Course Description:

This course-based undergraduate/graduate research experience (CURE) is designed to actively engage students in the creative process of scientific inquiry, provide skills necessary for success in the laboratory, and foster excitement about the discovery process central to scientific research.

 

Additionally, this course is designed to integrate curiosity, connections, and value while actively engaging in the process of science, in the backdrop of the field of microbial ecology and molecular evolution. In this course, students will learn cutting-edge topics in microbial ecology and molecular evolution and will engage in the scientific process – the scientific method. The course is centered around two questions in microbial ecology and molecular evolution: (1) “What is the extent

of bacterial diversity in terrestrial ecosystems?” and (2) “What are the primary roles of microbes living in terrestrial ecosystems?”.

 

In groups, students will design and carry out experimental plans to test two hypotheses for two chosen soil systems: biodiversity hypothesis (who is there?) and an organismal activity hypothesis (what are they doing?). The instructor will guide the students to formulate hypotheses, conduct experiments, gather data, and interpret results so that their hypotheses can be evaluated, and conclusions reported in the form of oral and written assignments. As a culminating exercise, the students prepare a poster presentation and present it to each other and the instructor.

 

Participatory Learning

This course will take the philosophy that students learn by doing (e.g., performing experiments, analyzing data, presenting results, discussing outcomes) more effectively than by simply listening to a lecture by the instructor. Thus, the learning responsibility for the course will lie squarely with the students. To facilitate this, there will be assignments posted online that will be required of you in order for you to get introduced to the key concepts in ecology and evolution, as well as obtain the necessary background for designing experiments, analyzing results, and interpreting those results. As this is a 4-credit lecture/lab course, you are expected to spend time outside class both preparing for lab and processing lab results/discussion/conclusions.

 

Authentic Research

The class will work to facilitate each lab group working on a research project. The first few weeks of class will be devoted to teaching you key methods that you may want to use for your research project, as well as to exposing you to a variety of different possible research questions. The next set of weeks will be devoted to making observations in a particular soil niche and developing two testable hypotheses for that niche, one about biodiversity (who is there?) and one about antibiotic-related organismal activity hypothesis (what are they doing in regard to producing and resisting antibiotics?). Then, the rest of the semester will be devoted to testing those hypotheses using molecular & bioinformatics methods for the biodiversity hypothesis and mostly microbial & biochemical methods for the organismal activity hypothesis. At the end of the semester, each group will present a research poster summarizing their novel findings.

 

 

Student Learning Objectives:

1. Identify the risks and benefits of studying microbial ecology and molecular evolution in the lab and in the field.

2. Explore and ask questions about various local soil ecosystems. Choose soil samples to explore further [grassland, agriculture, forest soils].

3. Analyze primary data and list the fundamental principles of microbial ecology and molecular evolution.

4. Develop hypotheses and design experimental plans to test two hypotheses for chosen soil systems: biodiversity hypothesis (who is there?) and organismal activity hypothesis (what are they doing?).

5. Perform iterative experiments to test two hypotheses for study system: biodiversity hypothesis (who is there?) and organismal activity hypothesis (what are they doing).

6. Work effectively in teams to obtain, analyze, interpret data and report conclusions for a student-designed project.

7. Apply computer-based analytical tools of bioinformatics and phylogenetics to research projects.

8. Distinguish between different types of errors and mistakes, and modify experiments, analyses, and interpretations in light of those errors and mistakes.

9. Explain how the research results can benefit society and the environment.

10. Create a compelling poster presentation encompassing the semester-long research project.

 

 

Textbook: 

• Barton, L. L., & Northup, D. E. (2011). Microbial ecology. John Wiley & Sons.

• Paul, E., & Frey, S. (Eds.). (2023). Soil microbiology, ecology and biochemistry. Elsevier.

• Brock biology of microorganisms / Michael T. Madigan. . . [et al.]. — sixteenth edition.