This guy is great. I took the class because all the other professional level engineering courses just didn't look interesting. It was the best choice I've made so far. The classes are interesting, the material is not hard at all. Yes, you have to study for this class. Yes, it helps if you have a good base in calculus. But, still, even that is not required, since professor Lall does a good job of explaining everything very simply. What's best about him is that he is very friendly and very accessible. Also, he puts a lot of faith on first-year students. His big thing is getting you to work on problems that you never thought you could tackle, but sure enough, with some help, you're modeling a 2-level atmosphere by the end of the year, or working on a project on PCB's in the Hudson River, or working with the guy who programmed SimCity (true story) on solutions for polution in New York. Cool stuff. Much better, from what I hear, than Electrical Engineering or Designs of Buildings Bridges and Spacecraft. Take this course.