Core Concepts in Molecular Bacteriology

Catalog description

The goal of this course is to prepare students for advanced work in molecular bacteriology, with a special emphasis on experimental design. First year graduate students as well as senior undergraduates with an interest in understanding how bacterial cells work at the molecular level will gain the most from this course. We will cover bacterial growth and metabolism, cell structures, physiology, pathogenesis, and experimental approaches. A background in bacteriology or microbiology is not required, since we will begin each week with a review of fundamental concepts before digging deeper into these concepts using primary literature. Further, we will examine the foundational experiments that led to our current understanding of the bacterial world. We will then critically analyze recent primary literature in this field to advance our knowledge and will use this literature as a basis for generating new hypotheses. Students will also build a foundation in structural, genetic, and biochemical tools used in microbiology laboratories. Foundational knowledge and practical skills learned in this course will help prepare the student for advanced work in the bacteriology laboratory.