Crafty Microbiology: Teaching Microbiology Skills Online

Crafty Microbiology: Teaching Microbiology Skills Online

Crisis inspires innovation! We developed Crafty Microbiology to teach essential microbiology skills at home using safe, common, cheap craft supplies and disposable lab tools. A.M. Estes, A.S. Jozwick, and J.E. Kerr 2021 How can you teach students fundamental microbiology skills at home – safely? The COVID-19 pandemic has been quite the disruptor for educators and students alike. To stop the spread of this virus, we human hosts need to stay away from each other! SARS-CoV2 is super tricky since many infected people don’t show symptoms or have mild symptoms. So what do you do when the skills your students need to learn can’t be done face-to-face? In-person Microbiology Labs Microbiology laboratory, in particular, is tough to teach to students at home. Typically students learn how to grow and test non-disease-causing bacteria in the Microbiology teaching labs on campus. Growing bacteria requires special media “food” for the bacteria, incubators to keep the cultures at the right temperature, and lab equipment – including Bunsen burners and special tools for moving the bacteria. A fundamental skill is learning “Sterile” or “Aseptic” technique. Students learn how to grow only the non-pathogenic, Risk Group 1 microbes they are given. Sounds easy – right? Well, no.

The Great Yogurt Experiment: Part II – Mesophilic (room temperature) Heirloom yogurt

The Great Yogurt Experiment: Part II – Mesophilic (room temperature) Heirloom yogurt

Tasting the bacterial diversity and seeing pH difference using yogurt fermentation for microbiology teaching. I love the idea that invisible microbes can change their habitat so much we macro-organisms will pay attention and even help them! After all, people have maintained yogurt cultures for generations. Take for example the Heirloom yogurts from Culture for Health that I have been playing with and am considering sending to my General Microbiology class this semester. One overarching theme in my microbiology class is always that microbial diversity provides multiple solutions to the same “problem”. Diversity Matters! In this case – different combinations of bacteria can take the same milk, break-up the milk sugars, and poop out lactic acid. The lactic acid lowers the pH of the yogurt, which protects yogurt from pathogenic bacteria (molds can still grow though given enough time). Lactic acid gives the tart, sour taste to yogurt. To teach my General Microbiology students that microbes – just by growing – can dramatically change their habitat. This semester students will culture their own yogurt to see and taste the difference! The problem is most store-bought yogurts grow best at 113 °F (45 °C). That’s pretty warm. That was tricky during my

FAQs about Microbes – and just the Facts

FAQs about Microbes – and just the Facts

Climate change, MRSA, flu, vaccines – sometimes finding reliable, understandable sources of information on these important topics is difficult. Professional organizations, such as the American Society of Microbiology (ASM) or the Microbiology Society (Europe) are excellent resources for accurate information. One of my favorite ASM resources are their FAQs series. They are informative without being overwhelming and are on a nice variety of topics from pathogens (MRSA, flu, West Nile Virus) to environmental issues like oil spills and climate change. Of course, microbes are also important for our food and drinks – so there’s a FAQ about the microbes that make cheese and beer. Finally, the human microbiome and built microbiome (microbiomes of our buildings!) are also included. Take a look at some reliable FAQs about microbes and share them with folks you know.

Book Review: The Perfect Predator is a Phage Turner

Book Review: The Perfect Predator is a Phage Turner

The Perfect Predator tells the story of two world-renowned, globetrotting HIV research scientists almost defeated by antibiotic-resistant bacteria. This harrowing, first-hand narrative takes a reader bedside throughout Tom’s seemingly futile battle with a multi-drug resistant bacterial infection. It lays bare the couple’s struggles.