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Autumn 2022 Course Offerings (Template)

The most up-to-date list of course offerings is always available via View Schedule of Classes on BuckeyeLink.

[pdf] - Some links on this page are to Adobe .pdf files requiring the use of Adobe Reader. If you need these files in a more accessible format, please contact micro.grad@osu.edu.

2000 Level Courses

Credit Hour(s): 1.5 Units

Instructor(s): Alfonzo, Kwiek, Ruiz
Offered: Autumn
Prerequisite(s): Biology 1113 or 1113H
Role in Microbiology Major: Group 1 Elective

Learning Objectives:

  • Applying the process of Science
    • Demonstrate an ability to formulate hypotheses and design experiments based on the scientific method.
    • Discuss how to approach the problem of identifying and formulating a viable research project.
    • Analyze and interpret results from a variety of microbiological methods and apply these methods to analogous situations
       
  • Communicate and Collaborate with others
    • Effectively communicate fundamental concepts of Microbiology in written and oral format.

4000 Level Courses

Micro 4000.01 [In-Person]

Credit Hour(s): 4 Units
Instructor(s): Bullwinkle, Ibba (Mette), Neil
Offered: Autumn, Spring, Summer
Prerequisite(s): 3 credit hours in Biology
Role in Microbiology Major: Non-majors who earn an A or A- can request to enter the major without taking Micro 4100


Micro 4000.02 [In-Person/Online Hybrid]

Credit Hour(s): 4 Units
Instructor(s): Ibba (Mette), Pradhan
Offered: Autumn, Summer
Prerequisite(s): 3 credit hours in Biology
Role in Microbiology Major: Non-majors who earn an A or A- can request to enter the major without taking Micro 4100

M4000 Syllabus [pdf]


Lecture Topics:

  • Functional anatomy of prokaryotic cells
  • Microbial growth and metabolism
  • Microbial genetics
  • Viruses
  • Control of microbial growth and antimicrobial drugs
  • Innate and adaptive immunity
  • Microbial mechanisms of pathogenicity
  • Principles of disease and epidemiology
     

Laboratory Exercises:

  • Microscopes and their uses
  • Microbial staining techniques and applications
  • Isolation of organisms from mixed cultures, nutritional requirements, use of differential and selective media, and identification of unknown bacteria
  • Environmental factors affecting growth: oxygen, temperature, pH, and osmolarity
  • Control of microbial growth
  • Microbes in food
  • Host interactions: symbiosis, parasitism, mutualism, human microbiome, and immune responses
  • Epidemiology

Credit Hour(s): 3 Units
Instructor(s): Deora, Neil, Wozniak; Pradhan
Offered: Autumn; Spring
Prerequisite(s): Micro 4000 or Micro 4100
Role in Microbiology Major: Core (Required)

Lecture Topics:

  • Innate and adaptive immunity
  • Immune cell functions
  • Complement system and other antimicrobial molecules
  • Recognition of microbes by the immune system
  • Cycle of microbial diseases
  • Acquisition and regulation of bacterial virulence genes
  • Molecular strategies developed by bacterial pathogens to infect their host
  • Airborne and foodborne bacterial diseases
  • Mechanisms used by diverse pathogens to escape the immune defense and cause diseases: pathogenic Escherichia coli, Salmonella species, Listeria monocytogenes, Mycobacterium tuberculosis, Bacillus anthracis, Staphylococcus aureus, Corynebacterium diphtheriae, Vibrio cholerae, and Clostridium botulinum
  • Mechanisms and limitation of antimicrobial drugs

 

Learning Outcomes:

After completion of the course, successful students will understand...

  • Key mechanisms involved in the immune defense
  • How the immune system distinguishes between self and foreign organisms
  • Differences and connections between the innate and adaptive immune responses
  • The beneficial roles of microbes that compose the human microbiota
  • How to study microbial disease mechanisms
  • What particular attributes microbes must display in order to breach the host physical barriers and immune defense mechanisms
  • How human behavior influences the emergence and reemergence of infectious diseases
  • Unequal distribution of infections across the world
  • Why bacterial pathogens rapidly overcome the activity of antimicrobial drugs
  • The spread of nosocomial and community acquired infections
  •  Challenges we are currently facing for the prevention and treatment of infections

Credit Hour(s): 3 Units
Instructor(s): Alber; Carlson
Offered: Autumn; Spring
Prerequisite(s): Micro 4100; Biochem 4511 (can be taken concurrently)
Role in Microbiology Major: Core (Required)

M4120 Syllabus [pdf]

Lecture Topics:

  • Composition and structure of prokaryotic cells and microbial growth
  • From elements to cellular structures (e.g., biogenesis and physiological role of the cell envelope)
  • Assimilation of nutrients and biosynthesis of building blocks (anabolism)
  •  Biosynthesis of secondary metabolites and their roles in microbial physiology
  • Diversity of catabolic processes: aerobic/anaerobic respiration, fermentation, and oxygenic/anoxygenic photosynthesis
  • Microbial differentiation: sporulation, multicellular morphogenesis and biofilms
  • Microbial diversity: phylogeny, environmental constraints, functional roles in communities, variations in (metabolic) strategies.
     

Learning Outcomes:

After completion of the lecture component of the course, successful students will understand...

  • Appreciate the meaning of self-replication (without a cell there will be no new cell)
  • Calculate basic growth parameters
  • Understand the key reactions involved in fatty acid, sugar, and amino acid synthesis
  • Understand how energy from catabolic processes are conserved through electron transport phosphorylation and substrate level phosphorylation
  • Understand how microorganism play an essential role in the global carbon-, nitrogen-, and sulfur-cycles
  • Appreciate the enormous diversity of microorganisms but at the same time recognize the unifying features of all life

Credit Hour(s): 3 Units
Instructor(s): Anderson; Ruiz
Offered: Autumn; Spring
Prerequisite(s): Micro 4100 or MolGen 4500 or MolGen 4606
Role in Microbiology Major: Core (Required)

Lecture Topics:

  • Structure and function of DNA, RNA and proteins
  • Genome structure, plasmids, and DNA replication
  • Transcription and translation
  • Transcriptional regulation of gene expression
  • Post-transcriptional regulatory mechanisms
  • Evolution of bacteria: mutations and horizontal gene transfer
  • Use of mutations in genetic analyses
  • Discuss research articles that illustrate concepts of bacterial genetics described in class

 

Learning Outcomes:

Successful students will be able to...

  • Explain how DNA and RNA function as information molecules
  • Describe the processes of transcription and translation
  • Explain how activators and repressors regulate transcription
  • Describe the major types of regulatory mechanisms that bacteria use to control translation
  • Explain how bacteria use riboswitches to regulate gene expression
  • Explain how bacteria evolve by acquiring mutations in exchanging DNA
  • Understand how mutations arise; distinguish between different types of mutations and the effects they can have
  • Describe the mechanisms that bacteria use to exchange DNA
  • Understand how researchers can use genetic analysis to address complex biological problems

Credit Hour(s): 3 Units
Instructor(s): Bullwinkle
Offered: Autumn, Spring
Prerequisite(s): Micro 4100; Micro 4130 (can be taken concurrently)
Role in Microbiology Major: Core (Required)

Laboratory Topics:

  • Genetic exchange: transformation and conjugation
  • Plasmid vectors, cloning, and gel electrophoresis
  • Protein purification and SDS-PAGE
  • Immunoblotting
  • In vitro mutagenesis: Random and/or site-specific mutagenesis using PCR
  • In vivo mutagenesis: Transposon mutagenesis, recombineering
  • CRISPR/Cas tools
  • Gene reporters and in vitro enzyme assays
  • Bioinformatics

 

Learning Outcomes:

Successful students will be able to...

  • Handle and store microorganisms safely and maintain pure cultures using aseptic techniques
  • Describe and perform different mechanisms for genetic exchange in microbes
  • Apply basic calculations in the lab including dilutions, CFU counts, mutant frequency, in vitro reaction set up, master mixes, and unit conversion
  • Follow basic molecular biology protocols with technical accuracy
  • Design primer sequences and specify reaction parameters for PCR and similar protocols.
  • Describe and perform techniques for recombinant DNA construction, mutagenesis, and recombineering (PCR, restriction digestion, ligation, CRISPR)
  • Distinguish and design a genetic selection and a genetic screen
  • Interpret and manipulate DNA sequences to align, design primers, identify restriction enzyme recognition sites, and translate reading frames.
  • Recognize and compare mutation types in their data
  • Interpret gels and immunoblots, including the use of standards
  • Distinguish between positive and negative controls and recognize limitations in data and methods where experimental controls are needed.
  • Collect and analyze basic quantitative data via basic graphing programs
  • Communicate experimental and findings through writing and oral presentations
  • Apply concepts used in lab to interpreting other recent or advanced techniques in molecular microbiology

Microbiology 4998 and 4999 undergraduate research [pdf]

5000 Level Courses

Credit Hour(s): 3 Units
Instructor(s): Boyaka, Oghumu, Satoskar
Offered: Autumn
Prerequisite(s): Micro 4000 or Micro 4110
Role in Microbiology Major: Group 1 Elective

Lecture Topics:

  • Innate immunity: complement cascade, pathogen recognition, reactive oxygen and nitrogen, antimicrobial peptides, neutrophils, macrophage, and macrophage activation
  • Adaptive immunity-humoral response: B lymphocytes, antibody production and antibody diversity, and memory immunity
  • Adaptive immunity-cell mediated response: thymus, T lymphocytes, major histocompatibility complex (MHC), T cell receptors, antigen presenting cells, apoptosis, and superantigens
  • Signaling: signal transduction cascades, interleukins and interleukin receptors, chemokines and chemokine receptors, interferons and antivirals

 

Learning Outcomes:

Successful students will be able to...

  • Appreciate how several seminal immunological concepts were discovered. 
  • Describe the differences between innate and adaptive immune responses.
  • Explain how innate immunity recognizes and eliminates microbial pathogens.
  • Explain the multiple functions of the complement system.
  • Understand how innate immune response initiates and enhances the adaptive immune response.
  • Describe the cellular and humoral branches of adaptive immunity.
  • Describe the origin, maturation, and function of T-cells.
  • Understand antigen processing and presentation.
  • Describe the origin, maturation, and function of B-cells.
  • Understand antibody generation and the genetic basis for antibody diversity.
  • Describe different types of antibodies and their functions.
  • Explain multiple types of vaccines and how they work.
  • Understand the basis of allergic reactions.
  • Compare and contrast the different types of hypersensitivity reactions.
  • Describe the immunological concepts relevant transplantation.
  • Communicate how the innate and adaptive immune systems synergize to eliminate bacteria, viruses, or parasites.

Credit Hour(s): 3 Units
Instructor(s): Rappleye
Offered: Autumn
Prerequisite(s): Micro 4100
Role in Microbiology Major: Group 1 Elective
Additional Information: Students are encouraged to first take Micro 4110 and/or Micro 5122

M5147 Syllabus [pdf]

Lecture Topics:

  • Immune defenses: physical barrier, soluble factors, and cellular effectors
  • Virulence strategies of pathogenic microbes
  • Fungal pathogens (mycoses): Candida (candidiasis/candidemia), Aspergillus (aspergillosis), Cryptococcus (cryptococcosis), and Histoplasma (histoplasmosis)
  • Antifungal diagnostics
  • Antifungal therapeutics
  • Protozoan pathogens: Entameoba histolytica (amoebiasis), Toxoplasma (toxoplasmosis), Trypanosomes (trypanosomiasis, Chagas disease), Leishmania (leishmaniasis), Plasmodium species (malaria)
  • Antiparasite therapeutics

 

Learning Outcomes:

Successful students will be able to...

  • Describe the molecules involved in innate immune cell recognition of microbial cells
  • Describe common fungal molecules detected by innate immune cells
  • Describe the strategies employed by fungal pathogens for survival in mammalian hosts
  • Describe the molecules used by fungi to form biofilms
  • Evaluate the molecular targets for current fungal diagnostic tests
  • Evaluate the targets and efficacy of current antifungal compounds
  • Describe how parasites escape clearance by the host immune system
  • Describe the mechanisms by which parasites invade and persist in host cells
  • Describe how parasite molecules determine which host cells are invaded
  • Describe the mechanisms through which current anti-parasite treatments work and their limitations

Credit Hour(s): 3 Units
Instructor(s): Rich
Offered: Autumn
Prerequisite(s): Micro 4000 or Micro 4100
Role in Microbiology Major: Group 1 Elective

Lecture Topics:

  • Composting
  • Landfill microbiology
  • Bioremediation principles
  • Biodegradation
  • Pesticide microbiology
  • Molecular tools for environmental microbiology
  • Microbial phylogeny
  • Microbial biomass
  • Environmental monitoring
  • Disease transmission in the environment and emergence of antibiotic resistance
  • Horizontal gene transfer
  • Wastewater microbiology
  • Microbiology of drinking water, groundwater, and water wells
  • Extreme environments
  • Astrobiology: life on Mars?
  • Microbes for sustainable bioenergy

Credit Hour(s): 3 Units
Instructor(s): Yousef
Offered: Autumn
Prerequisite(s): Micro 4000 or Micro 4100
Role in Microbiology Major: Group 1 Elective
Additional Information: Cross-listed in Food Science (FDSCTE); Related to Micro 5546 (Food Microbiology Lab)

Lecture Topics:

  • Introduction: basics of food microbiology
  • Biology of foodborne microorganisms
  • Microbiota of different foods
  • Pathogenic foodborne microorganisms
  • Control of microorganisms during food production and processing
  • Intervention strategies

6000 level courses

Credit Hour(s): 2 Units
Instructor(s): Fredrick
Offered: Autumn
Prerequisite(s): Graduate standing

Lecture Topics:

  • Research practices: Academic relationships, expectations and what you need to learn in graduate school
  • Research ethics
  • Preparation of manuscripts, grants and peer review processes
  • Scientific meetings
  • Careers in Science
  • Landmark papers in molecular microbiology: Topics include: phylogenics, genomics, bacterial virulence, signaling, molecular machines (replication, transcription and translation), gene regulation, metabolism, membranes and microbes in the environment

 

Learning Outcomes:

Successful students will be able to...

  • Read and analyze primary research literature in the field of microbiology, namely:
    • Prepare an oral presentation based upon primary research literature.
    • Deliver an oral presentation based upon primary research literature to an audience composed of their peers.
    • Critically analyze presentations based upon the primary research literature in microbiology.
  • Discuss and analyze topics related to the responsible conduct of research and research ethics

Credit Hour(s): 3 Units
Instructor(s): Krzycki
Offered: Autumn
Prerequisite(s): Graduate standing

Lecture Topics:

  • The diversity of microbes: phylogenetics, habitats, and metabolic diversity
  • Experimental approaches: biochemical, genetic and global analysis (-omics) methods
  • The microbial cell: cell structure, cell cycle and division, and growth rate control
  • Sugar catabolism in Bacteria and Archaea, fermentations, anaplerotic reactions, and metabolic control mechanisms
  • Bioenergetics, thermodynamics, electron transport systems and the diversity of respiratory systems
  • Amino acid biosynthesis and nitrogen regulation
  • Carbon fixation
  • membrane biogenesis, lipid metabolism and protein secretion
  • Developmental programs in microbial systems

7000 Level Courses

Credit Hour(s): 1 Unit
Instructor(s): Faculty from various graduate programs
Offered: Autumn
Prerequisite(s): Graduate standing
Additional Information: Cross-listed in OSBP, MCDB, Biophysics, and Molecular Genetics; Microbiology graduate students must enroll in the Microbiology section of this course; Course is graded Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory

Lecture Topics:

  • Ethics (in research and academia)
  • Training in presenting scientific work
  • Various aspects important for a successful graduate experience

8000 Level Courses

Credit Hour(s): 2 Units
Instructor(s): Alfonzo
Offered: Autumn
Prerequisite(s): Graduate standing

Lecture Topics:

  • The origin of the RNA world
  • Ribozymes
  • tRNA
  • RNA editing and modification
  • Small RNAs (siRNA and miRNAs)
  • In vitro selection and RNA biotechnology
  • Ribosomes and translation
  • tmRNA and the story of the 21st and 22nd amino acids
  • The origin of the genetic code

Credit Hour(s): 3 Units
Instructor(s): Sullivan, Dabdoub, Bolduc
Offered: Autumn
Prerequisite(s): Graduate standing

Learning Objectives:

  • Gain exposure to approaches for studying the function, structure and evolutionary history of genes observed in sequence datasets.
  • Learn approaches for organizing sequence datasets into organismal units using marker genes (e.g., 16S) and shotgun metagenomics data.
  • Learn ecological statistical approaches to discern community structure and ecological drivers from large-scale metagenomic datasets.
  • Introduction to other sequence-based datasets including viral metagenomes, as well as metatranscriptomics, metaproteomics, metabolomics, etc.
  • Design, implement and interpret an informatics group project to further biological understanding of microbes.