BIOL 4420K - Environmental Microbiology

4 Credit Hours
Prerequisite: BIOL 3300K  
Cross-listed with: ESNS 4420K  
This course will build on a foundation of microbial diversity and microbial roles to promote understanding and problem solving with regard to environmental management including the use of microbial biotechnology to promote sustainability.  The primary focus will be on non-pathogenic cellular microbes including archaean, bacterial, fungal and protistan representatives with regard to their niches and the potential  to engage them in implementing sustainable practices in all spheres of human activity.

Lecture: 1) Appraise how microbes affect their environment and how the environment in turn, selects for them, 2) Illustrate connections between cellular processes and measurable consequences within the biosphere. 3) Correlate the ubiquity of microbes with the scale of their presence and influence plants and animals. 4) Explain the roles of microbes in biogeochemical cycles related to carbon, nitrogen, phosphorous and sulfur.  5) Examine real world environmental issues that stem from specific disruptions of biogeochemical cycles and evaluate and/or formulate specific solutions that are socially inclusive (transcend cultural biases).  6) Produce a real world case study targeting microbial bio-remediation. 7) Discuss current research on a topic that specifically connects microbes with environmental sustainability.  Lab 1) Culture diverse microbial communities for direct microscopic analysis on contact slides. 2) Use basic microbial practices like aseptic technique in the culture of diverse bacteria and fungi 3). Use both culture-dependent and culture-independent techniques to enumerate and/or microbes and their roles within microbial communities. 4) Communicate experimental design via a formal written report.