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Workshops & Summer Programs

CIBT Special Topics: Microbiology

Dive into the exciting (and very small) world of Microbiology! Cornell faculty illustrate new ideas about microbiology through talks and by leading the participants through a gamut of activates and labs. Activities include Microscopy techniques, Plating and Culturing experiments, and Molecular Phylogeny. The workshops will be held on Cornell's campus in Ithaca, NY from July 23 to July 27, 2007.

Workshop Responsibilities and Benefits

Participants are required to attend all scheduled program activities and to complete all assignments. Participants will receive 50 in-service hours for successful completion of this workshop. Housing, breakfasts and some lunches and dinners will be provided by program. There is no charge for attending the workshop.

Schedule

Sun 7/22 Day 1:
Mon 7/23		 Day 2:
Tue 7/24		 Day 3:
Wed 7/25		 Day 4:
Thr 7/26		 Day 5:
Fri 7/27
8:00 Program Registration Breakfast Breakfast Breakfast Breakfast
8:30
9:00 Talk:
Microbial Earth Intro		 Activity:
Molecular Phylogeny 2
(set up gels, digests)		 Talk:
Food Micro		 Field Trip:
Sapsucker Woods		 Activity:
Molecular Phylogeny Lab
9:30
10:00 Activity:
Microbial Evolution 1
(inoculate cultures)
10:30 Activity:
Vegetable Softening 1		 Talk:
Biofilms		 Activity:
Biofilms
(set up plates)
11:00 Lunch
11:30 Welcome Lunch Lunch
With Faculty and Hughes Scholars		 Lunch
12:00 Lunch
12:30 Activity:
Fruit Softening
1:00 Activity:
Molecular Phylogeny 1
(DNA extraction, PCR)		 Activity:
Microbial Evolution
(set up dilution plates)		 Activity:
Microbial Evolution
(analysis of results)
1:30 Talk/Activity:
Molecular Phylogeny 2
(gel analysis, seq. prep)
Intro to DNA Sequencing		 Breakout Groups:
Assessment & Discussion
2:00 Activity:
Spice Lab		 Activity:
Biofilms
(analysis of results)
2:30 Talk:
Microbial Symbiosis		 Conclusion:
Pistola de Volta
3:00 Talk:
Microbial Metabolic Diversity		 Talk/Activity:
Microbial Phylogeny
3:30 Activity:
Microscopes
(gram stain)		 Activity:
Vegetable Softening 2
4:00 Talk:
Hughes Scholars Talks
4:30 Demos:
Microbial Symbiosis Demos		 Breakout Groups:
Review & Discussion
5:00 Early Check in
...
7:00 Goodbye Dinner
... Volta Experiment

Note: Shaded meals are provided by CIBT.

Description of Selected Activities

  • Intro to Microbial Techniques
    In this session we cover the techniques that are critical for culturing microorganisms. These include making media, streaking bacteria for isolation on agar plates and sterile technique.
  • Isolation activities
    There are hidden reservoirs of microorganisms all around us. We will tap into one of them by isolating luminescent bacteria from fish.
  • Molecular Phylogeny
    How do researchers figure out how bacteria are related to each other? This activity will take you from an isolated bacteria colony, through PCR and DNA sequencing of the ribosomal RNA gene, to using freely-available online tools to see where your unknown fits into the microbial universe.
  • Microbial Evolution
    This lab allows you to demonstrate the evolution of a trait (in this case, resistance to antibiotics) in your classroom. We will split a bacterial culture in two parts and place one under antibiotic selection. We will then make quantitative measurements of the number of antibiotic resistant bacteria in both cultures.
  • Biofilms
    Microbiologists have increasingly come to realize that many microorganisms like to live at solid-liquid interfaces in arrangements called biofilms. In fact, microbial colonization of submerged surfaces is rapid and has important consequences for microbial growth, infection, and disease. We will measure biofilm formation and make comparisons on the ability of microbes to form biofilms on different surfaces.

Application

The application deadline for this program has passed.

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