Steinmaus, Scott  

Crop Science

3.34/4.00

32 evaluations


BOT 121


Junior
N/A
Required (Support)
May 2005
I have been told that Dr. Steinmaus is a great instructor for his upperlevel classes, but I feel that he is terrible in an entry level class like Bot 121. He rambles on about stuff that we dont need to know wheich makes the class more confusing, and he anwsers your questions with questions. He is a really nice guy, but I feel like he doesnt know how to relate nor break things down to an entry level class. I would get the heck out of this class if I were in Bot 121 Lab. Take someone else that can break it down better.


Freshman
N/A
General Ed
Dec 2005
STEINMAUS IS AMAZING!!! Seriously, botany sucks, but professor steinmaus is one of the coolest, smartest, interesting teachers ever! This guy knows his stuff; he loves plants, interacting with students, and is nothing like the other botany teachers! If you HAVE to take botany, try to get steinmaus, if not, try to get into one of his other classes just to hang out with him, he's a funny guy.


Freshman
B
General Ed
Dec 2005
Steinmaus is quite the character. He is really scatterbrained and goes off on a lot of random tangents that aren't really relevant to the subject. He also didn't explain the labs very well... he just set up some stuff on the sides of the room and said, "Do these lab exercises in the lab manual." He did do a slide show during almost every lab, which was kind of like another lecture, but it did help. He also set up some "quizzes" (not for a grade) so you could see how you were doing. His labs almost always got out early. Not the best professor to take if you really want to learn the subject, but it's pretty easy to pass.


Senior
B
Required (Support)
Aug 2010
Dr. Steinmaus was a wonderful instructor. He is a plant/weed scientist. I took him for the summer quarter 5 week plan. Very enthusiastic about his profession. He was always helpful and full of energy that made the quarter go by a lot faster, not to mention I had dual labs with him and two 3 hour lectures during the week. Very knowledgeable and loves what he does. Very helpful to each student and quite generous when it comes to your final grade. I would recommend him to anyone. A couple outside projects were due before the end of the quarter, but nothing too severe. The midterm wasn\'t too bad if you go to class and study the handout slides. The final was a little tougher due to it being cumulative but was passable. Very fun class, would take him again if he teaches another course that I need.

BIO 162


Junior
B
Elective
Mar 2006
Really nice guy. He is passionate about his work and teaching. He is always willing to help out and explain things. He even holds extra study sessions before tests. He puts up practice tests before the test and he uses some of the same questions. The class is hard but Steinmaus makes it less painfull.


Freshman
A
Required (Major)
Mar 2006
This guy is chill he used to run marathons and he will make your class interesting with his random stories and he is a very fair grader. He is also very knowledgabe about plants and his concentration and of general bio concerns. I highly reccomend him.


Freshman
B
Required (Major)
Jun 2006
Dr. Steinmaus is really nice and you can tell he really knows his material and enjoys teaching but he talks way too much about things that you know will never be on his tests. He will start talking about something and ask you a question and never tell you the answer! He clarification sucks and he pretty much expects you to understand everything he says right away. Don't go to office hours because he will talk until you are ready to shove blunt pencils into your eyes just to get out of there. He is really nice but way too talkative.


Junior
N/A
Required (Major)
Jul 2007
Dr. Steinmaus is an excellent professor because he makes the material very clear and easy to absorb. I took his class over the summer and I kid you not I was looking forward to going to each lecture class. He takes the time to make sure his students understand the material, and prepares them for the lab. Very easy to talk to when asking for help outside of the class, and he will answer a question you might have in full detail. I enjoyed his class very much, and hope to have another with him...and so on that note, I highly reccommend him to you.


Freshman
N/A
Required (Major)
Jun 2011
Dr. Steinmaus was a great teacher. Because of his active presence in labs, he is able to help a lot of the students often and able to clarify any questions you have. He is great in lecture, though sometimes goes off topic by telling his students a lot about his family, experiences, etc. But despite that, he's a pretty cool teacher.


Sophomore
B
Required (Major)
Mar 2012
I don't know if the person below me had a different professor because I did not see steinmaus once in lab... ever. He a pretty average teacher and expects a lot from you as a student. His lectures don't help for the test besides giving you hints of what you need to look up outside of class. I got pretty frustrated after every one of his lectures but then he'd make a weed joke and i'd like him again. Overall cool person, not a good professor unless you devote all your free time to office hours. Plants fucking suck.


Junior
A
Required (Major)
Mar 2012
He's not a terrible teacher. But his lectures aren't very straight forward so for this class you'll have to do a lot of research outside on the internet or something to grasp a clearer understanding of the material. His questions on tests are very concept oriented and are not so much about definitions like, "what does phloem transport". But he's a fair grader as long as you know what to expect and he's passionate about what he teaches.


Sophomore
B
Required (Support)
Mar 2012
Emailed our class 30 min after the final explaining that he is not always the best at picking questions for exams.. A very interesting way to approach students following a difficult exam.


Sophomore
A
Required (Major)
May 2012
You want to take Steinmaus. Think critically and get a deep understanding of the course material. Then talk to him about. He'll take you places.

CRSC 212


Junior
C
Required (Support)
May 2000
This is in my opinion the best teacher that has taught at Cal Poly. I would recommend this teacher to anyone that is in agriculture.

BIO 213


Sophomore
B
Required (Support)
Jun 2005
Steinmaus is awesome. He's funny and very energetic in all his lectures. Even so, the subject is extremely boring and is a waste of time for engineers. But you have to take the class, so you definately should take it with him


Freshman
B
Required (Support)
Jun 2005
Steinmaus is a great teacher and made sitting in a two-hour class each week a lot easier. He has great enthusiasm for biology and tried hard to convey the subject matter to all of us who were just trying to get the class out of the way. Cellular biology has never been an interest of mine, but he made it interesting, which is saying a lot. I definitely recommend him. By the way, the textbook isn't necessary. It's nice to have occasionally to clarify the material, but nothing from the textbook is required for the class.


Senior
N/A
Required (Major)
Dec 2005
Decent instructor, he spends a little too much time trying to convince his students of the virtues of genetic crop modification. Although this is supposed to be an intro to biology class, many pieces are conspicuously absent, especially evolution. He seems to have a tremendous amount of freedom to teach pretty much whatever he feels like, so get ready for plenty of plant biology and "human performance" (read: photos of him doing marathons and cross country skiing in the mountains.) His lectures are entertaining and funny, and he obviously has a lot of enthusiasm for the class, in spite of the fact that engineers probably aren't his usual audience.


Sophomore
B
Required (Support)
Dec 2005
Avoid him!! Major pain of a class and a professor. There are two quizzes (online) a midterm and a final. He pushed his ideas on his students and is very judgmental about religious viewpoints. In order to pass his class you must be a world class runner who understands all the lingo, thing that there is not a chance of harm with genetically modified foods, and that God didn


Sophomore
B
Required (Support)
Jan 2006
Very enthusiastic. Scott is very easy going and funny. Every time I went to class he made me laugh. He also has a way of making the material interestig. He is enjoys what he does. Great experience.


Senior
B
Required (Support)
Jun 2007
Steinmaus is enthusiastic and easy to listen to. His tests wasn't too hard either.


Sophomore
A
General Ed
Jun 2007
Steinmaus's class isn't too hard, but it is not an easy A as many would have you beleive. You will have to read a ton and memorize a bunch of crap if you want to get an A. But, it is possible. Make sure you read the textbook, and pay attention in lecture. Oh, and his curves are pretty generous.

CRSC 221


Sophomore
C
Required (Support)
Apr 2001
I consider steinmaus to be the best instructor at calpoly. He presents info to students easily and relates to them. He is usually not to busy to answer any questions and makes class enjoyable. I recommend him to everyone.


Junior
A
Required (Major)
Feb 2002
He's kind of cocky in a mad scientist sort of way. But He's really motivated (which is few and far between on this campus) and extremely knowledgeable (less common). He gives you a lot of different ways to learn the material, which is great if you care about remembering any of it. Advanced weeds doesn't have a whole lot of applicable information to being a PCA. It gets kind of theoretical, and sound more like philosophy or physics than weed science.


Junior
A
Required (Major)
Oct 2002
Dr. Steinmaus is a fantastic teacher. Next to Terry Smith for SS 221, the most information I ever learned in a Cal Poly course was in Weeds. And it's not that bad if you're a little organized, and you go to most of the lectures. Adv. weeds started out good, but I think Steinmaus kind of went off the deep end, or did too many drugs because it becomes all theoretical and weird. I didn't learn much useful information in that class. In other words: take 221, but not advanced weeds.

PSC 221


Sophomore
A
Required (Major)
Mar 2002
He is an awesome teacher. He loves to work with the students, he has interactive labs, and he is funny. Take him if you can.

CRSC 321


Junior
B
Required (Major)
Nov 2003
He is the best instructor that I have ever had. He is more concerned with kids learn and understanding the information. He is always available and extremely patient when you don't understand. Very motivated and enthusiastic, and it rubbs off on his students. I reccomend him.


Junior
A
Required (Major)
Feb 2018
Dr. Steinmaus is up there as one of the smartest guys I know. He's a real life thinker, an analyzer, and isn't a robot that lives and dies by the book as many ditto head professors and teachers are. He teaches you how to think, and how to question things, not just look into a book memorize like a computer, but he actually wants you to be able to grasp a concept and handle it by the horns. He gives you real life knowledge and wise knowledge that can take you a long way in life. If you are in his class you should be grateful that you are getting to interact with a thinker instead of a ditto head.

BOT 326


Junior
B
Elective
Dec 2009
Dr. Steinmaus is obviously very educated, but his lectures are pretty scattered. He peppers his lecture with random tangents, which makes it difficult to study for the tests because you never know what he deems \"important\". He doesn\'t provide any sort of study material for the exams. As for lab, BE PREPARED TO HIKE! Although he doesn\'t require you to come to lab, you are tested on plant species and other topics. I don\'t know why it is not included in the course description, but you hike and drive to places that might not be accessible to everybody.


Senior
B
Required (Major)
Dec 2009
Steinmaus teaches through what he is passionate about, and in doing so, he is extremely enthralling and effective. If you are at all interested in the life sciences, and especially ecosystem dynamics, I HIGHLY recommend that you take ANY of any of Steinmaus\'s classes.

AG 406


Junior
B
Required (Major)
Mar 2016
Now called AEPS 406. Midterm and final are scary, but he curves it because he wants everyone to pass. Take notes on the slides in class. He does like 2-3 quizzes little short 4-5 question ones and you have to write a paper in the beginning where he gives you some articles and he wants your opinion on GMO's and herbicide use, etc. Steinmaus is a great guy, always got a smile on his face. Manageable class for sure.

BIO 435


Graduate Student
N/A
Elective
Mar 2006
Dr. Steinmaus, an applied plant physiologist and experienced professor in his 7th year at Poly, taught the lab portion of this class. He was outstanding in his enthusiams for the subject, his explanation of the materials, and his genuine interest in each of his students. I strongly recommend him as a teacher, and hope that he and the department will consider assigning him both lecture and lab portions of this class at least one quarter every year. He's too good and experienced to be given just the lab.


Junior
A
Required (Major)
Dec 2007
Dr. Steinmaus is an excellent professor! Not only is he extremely knowledgable and enthusiastic about plant physiology, he genuinely cares about his students. I really don't care much for plants, but he made this class very interesting. I would highly recommend taking any of Steinmaus' classes. You won't be disappointed.