- Microbes and Society

Catalog description

An introduction to basic microbiology that focuses on the impact microbes have on our society. While everybody knows microbes can cause diseases and food spoilage, microbes have a much deeper and positive impact on our lives than most of us realize. Students will focus on basic concepts in microbiology while exploring the vast diversity of microbes, the benefits we obtain from them (cheese, anyone?), and the harms they inflict upon us.  We will keep track of the latest news regarding the impact of microbes on our society, and explore our own human microbiome. (Did you know that you are composed of more microbial cells than human cells?) In the lab students will learn basic laboratory and analytical tools and techniques for the study of microbes.  In addition the laboratory will focus on aspects of medical microbiology, environmental microbiology, and microscopy.