Microbiology

3 Credits · Level: Undergraduate

Microbes are EVERYWHERE! They’re in the soil, the water and in and on our bodies (in fact, there are more of them than there are of you). This course will explore the diversity of the microbial world, with emphasis on bacteria and archaea. The course is organized into topics. After discussing basic principles, we will focus on 1.) the evolution of microbial diversity and their role in the environments in which they find themselves; 2.) the unique aspects of microbial biochemistry and metabolism that enable them to make a “microbial living”; 3.) infectious disease microbes and how they make us sick; 4.) putting microbes to work for us; and 5.) the role of microbiology in the greater scientific community and in society.