BIOL 2325L Fundamentals of Microbiology Lab
This general laboratory course focuses on the basic principles and procedures used to manipulate and study microorganisms. The course will begin with basic microscopic skills: preparations and staining of specimens, proper use and handling of compound light microscopes, and interpretation of visual images. Following the microscopy unit students will learn basic aseptic technique, isolation, cultivation, enumeration, and pure culturing skills. After students have developed these basic skills, they will expand on these methods to cultivate bacterial viruses and to experimentally determine whether bacteria produce various enzymes and hemolysins. Students will determine the sensitivity of selected bacteria to various methods of microbial control: ultraviolet radiation, heavy metals, antibiotics, and disinfectants. A genetics unit will demonstrate the concepts of induced mutations and transformation using antibiotic resistance as a marker.