taking it if you are interested in learning about research as a life scientist.
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Most Helpful Review
Winter 2019 - Dr. Turlo grew on me so much midway through the quarter. At first, it was hard to reconcile how she's a stickler for certain things (which she herself admits), such as attendance and formatting on assignments. But this does come from her wanting us to be able to gain the most out of the class - and the formatting comes from how it needs to be precise when you write grants, so she's just modeling that experience. So, I think she's a little bit hard to relate to at first, but truly, she's just a woman who loves science and she is incredibly willing to help and give encouragement. Office hours are very helpful in doing well in the class. Also, just know that Dr. Turlo is far more accommodating than you might expect based off first impression - she was willing to work with me individually to help me succeed when I was going through some mental health challenges and extreme burnout. Be aware that she grades harshly on the first assignment (out of 5 points, with a lot of people getting 2's), as a motivator for the rest of the course. But in the end she's not trying to hurt anyone and gives opportunities to make up points and to grow from the experience. She will probably say herself later on in the quarter that after the first assignment, most people get 100% (or near 100%) on the other assignments. With the proposal in the latter half of the course, it's time-consuming, but I appreciated that she let us branch out from the seminar talk into areas that were more interesting to us. Honestly, this was the experience I was waiting for after 5HA. To write a proposal, because this assignment totally kicked my ass but suddenly within a week, I'd been forced to learn how to truly read scientific literature in large volumes like never before. It was a truly helpful experience and I gained so much from it. It's also very nice of Dr. Turlo to let us submit the final multiple times until we get full credit. I only submitted once, but I still did well because of how much time I had spent with her in office hours/appointments to get on the right track. Discussions were less helpful and I unfortunately got a group that just was not very engaged/talkative. Like, no shade against any individuals since I had no issue with anyone in the class, but the discussion project we had was mainly a waste of time and the group work for that was so frustrating. Symposium was more fun albeit stressful near the end of the quarter and also gave us an opportunity to practice oral presentation skills. Just try your best and it will be entirely fine :).
Winter 2019 - Dr. Turlo grew on me so much midway through the quarter. At first, it was hard to reconcile how she's a stickler for certain things (which she herself admits), such as attendance and formatting on assignments. But this does come from her wanting us to be able to gain the most out of the class - and the formatting comes from how it needs to be precise when you write grants, so she's just modeling that experience. So, I think she's a little bit hard to relate to at first, but truly, she's just a woman who loves science and she is incredibly willing to help and give encouragement. Office hours are very helpful in doing well in the class. Also, just know that Dr. Turlo is far more accommodating than you might expect based off first impression - she was willing to work with me individually to help me succeed when I was going through some mental health challenges and extreme burnout. Be aware that she grades harshly on the first assignment (out of 5 points, with a lot of people getting 2's), as a motivator for the rest of the course. But in the end she's not trying to hurt anyone and gives opportunities to make up points and to grow from the experience. She will probably say herself later on in the quarter that after the first assignment, most people get 100% (or near 100%) on the other assignments. With the proposal in the latter half of the course, it's time-consuming, but I appreciated that she let us branch out from the seminar talk into areas that were more interesting to us. Honestly, this was the experience I was waiting for after 5HA. To write a proposal, because this assignment totally kicked my ass but suddenly within a week, I'd been forced to learn how to truly read scientific literature in large volumes like never before. It was a truly helpful experience and I gained so much from it. It's also very nice of Dr. Turlo to let us submit the final multiple times until we get full credit. I only submitted once, but I still did well because of how much time I had spent with her in office hours/appointments to get on the right track. Discussions were less helpful and I unfortunately got a group that just was not very engaged/talkative. Like, no shade against any individuals since I had no issue with anyone in the class, but the discussion project we had was mainly a waste of time and the group work for that was so frustrating. Symposium was more fun albeit stressful near the end of the quarter and also gave us an opportunity to practice oral presentation skills. Just try your best and it will be entirely fine :).
Most Helpful Review
Summer 2021 - Grading: Figure Analyses (2) 10 Speaker Worksheet 5 Laboratory Safety Cert 5 Laboratories of interest 5 Post-Panel/Speaker Reflection (7): 35 Pre-Conversation questions (7): 14 Attendance/Participation (12): 36 Total 110 This class is really just to understand what research is, how to do it, etc. Professor Turlo does a great job explaining concepts and is very engaging. You get to speak with lots of different researchers at UCLA. I was able to get multiple research position offers from this class. The class was super easy to pass-- not even a concern.
Summer 2021 - Grading: Figure Analyses (2) 10 Speaker Worksheet 5 Laboratory Safety Cert 5 Laboratories of interest 5 Post-Panel/Speaker Reflection (7): 35 Pre-Conversation questions (7): 14 Attendance/Participation (12): 36 Total 110 This class is really just to understand what research is, how to do it, etc. Professor Turlo does a great job explaining concepts and is very engaging. You get to speak with lots of different researchers at UCLA. I was able to get multiple research position offers from this class. The class was super easy to pass-- not even a concern.
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Most Helpful Review
Fall 2023 - I loved this class! It was incredibly engaging and each class completely followed the interests of the students. Grading is an easy A so long as you participate in every class. You are responsible for reading a paper every week with a simple assignment to make sure you read it, for participating in each class by asking a question, and presenting once in the quarter with a group on a research paper of your choosing.
Fall 2023 - I loved this class! It was incredibly engaging and each class completely followed the interests of the students. Grading is an easy A so long as you participate in every class. You are responsible for reading a paper every week with a simple assignment to make sure you read it, for participating in each class by asking a question, and presenting once in the quarter with a group on a research paper of your choosing.
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