Painting with Microbes

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(Image from incolors.club)

In order to complete your Painting with Microbes lab (for 10 pts):

  1. photograph your agar plate art pieces and post one or more pictures on the website.
  2. Include an explanation of your artistic intent and
  3. explain the role of the differential or selective media in contributing to the color spectrum of your works (10 pts).

Be sure to categorize your post as “Painting with Microbes” by checking that box under “Categories” on the right side of the screen while you’re creating your post. This will help ensure that we can easily find and grade your posts.

Have fun!

Lab Report Guidelines and Info

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Below  are links to helpful resources as you prepare your lab report.

Powerpoint lecture from Feb. 22 on Lab Report Guidelines

Grading rubric

Lab report writing tips

Sample lab reports from previous classes  – note: these are from 2 years ago before we started doing genome sequencing so identifications are based only upon 16S rRNA sequences  and genome analyses are missing. Also, note that these are not necessarily perfect papers but were of good quality and can serve as general examples of how to approach this assignment.

Sample 1

Sample 2

Sample 3

Selected chapters from “Writing Science” book by Joshua Schimel (please excuse the low-quality scans)

 

 

Extra credit: Eric Collins seminar

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For extra credit, you can either attend or watch online later a special seminar by Eric Collins.  

Seminar time and place: Friday, Feb. 24, 3-4 pm, Murie Auditorium

The seminar recording will be available here, usually  within a week following the seminar.

Deadline:  March 27

For 5 pts extra credit:

Write a 2-paragraph website post addressing the following items.

Be sure to categorize your post as “ExtraCredit Eric Collins’

  1. Summary of the major points of the seminar
  2. Reflections on the seminar. This should include your thoughts about it, any critical comments, discussion of at least one way it connects to things you’ve learned in BIOL 342 class, and at least one question that you have about microbiological aspects of the seminar.

Extra Credit: Simon Lax seminar (Feb. 10, 3 pm)

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For extra credit, you can either attend or watch online later a special seminar by guest speaker Simon Lax.  

Seminar time and place: Friday, Feb. 10, 3-4 pm, Murie Auditorium

The seminar recording will be available  here  within a week following the seminar.

Deadline: Feb. 24

For 5 pts extra credit:

Write a 2-paragraph website post addressing the following items.

Be sure to categorize your post as “ExtraCredit” Simon Lax”

  1. Summary of the major points of the seminar
  2. Reflections on the seminar. This should include your thoughts about it, any critical comments, discussion of at least one way it connects to things you’ve learned in BIOL 342 class, and at least one question that you have about microbiological aspects of the seminar.

EXTRA CREDIT: Microbial Worlds art exhibit

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This extra credit opportunity requires that you either attend the Microbial Worlds art exhibit or use the exhibit website.

Deadline: TBA (sometime after March 1 —TBA – The deadline will be after the website contains more content for those who can’t attend the show in person.

Submission method: Create a post and categorize it as “ExtraCredit: Microbial Worlds’

Exhibit hours: Feb. 3-27, Tues-Sat 12-6 pm, Well Street Art Co., with special First Friday reception Feb. 3 from 5-8 pm. There is also a literary reading and discussion with artists on Saturday, Feb. 11, 4-5 pm that you are welcome to attend.

Website: itoc.alaska.edu Note that the website doesn’t yet have the artwork  posted.

 

Task:

Find 3 different pieces in the exhibit to examine and use as you answer the 4 questions below. These can be visual art pieces or written pieces (poetry by Susan Campbell or the essay by Debbie Moderow). Note that most visual art pieces are accompanied by a statement posted on the wall nearby that explains the microbiological inspiration (concept) behind the work – these statements are printed on paper with a grey border. Be sure to read the statements (when present) to fully understand the background on the piece. You can also learn more about the concepts behind the pieces at the reading/discussion on Saturday Feb. 11  if you’d like.

For full credit, be sure to name the artist and art piece (or series of pieces) for each of your responses.

  1. Name (piece name and artist) and describe an art piece that you found compelling aesthetically (was attractive or interesting to you in terms of its visual, verbal, or other sensory impact). Do you feel that this work of art successfully embodied the concept behind it? Why or why not? (3 pts)
  1. Name another piece in the exhibit that is based on an interesting concept, based on the  written science statement associated with it. Summarize the concept and describe the piece. Do you feel that the art piece is as aesthetically compelling (attractive visually, verbally, etc.) as it is conceptually interesting (including scientifically)? Why or why not? If not, can you suggest something that the artists could have done differently? (3 pts)
  1. Connections: Identify another piece in the exhibit that involves a microbiological concept you’ve learned during class. Explain the concept and how the art piece relates to it. (3 pts)
  1. If you were an artist involved in this project show, what microbiological concept would you have worked with? What sort of piece might you have created? (1 pt)

Open Lab Hours

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Open lab hours can be found here.

The times listed are when you  can come in to the microbiology lab to check cultures, streak plates, and do other follow-up activities required outside of normal lab hours. The names listed next to the times are the people who will be there to oversee open lab.

Important: Do not enter the lab outside of these designated hours. You may enter during other BIOL 342 lab sessions (times are below) and for a portion of the BIOL 240 lab, but never during other classes held in that room. Whenever an approved open lab time happens while another class is in session, be careful not to disturb them.

A2: Microbes in the News Assignment

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Microbes in the News !

Over the course of the semester, post 3 different stories involving microbes  from the popular media and then read and comment on 3  posts by other students.

 

Points: Total possible = 30 points. Earn up to 8 pts for making a post and 2 points for posting a comment. Create 3 posts and 3 comments over the course of the semester.

Deadline: All posts and comments must be made by April 24 to receive credit.

 

Learning Objectives:

– Increase your awareness of microbiology and its role in society

– Expand and apply your knowledge of microbiology

– Practice critical thinking by analyzing popular news media for scientific accuracy

– Develop questions about microbiology

– Help your peers and yourself understand microbiology by answering their questions

 

Instructions:

Over the course of the semester, create 3 separate Microbes in the News posts on the course website, and then read and comment on 3 Microbes in the News posts by other students. Be sure to follow the guidelines below in order to qualify for  full credit.

 

Guidelines for creating a post:

– Article and link: Enter the title, source, and date of the article and create a link to it. Articles should be from any popular media source (newspaper, magazine, podcast, blog,  etc.) that others can access without hitting a paywall. Any relevant story is acceptable, but challenge yourself to find stories that are current (~within the last 3 months) and that haven’t yet been posted by your peers, whenever possible.

– Summary: Write a short summary of the story (just a few sentences is sufficient).

– Connections: Explain briefly how this connects to what we’ve covered in class.

– Critical analysis: Explain what you found interesting about this story, and what (if anything) you learned. Comment on whether you think the story was scientifically accurate or not. If you noticed any factual inaccuracies or aspects of the story that might inadvertently confuse or misinform readers, identify those and provide a more accurate explanation. Also comment on how this was written. Do you think it did a good job of communicating science to the public? Why or why not?

– Question: Write a question about microbiology that you had as a result of reading this story.

– Categorize: Categorize your post as “A2: Microbes in the News’ using the categories menu on the right. This will ensure I can find it and give you credit.

– Tag: Tag your post based on any relevant microbiological themes by choosing from the tag menu (below categories on the right). Use existing tags when possible, but you can add new ones if needed by clicking “+Add New Category’ link just below the list of tags. This will help us find stories on relevant themes. You can also use these tags to search for other students’ stories on themes that interest you.

Guidelines for commenting on a post:

– Read the news story and the students’ post about it

– Create a comment and write a response to their critical analysis. Do you agree, disagree, or have more to add?

– In your comment, answer their question to the best of your ability. This might require some independent research.

Assignment 1: Introduce yourself

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The goals of this assignment are to:

  • Learn how to post on the course website
  • Introduce yourself to me and your classmates

It’s VERY IMPORTANT that you categorize your post as “Assignments” and “A1: Intro posts”. That will enable me and your classmates to easily find all of these posts.

What to include in your post

  • your name
  • say something  (could be something about you such as your year in school, major, interests, or an observation about microbiology – or anything else fit to print)
  • a picture – this can be either of you or  something related to microbiology

*Note that this website is technically public (although it’s unlikely that many will find it), so please don’t share anything that you wouldn’t want to be publicly available.

Need help learning how to post and assigning categories to you post? Watch this tutorial video.

NOTE: We’ve discovered that not everyone has yet been granted access to the site (Jan. 22). The web designer is going to attempt to resolve it on Monday (Jan. 23). I’ve extended the deadline until Friday, Jan. 27, to help allow time for troubleshooting and doing the assignment. Thanks for your patience as we work out the kinks in the new website!

Still can’t get it to work? Email me at mbleigh@alaska.edu and I’ll attempt to help.

 

Lab 1 Handout

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Click here to access the Lab 1 Handout:  Lab 1 Handout

That should take you directly to the google doc of the Lab 1 Handout. In that version, you only have permission to view, not edit. If you’d like an editable version, you can download it as a Word file or copy it to your own google drive folder.