Comments:BIO 4390 - I took the class in Fall 2025, but I figured I ought to leave a review since it looks like Dr. Wright will be teaching the class again this coming Fall. Contrary to the previous review, I thought that Dr. Wright's teaching style was excellent and the courseload was very manageable. While there were quizzes here and there and attendance counted for one's grade, the main grading components were 2 presentations (each worth 25% of your grade) and a concept paper (worth 10%). The presentations were assigned for broader topics within the field of microbiome research, and then Dr. Wright gave us quite a bit of latitude with where we wanted to take the presentation. Just like for any other presentation, you researched the topic you were assigned by reading primary literature and a review or two in that specific subarea, and then we had to submit our slides deck a week before we were scheduled to present to receive any feedback from Dr. Wright. The presentations were ~20-30 minutes, so nothing too crazy, and they functioned similarly to any journal club meeting (i.e. you provide some background on the topic and then present a research article in-depth). The concept paper was essentially the same as a what you would write for a grant proposal (2 pages, single-spaced) except made for an undergraduate level, and we were able to write a research proposal for essentially any topic within the field of microbiome research. I would say that for any student interested in pursuing a PhD or MD-PhD, the class is excellent and truly wonderful preparation for a research career. However, it seemed to me that pre-med students tended not to enjoy it as much as they often do not particularly like research (most of the time, not to make broad assumptions) and will typically engage in research just "for the CV." That said, I cannot recommend this class enough!  - Grade In Class:A

Comments:BIO 4390 - Dr. Wright is a great teacher and awesome person, but he is very big on research and a busy guy, so he isn't super passionate about teaching and isn't the most available prof. Overall, I'd recommend his class if it's available because it's a great way to get familiar with reading primary literature and presenting research, just be prepared to put a good amount of effort in.  - Grade In Class:A