Laboratory topics
Day/ Topic
1/ Introduction to the laboratory
2/ Simple stains, gram stains
3/ Gram Stain Unknown #1
4/ Aseptic technique, pure cultures, streak plates and pour plates
5/ Enzymes: Catalase and cytochrome oxidase
6/ Unknown #2 - Gram stain and plate for isolation (complete enzymes)
7/ Unknown #2 continued
8/ Unknown #2 finish
9/ Carbohydrate fermentation
10/ Viable plate counts
11/ Most probable number method
12/ Environmental effects on growth
13/ Lab Exam 1
14/ Environmental sampling
15/ Environmental sampling continued
16/ Environmental sampling completed
17/ Winogradsky columns
18/ Bacterial commensalism
19/ Water quality
20/ Mutualism: Lichens
21/ Biodegradation
22/ Biodegradation
23/ Extreme Halophiles
24/ Soil Microbes
25/ Soil Microbes
26/ Lab review
27/ Lab Exam 2
Grading
The laboratory grade counts 20 % of the overall grade for the Environmental Microbiology course. Graded exercises in the lab will consist of two lab exams (100 points each), two unknowns (100 points each) and ten laboratory reports (20 points each.) Total points earned will be divided by 6 to determine the final laboratory grade.
