Locker Rooms, Kitchens and Bedrooms: The Microbiology of College Life

Catalog description

Microbial habitats are literally everywhere on a college campus - and college students interact with microorganisms daily. From the athlete locker room, to the kitchen, to the bathroom, to between the sheets, college students are exposed to a plethora of microorganisms that are benign, beneficial, and pathogenic. The goal of this course is for students to learn about microbiology and microbial ecology as it relates to them - in the college campus environment. Students will learn about viruses, bacteria, eukarotes and metazoans that cause common illnesses (i.e. gastroenteritis, influenza and STDs), the microbially-driven elemental cycling of alcohol production, and ecology of microorganism that spoil food. Students will take away a practical understanding of the microorganisms that they can apply to their own lives. This course is suitable for non-life sciences majors.