BIOL 350 | Microbiology

Microbiology is the biology of two of the three Domains of life (the bacteria, the archaea, and the viruses of both) as opposed to eukaryotic organisms. This course explores three aspects of microbiology - diversity, ecology, and interactions with other organisms (including pathogen/host relationships in medical microbiology and more mutualistic associations such as symbioses). A term paper exploring the natural history of a particular microbe or related topic is required for this course. The laboratory includes basic microbiological techniques, classic experiments, and introduces current paradigm shifts in microbiology, including sociomicrobiology, microbial genomics, quorum sensing, and biofilms. Student teams carry out and write a report on an independent lab project of their own design. Students also read and discuss "cutting edge" journal articles showcasing recent advances in microbiology, and present those papers to their peers.