CORE 020: Introduction to Microbiology
Syllabus

The topic list for this project is: staining for microbiology, fungi, protozoa, bacteria, viruses, control of microbes and aseptic technique, culture media and microbial growth, microbial physiology, and microbial genetics.

Prerequisite: CORE 012 or the equivalent.

Instructor: George E. Hrabovsky, george@madscitech.org, 608-276-6832.

Task #1: Start and keep a notebook for your study. This should be bound and have at least 300 sheets. You may need more than one notebook of this size. Smaller notebooks than 300-sheets can be used, but the total number of sheets should be at least 300. Each set of 300 pages started and completed is worth a point towards your final total of 4. To begin your notebook you will need a list of topics. The one listed below is only one possible choice. This choice is the default. Any choice other than this one must be approved by your instructor.

Procedure for the Course

If a topic from the list below is underscored that means there is some resource material for it. If there is no resource material for it then you must develop that for yourself.

It is expected that you will develop one or more questions for each topic. Questions can be of the form who, what, when, where, why, and how.

Once you have written down a set of questions for a topic, you either answer each of these qurestions or you explain how you attempted to answer the question and failed. Don't be alarmed; even some elementary questions resist answering. You can learn a lot just by making the effort.

The next step is to ask a set of new questions based on your previous attempts at answering your first set of questions (this can include those questions you were unable to answer before). Answer each of those questions as best you can and create another set of questions for each answer. Answer each of those to the best of your ability and ask another set of questios for each, but do not answer them right away. If you are really interested in one or more of these questions attempt to answer them in a, "topic of personal interest," session; or you may answer them in a personal research project.

Wherever possible give at least three examples of any definition, principle, or procedure.

This course will a little more than one and a half pages of notes for each topic to fill a 300 page notebook.

  1. The nature of microbiology
  2. Experimental microbiology
  3. Theoretical microbiology
  4. Computational microbiology
  5. The hanging drop slide
  6. Negative staining
  7. Simple staining and smears
  8. Differential staining
  9. Cell counts
  10. Staining protozoans
  11. Microbial cell biology in Mathematica
  12. Topic of Personal Interest (including, but not limited to Gram staining, acid-fast staining, endospore staining, capsule staining, flagella staining)
  13. Topic of Personal Interest.
  14. Topic of Personal Interest.
  15. Review of topics to date
  16. Molds
  17. Yeasts
  18. Mushrooms
  19. Slime molds
  20. Fungi in Mathematica
  21. Topic of Personal Interest (including, but not limited to ascomycetes, basidomycetes, zygomycetes, oomycetes, deuteromycetes, dictyostelium, the fungal cell wall)
  22. Topic of Personal Interest.
  23. Topic of Personal Interest.
  24. Review of topics 15-22
  25. Review of topics to date
  26. Collecting protozoa
  27. Mastigophota
  28. Sarcodina
  29. Sporozoa
  30. Ciliophora
  31. Protozoa in Mathematica
  32. Topic of Personal Interest (including, but not limited to phytomastigophota, zoomastigophota, dinoflagellita, chrysomonadida, cryptomonadida, phytomonadida, euglenida, actinopodea, rhizopodea, heliozoida, radiolarida, tasacida, foraminiferida, protomyxida, mycetozoida, amoebida, cnidosporidea, telosporidea, acnidosporidea, ciliatea, suctorea, euciliatia, protociliatia)
  33. Topic of Personal Interest.
  34. Topic of Personal Interest.
  35. Review of topics 26-34
  36. Review of topics to date
  37. Cocci
  38. Rods
  39. Curved rods and flexible cells
  40. Other groups
  41. Bacteria in Mathematica
  42. Topic of Personal Interest (including, but not limited to actinomycetes, gliding bacteria, soil bacteria, air bacteria, water bacteria, sewage bacteria, dairy bacteria, food bacteria, industrial bacteria, veterinary bacteria, plant bacteria, pathogenic bacteria)
  43. Topic of Personal Interest.
  44. Topic of Personal Interest.
  45. Review of topics 37-42
  46. Review of topics to date
  47. Viruses
  48. Viruses in Mathematica
  49. Topic of Personal Interest (including, but not limited to pathogenic viruses, plant viruses, bacteriophages)
  50. Topic of Personal Interest.
  51. Topic of Personal Interest.
  52. Review of topics 47-51
  53. Review of topics to date
  54. Sterilization
  55. Chemical control
  56. Immunity
  57. Immunology
  58. Immunological reactions
  59. Control of microbes and asceptic technique in Mathematica
  60. Topic of Personal Interest (including, but not limited to heat sterilization, UV sterilization, disinfectants, antispetics, anitmicrobial drugs, hand scrubbing, resistance, allergy)
  61. Topic of Personal Interest.
  62. Topic of Personal Interest.
  63. Review of topics 54-62
  64. Review of topics to date
  65. Microbial nutrition
  66. Culture media
  67. Growth conditions
  68. Culture isolation techniques
  69. Microbial growth
  70. Growth inhibition
  71. Culture media and microbial growth in Mathematica
  72. Topic of Personal Interest (including, but not limited to counting cultures, exponential growth, growth curves, batch cultures, the role of oxygen, the role of temperature, culture transfer, spread plate, streak plate, pour plate)
  73. Topic of Personal Interest.
  74. Topic of Personal Interest.
  75. Review of topics 65-74
  76. Review of topics to date
  77. Amino acids, proteins, and enzymes
  78. Metabolism
  79. Respiration
  80. Electron transport
  81. Incomplete oxidations
  82. Inorganic hydrogen
  83. Photosynthesis
  84. Nitrogen fixation
  85. Degradation of substances
  86. Microbial physiology in Mathematica
  87. Topic of Personal Interest (including, but not limited to fermentation, hydrolysis, hexose breakdown)
  88. Topic of Personal Interest.
  89. Topic of Personal Interest.
  90. Review of topics 77-91
  91. Review of topics to date
  92. Microbial genetics
  93. Regulation of gene expression
  94. Genetic engineering
  95. Microbial genetics in Mathematica
  96. Topic of Personal Interest (including, but not limited to mutations, DNA fingerprinting, cloning)
  97. Topic of Personal Interest.
  98. Topic of Personal Interest.
  99. Review of 92-98
  100. Review of topics to date

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