CHEM 1751
General Chemistry Laboratory I
This course provides an introduction to basic laboratory techniques, the experimental method, and the presentation of scientific data, as well as direct experience with chemical principles and the properties and reactions of substances. The topics and experiments in this course complement the material covered in the first semester General Chemistry lecture courses.
Instructors
Alison Redden, Bryn Lutes, Kit Mao, Matthew Kummer, Megan Daschbach
Reviews
Copying the procedure in notebooks takes 3+ hours, but it's for safety and accidents actually decreased. No practice material for the midterm, final was much better, gave good study tips. Lotta outside support/office hours. Boring work, hard for ppl with little chem background, but he's very enthusiastic and overhated. 1752 autograder unfair tho.
8/1/2026
Dr. Kummer is clearly passionate about chemistry and cares about the students in his class. His new curriculum has understandably caused some changes in the student experience, but he takes feedback under advisement and is responsive to criticism.
5/4/2026
Sweetest professor and responds so quickly to any concerns, absolutely amazing and very interested in topics. Above this the class has gotten a lot more comprehensive since the first semester. Overall though would not recommend class , like some else said for 2 credits you get so much extra workload and stress. Professor is nice, but hardest lab.
5/4/2026
Nice guy and good lecturer. The class wasn't great first semester, but he improved a lot of things pretty quickly.
5/4/2026
Kummer got nicer as the year went on but overall just a really rough class that is very difficult and time-consuming. Very stressful and should be worth more than 2 credits. Would not recommend.
5/4/2026
Great guy, cares about his students and is positive. Class could have been structured better but will improve with time probably.
5/3/2026
Cares a lot about students. First time teaching so not everything was the most clear. Things will probably turn out better as years go on. Handwriting was really time consuming ,though.
4/26/2026
This was a very hard class, but Dr. K definitely cares about his students. If you go to mentor hours and put the time in it is possible to succeed
4/23/2026
Professor Kummer is very clearly passionate about teaching the material and lectures are bearable due to his enthusiasm. However, there is an incredible amount of work that must be done for this course, both in preparation for labs and exams. I have spent upwards of 4+ hours filling out my notebook for one pre-lab.
4/23/2026
Nice guy but his class sucks. Way too much work and way too hard for a 2 credit course. I don't think the poor design of the class is Dr. Kummer's fault though, and he genuinely is very kind and approachable outside of class. Overall, good prof that cares about his students, but unfortunately, his class is just one that you gotta suffer through.
4/22/2026
If I were to give an award for the most improved professor at WashU, I would give it to Dr. K. The class isn't perfect, but his ratings from last semester don't reflect his current standing. No practice exams and the autograder is finicky, but I'm sure he'll make adjustments next semester.
4/21/2026
Dr. K is so caring and is overall such a wonderful human being. He teaches a very difficult pre-med course, so it's going to be difficult. If you just do the work and apply yourself, you'll be find. He really is passionate about Chemistry, so I respect his enthusiasm and work.
4/21/2026
Dr. Kummer is seriously amazing. He originally got a lot of hate because people got a wake up call to the demanding nature of college courses. Without a doubt the most enthusiastic and caring professor I've met. Truly wants whats best for his students. Course expectations are extremely clear, lectures are to the point, lots of resources for help.
4/20/2026
Dr. K is a phenomenal lecturer and is one of the most caring and kind profs I've met. He is alw ready to help (he will respond to you with the utmost detail if you email him!). However, the course itself is incredibly difficult in terms of workload and does not match the credit hours. This is an issue that needs to be dealt with by the department.
4/18/2026
The class is really hard but builds up your science skills. It makes sense he has low ratings because freshman aren't used to the workload. It is kind of a jump into the deep end introduction. Please give him the benefit of the doubt, he's passionate about the topic its just a really hard class.
4/16/2026
The class is naturally a difficult course and I think no other person could have managed it better than Kummer. You can tell that he is very passionate about chemistry, and he is very eloquent.
4/13/2026
A kind and funny man... this is a problem with the whole chem department having no mercy for their students. There is a misunderstanding in what the goals of the class should be. This class is a 2 credit course but is incredibly demanding and it is set up horribly. If he/chem d wants this performance the credits must match.
4/7/2026
He's a good guy. To succeed in this class, you have to make sure you are reading the lab manuels and not falling behind (which I have yet to do).
3/28/2026