In terms of MAE professors at UCLA - he is about the best you're going to have. Probably learned more from his classes than any other class at UCLA. He's hard, but he's fair. He's also paranoid about cheating. He will also call you out if you say something political or grossly wrong - or if you're late to class or fall asleep. It isn't hard to stay awake in his classes though: he is loud, French, and even a bit obnoxious at times, but he gets his point across in an interesting and memorable way. His tests are about as easy as wrestling a live alligator, and his homeworks are long, but if you follow his method for solving problems, it will help immensely not just in his classes but in others as well.

I loved Pilon! He's a good professor and even tries to learn everyone's names. Don't be late for class or he'll call you out on it. His tests are actually pretty easy...half conceptual and half analytical. When you solve problems, don't make stupid mistakes cause they're pretty stingy on the partial credit. On the midterm, one of the problems asked you to compare two different values. I solved for the two different numbers (correctly) but since I didn't find the ratio I got 7 points marked down. Kinda unfair in my opinion. Just make sure you read the questions carefully! You kinda have to go to every lecture. He'll notice.

This professor is comparable to a loving father who is concerned about students' learning, yet instills discipline. Exams were not too hard. If you do the homework and pay attention in class, you should be in good shape. Not a devoted teacher, however, for his number one priority above ALL things in life is research. Overall, good professor by making lectures more than just ordinary lectures through his added sense of humor. By the way, he does get a little (or a little too much) crazy about cheating during an exam.