Microbes

Catalog description

Microbes are the most abundant organisms on Earth. They practically exist in every environment on our planet and play major roles in defining our atmospheric composition, sustaining the food webs that feed us and significantly influencing our health. Yet, microbes are diverse; they vary in size from 0.2 micrometers (1/300th diameter of a human hair) to a few millimeters. Some microbes are loners while others live in communities that talk to each other and coordinate behavior. The class will introduce students to microbes by examining their importance, ecology and diversity. The class will take students on a journey of how early microbiologists classified microbes, isolated and cultured them and how today DNA sequencing has revolutionized the way scientists classify microbes. Throughout the course, students will isolate samples to image and culture microbes and isolate their DNA from around the NYU Abu Dhabi campus and the emirate of Abu Dhabi. DNA samples will be sequenced using portable DNA sequencing technology (MinION technology), which generates data rapidly.