Aquatic Microbiology

Investigate the invisible world of aquatic microbes and learn how these tiny organisms impact the ecology of the oceans.

Travel to the Columbia River estuary in Astoria to explore its microbial life and be introduced to the CMOP observation network. Learnwhat types of environmental data are collected by the network of sensors and see how the resulting conditions affect the microbiology of the estuary. Collect water samples from the estuary, and then, in the lab, extract DNA from your samples, and amplify microbial DNA through Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR). In your final class you will be given your environmental DNA sequences and learn how to analyze them using online resources (BLAST). What do your findings tell you about the health and ecology of the estuary?

This class is co-offered through the National Science Foundation Science and Technology Center for Coastal Margin Observation and Prediction (CMOP).

Instructor: Suzanne DeLorenzo

Suzanne DeLorenzo received her MS in Biomedical Sciences from the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey. After graduating cum laude from Monmouth University she worked as a research associate for her alma mater conducting environmental research geared towards coastal watersheds. She is currently a PhD candidate at OHSU in the Environmental Science and Engineering program. Her research focuses on microbial biogeochemical cycling of carbon and nitrogen in the hypoxic zone of the Pacific Northwest coastal margin.

Instructor: Peter Kahn

Peter Kahn has a BS in biology from Willamette University and is currently a PhD student at OHSU in the Environmental Science and Engineering program.