Microbiology: Secret Lives of Microbes

Discover a world that can’t be seen with the naked eye, and learn how these tiny organisms impact the environment around you.

First, explore the basic techniques that scientists use to study microscopic organisms. Conduct gram staining on bacteria, and learn sterile technique and how to plate and culture bacteria successfully. Collect real environmental samples to be filtered and plated for analysis, extract environmental DNA, and learn the first steps of cloning.

Then, working with research scientists at the Science and Technology Center for Coastal Margin Observation and Prediction (CMOP) discover the strange wonders of the deep sea and the role microbes play in this environment. Learn about deep sea vents and hypoxic zones as we see the many directions and applications microbiology can take and how this science is important from a local to a global scale.

This class is co-offered through the National Science Foundation Science and Technology Center for Coastal Margin Observation and Prediction (CMOP), located at Oregon Health & Science University’s West Campus.

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.