ESE 1050
Introduction to Electrical and Systems Engineering
This course will offer students a rigorous introduction to fundamental mathematical underpinnings of ESE and their relationship to a number of contemporary application areas. Major emphasis will be placed on linear algebra and associated numerical methods, including the use of MATLAB. Topics covered will include vector spaces, linear transformations, matrix manipulations and eigenvalue decomposition. Students will learn how this mathematical theory is enacted in ESE through the completion of four case studies spanning application areas: (i) Dynamical Systems and Control, (ii) Imaging, (iii) Signal Processing, and (iv) Circuits.
Instructors
Reviews
Can't believe that this is supposed to be the intro course to ESE!!! Absolutely not a great motivation to get excited about the area and the department. I hope the engineering school does something about this terrible situation.
9/16/2025
This class is unbearable...hard to understand him through the thick accent. He lets his student do a lot of teaching when he should do it himself as the professor.
9/13/2025
Cannot understand what he was saying in class completely, his handwriting is incredibly hard to read.
9/3/2025
Echoing the other comments. The classes are all over the place. Sometimes, clearly not enough content and then a lot of unnecessary questions are asked to fill the void. Other lectures completely overflowing with dry and lengthy derivations that are rushed over. Definitely expected more from the department chair!
4/15/2025
I took ESE 105 with Sinopoli. It seemed like he mostly does really high level classes so he didn't know how to teach an intro. Hes a nice guy and is funny but he's horrible at teaching. Hell read out the textbook and copy it onto the board. Now that Ive gone through the course, even I think I could teach the topics better and more concretely.
2/14/2025
The pace of his lectures felt erratic with some being a total slog and others being incomprehensible. Even with these issues, I still think Bruno is a great professor and it was a very valuable experience taking his class. Bruno was very caring but I think it being his first time teaching first-years caused much of the problems pacing in his class.
1/22/2025
He did not even pretend to care about teaching the class. His lectures were painfully unclear, poorly structured, and monotonous. He did not provide any study materials besides a textbook and lectures. Forget trying to email him or meet outside class. The material was not too difficult but the professor might as well have not been there.
1/15/2025
I believe this was Professor Sinopoli's first time teaching ESE 105. The course started with him teaching a bit too fast, and it was sometimes hard to understand the concepts. However, as the year went on, he took notes from students and slowed down the pace of the class. Overall, it was a really great class and professor.
12/14/2024
8-10 hrs/week
You learn a lot, but its a very hard class. The professors are pretty good and give good notes, but you have to put a ton of time into the class if you want to get an A. Even then, it still might be impossible.
5/24/2024
10+ hrs/week
Very informative class, and Ching and Lew are clearly very experienced & demonstrate excellent expertise in their fields and are very passionate about teaching. The difficulty and workload could definitely take a chill pill; this is a first year introductory course after all. The initial learning curve can be tough especially if you've never taken linear algebra or don't have much experience with MATLAB, and the first few weekly assignments (both linalg and matlab) can be really challenging, but the case studies that come later will make the weekly assignments look like a picnic. Definitely try to get a good partner for case studies as well as the analysis & design exercise that allow you to work in pairs. Things may be subjective to change since Sinopoli and Patwari will be teaching this class starting FL24 (not sure about foreseeable future tho).
5/21/2024
6-8 hrs/week
Each time I stepped into this class, a year was taken off my life. 105 offered a “rigorous”—to the point of seeming excessive—provision of linear algebra. 105 failed and neglected to do what can be considered the most basic, fundamental goal of an introductory engineering course: engage and pique excitement in students for the engineering major. 105 took substantial time detailing linear algebra and analysis, understandably so, as these tools are needed in future ESE courses. But, that was no excuse to neglect 105\'s title: introduction to *electrical and systems engineering." This was, also, a first year, first semester course. I cannot imagine arriving at WashU and this being my “welcome” to the engineering world; it just doesn\'t spark joy in becoming an engineer. Before enrolling, I had spoken to others who had taken it; neither of them are still in McKelvey. This class is by no means terrible—the linear algebra is, at rare times, interesting—but anger towards this course sits in the fact that this would break a first-year because it offers little insight into how it applies to *electrical* engineering.\n\nThere were two chalk-board based lectures and a "lab" each week. The lectures cover course content well, but the weekly Friday labs\' likability was dampened by the fact that they rarely served to prepare students for upcoming homework and case studies. Attendance isn\'t readily taken in lab, but an assignment is due at the end of the session.\n\n105 had no exams, assigning nearly weekly homework, 3 case studies, and 2 design analyses. The homework would have a written, linear algebra-based portion and a MATLAB coding component. Case studies were based in MATLAB but required a formal write up. The design analyses were algebra based and sparingly incorporated MATLAB. \n\nMATLAB was heavily utilized in 105, especially for case studies. The labs attempted to build MATLAB skills but failed as the assignments\' coding requirement were much more advanced.\n\nThis course offers a "mandatory" problem solving team (PST). They are like TA-led office hours in other classes. They are great for completing the MATLAB homework \n\nThe professors, Ching and Lew, require little comment. They are smart and teach well in a lecture-setting, useful in office hours as well.
5/19/2024
4-6 hrs/week
This class is very hard, but taught very well. They expect you to know MATLAB and be proficient in coding within the first week so get ready for that. The class is very theoretical and covers a lot of topics in linear algebra and got me prepared for later classes. Theres also a lot of recourses for you in the class, but make sure you go to the TA sessions and find good groups for the case studies.
5/17/2024
Professor Ching demonstrates excellent expertise in the field of Electrical and Systems Engineering. However, the class itself is very challenging with a heavy workload. Be ready to invest a lot of time in homework assignments and case studies, go to office hours frequently, attend PST sessions on weekends, and be prepared to self-learn MATLAB.
12/13/2023
Professor Lew demonstrates excellent expertise in the field of Electrical and Systems Engineering. However, the class itself is very challenging with a heavy workload. Be ready to invest a lot of time in homework assignments and case studies, go to office hours frequently, attend PST sessions on weekends, and be prepared to self-learn MATLAB.
12/13/2023
This class was one of the most difficult classes I've ever taken but Dr. Ching is a great professor. Clearly very experienced in his field and does a good job giving a window into what he does. Definitely come to lecture, go to PLTL, and get ready to put in a lot of work outside of class.
8/8/2023
Dr. Ching is a solid professor. He's a good presenter and easy to follow, but I HIGHLY recommend reading the material on your own, especially before lectures. He leads you to the answer by asking questions and genuinely wants you to learn. ESE 105 is a hard class, and case studies are a lot of work. Group with people that you know will contribute.
4/21/2023
Professor Ching is a great person and care about your work. He is helpful if you find him after classes. However, he tends to let you think about the problems and may not give you direct instructions. Lectures only mention math but never teach Matlab. You should prepare to learn Matlab by yourself and find "GOOD" teammates to do group projects.
1/17/2023
Professor Lew is really nice and helpful. He offers excellent lectures and high quality after-class zoom session. However, lectures never teach Matlab but homework is 90% Matlab. There will be 3-4 case studies and will cost you a lot of time. WARM NOTICE: START THEM EARLY. It will be helpful if you can find a great teammate to do with you.
1/17/2023
Professor Lew and Professor Ching do a really good job with ESE105. While the class is difficult, it's a great way for ESE first-years to get their feet wet. The case studies and analysis and design exercises are difficult but that does not take away from the quality of Professor Lew's teaching style. Prof. Lew is very accessible outside of class.
12/7/2021