Cornell University Registrar

Microbial habitats are literally everywhere on a college campus - and college students interact with microorganisms daily. From the athlete locker room, to the kitchen, to the bathroom, to between the sheets, college students are exposed to a plethora of microorganisms that are benign, beneficial, and pathogenic. The goal of this course is for students to learn about microbiology and microbial ecology as it relates to them - in the college campus environment. Students will learn about viruses, bacteria, eukarotes and metazoans that cause common illnesses (i.e. gastroenteritis, influenza and STDs), the microbially-driven elemental cycling of alcohol production, and ecology of microorganism that spoil food. Students will take away a practical understanding of the microorganisms that they can apply to their own lives. This course is suitable for non-life sciences majors.

We live on a microbial earth. If we happen to consider microbes in our daily lives most people conjure images of disease, but in reality we depend on microbes to sustain our world. This course showcases the vast microbial world that hides in plain sight all around us and use microbial examples to explore both fundamental biological principles and the scientific method. Course modules emphasize basic concepts from evolution, molecular biology and genetics, diversity, and ecology. Learn about the tiny titans and miniature monsters that are the life support system of our planet, how they have shaped human civilizations, and how they reveal the unifying principles of life. This course is suitable for non-life sciences majors.

Though antibiotic resistance puts millions of lives at peril from infectious diseases each year, antibiotics and other antimicrobials have played a critical role in helping scientists understand biological systems better. This class examines the biology of microbial life through the lens of antibiotics and other antimicrobials. This course is suitable for non-life sciences majors.

A study of the Greek and Latin word elements that combine to form most of the specialized terms in medicine, law, and biology. Students learning the meanings of these elements and the rules of word formation can usually recognize the basic meaning of any unfamiliar word in these fields. This skill is especially valuable for pre-law, pre-medical, pre-dental, pre-veterinary students and for those in other health and legal fields, as well as for students who would like to broaden their general vocabulary.

This class will explore the current theories about the chemical origins of life on earth, and will then use these insights to discuss the search for life on other planets, inside the Solar system and outside. Topics will include origin of the Sun, the Big Bang, the formation of Earth, the origin of life, from the prebiotic synthesis of amino acids, nucleobases, and other building blocks of life, the evolution of primitive protocells, the earliest RNA-based catalysts, the evolution of protein synthesis machinery, and the origins of eukaryotic cells. We will conclude with strategies and progress in identifying life on other planets in our solar system and on planets orbiting other stars.

This course will use a variety of teaching methods (including historical and current case studies and databases) to help students understand basic principles of microbiology as they apply to the emergence, transmission, pathogenicity, and control of infectious human disease. Major topics include water and food borne disease, zoonotic diseases, sexually transmitted diseases and antibiotic resistance.

This course provides an introduction to the microbiology of microbial diseases. The primary focus is on molecular mechanisms of pathogenesis, including detection of the host environment, binding of pathogenic microbes to host cell surfaces and their invasion of host cells and tissues, and the delivery and functions of microbial toxins. It will include host defenses and microbial countermeasures against these defenses. We will also study the evolution of pathogens and the co-evolution of their hosts.

Comprehensive overview of the biology of microorganisms, with emphasis on bacteria. Topics include microbial cell structure and function, physiology, metabolism, genetics, diversity, and ecology. Also covers applied aspects of microbiology such as biotechnology, the role of microorganisms in environmental processes, and medical microbiology.

This class will introduce you to current concepts and laboratory techniques in microbiology. Our goal is to show you how scientists use experiments to learn about the microbes around us, with an emphasis on bacteria. This course complements the Microbiology lecture by providing students with hands-on investigations into the microbial world.

A broad integration and overview of the origins, nature, and dynamics of infectious disease in humans, plants, and animals. An examination of the historical and contemporary concepts and impacts of infectious agents on hosts at multiple spatial and temporal scales and at different levels of biological organization. The ecology and evolution of pathogens, hosts, and vectors are also discussed. Consideration of newly emerging diseases in human, plant, and animal populations and the influence of human activities on global disease spread. Current and future issues and trends in disease monitoring and mitigtion will also be addressed.

We often take over-the-counter and prescription medications to treat various acute and chronic conditions, but how does that pill in a bottle relieve symptoms? This course will allow students to appreciate the intersection of biology and chemistry driving the science behind successful therapeutics. Why does a drug work better for some people than others? Why is taking many medications with grapefruit juice ill-advised? Students will learn the fundamentals of drug action and timing using selected FDA-approved drugs as examples in these sessions. We will discuss various drugs naturally made by bacteria and how bacteria are used to produce recombinant biologics drugs. We will cover some of the clinical aspects of antibiotic prescribing and why antibiotic resistance is a significant concern in healthcare and strategies for mitigation. Students will also learn about various analytical and bioanalytical assays used to clear a manufactured drug lot for release, for monitoring drug concentrations in patients' blood, and about tests used to determine whether a certain drug is likely to successfully treat a condition or cause adverse effects (companion diagnostics.) The interactive lectures will allow students to better understand drugs marketed to consumers and gain familiarity with the terminology used in drug development and clinical application. Students will develop their critical thinking skills by exploring a drug of their choice in scientific literature and have an opportunity to practice their communication skills through open discussion of their findings.

The microbes on and in our bodies are as abundant as our own cells. These diverse microorganisms provide us with metabolic capacities beyond our own and are essential to good health, but can also play a role in disease.This course will introduce the microbes of the human body, discuss their origins, adaptations to the body, molecular interactions, and associations with health and disease.

Marine microorganisms fuel globally significant elemental cycles through their activities. They also drive diseases in multicellular life through pathogenesis, modulation of host-associated microbiomes, and through induction of stressors (e.g. toxins, hypoxia). The purpose of this course is to provide junior- and senior-level students a background in biological oceanography, marine microbial ecology, biogeochemistry, and disease pathogenesis in marine habitats. The emphasis of the course is on understanding how biology affects and is affected by the oceans, and how organisms interact to produce ocean biological phenomena. The course is divided into 4 modules: 1) Marine microbial diversity and ocean structure; 2) Ocean biogeochemistry; 3) Marine disease pathogenesis; and 4) Pollution and climate change. This course will equip students with foundations for further undergraduate courses in ocean sciences and environmental dynamics, and for graduate studies in biological oceanography and marine biology.

Food Science 3940 will focus on the origin, transmission, consequences, and management of diverse microbiota throughout the food chain. Topics in this course generally include: 1) the microbiota of different food systems, 2) the physiology, metabolism, and pathogenesis of important groups of microbes, and 3) application of food microbiology to the industrial sector. You will receive a basic education in interdisciplinary subjects that require knowledge of microbiology, food safety, epidemiology, public health, biotechnology, and cell metabolism. Knowledge and expertise gained in this course will support your qualification for a future career in food science, biotechnology, or microbiology.

This course complements the Undergraduate Research Experience program coordinated by the Cornell Institute of Host-Microbe Interactions and Disease. The goal is to introduce students interested in research on host-microbe interactions to professional skills needed to successfully complete research projects and apply to graduate school. Course activities will address fundamental topics such as research ethics and science communication, as well as planning for graduate study, including preparing application materials and applying for opportunities.

Course in medical microbiology, presenting the major groups of bacterial pathogens important to human and veterinary medicine. Emphasizes infection and disease pathogenesis. Topics include disease causality; interactions of host, pathogen, and environment, including immunity to bacteria; and principles of antimicrobial therapy and drug resistance. Recommended for those planning to attend medical school, graduate school, or veterinary medical school, or those just interested in how bacteria cause disease. A companion seminar addresses the current and classic literature related to the pathophysiology of medically important bacterial pathogens on the cellular and molecular levels.

Principles of Virology is a course designed to convey the basic principles of virus biology, to illustrate the key concepts of virus-host interactions and their consequences for virus replication and pathogenesis of viral disease. The course focuses on identifying unifying principles underlying virus biology and highlighting important differences between viruses. Viruses infecting plants, animals, and bacteria will be discussed. A graduate level component of this course will further focus on seminal virology research findings and the cutting-edge technologies used in modern experimental virology through primary literature reading assignments provided in addition to the lecture material.

The goal of this course is to prepare students for advanced work in molecular bacteriology, with a special emphasis on experimental design. First year graduate students as well as senior undergraduates with an interest in understanding how bacterial cells work at the molecular level will gain the most from this course. We will cover basic molecular bacteriology and learn experimental approaches. A background in bacteriology or microbiology is not required, since we will review of fundamental concepts before digging deeper into these concepts using primary literature. Further, we will examine the foundational experiments that led to our current understanding of the bacterial world. We will also critically analyze recent primary literature in this field to advance our knowledge and will use this literature as a basis for generating new hypotheses. Students will also build a foundation in structural, genetic, and biochemical tools used in microbiology laboratories. Foundational knowledge and practical skills learned in this course will help prepare the student for advanced work in the bacteriology laboratory.

High-throughput sequencing has revolutionized and become common practice across the field of microbiology. This course will prepare students for analyzing large sequencing datasets through a meaningful biological lens. Via a combination of lectures, discussions of primary literature, and hands-on, data-driven computational labs, we will learn how to organize computational projects, work in the command line, perform cloud computing, and gather, interpret, and analyze amplicon and (meta)genomic data to advance our understanding of microbial systems. We will evaluate the distribution of microbial biodiversity and gene abundances and compare the taxonomic and genomic composition of microbial communities. This course is geared towards graduate students and upper-level undergraduate students across biology. We will focus on how to use software for biological analyses while touching on broader concepts of statistical algorithms. (Note: the specifics of statistical models will not be the focus.)

Systematic study of arthropod, protozoan, and helminth parasites of public health importance, with emphasis on epidemiologic, clinical, and zoonotic aspects of these parasitisms.

Bacteria and archaea are the driving force behind all major environmental cycles on the planet, they are critical players in a broad range of agricultural and industrial applications, as well as being responsible for many of the greatest medical challenges and opportunities facing humanity. Additionally, the underpinning of all molecular biology basically comes from work in bacteria. Systems being discovered in bacteria and archaea are continuing to drive the latest technologies in gene modification and genetic engineering across the life sciences. This course will provide a fundamental understanding of the genetics of bacteria and archaea and how this information can be used to understand the uniquely important role they play in the natural environment and current and future applications.

Designed to give qualified undergraduate students teaching experience through actual involvement in planning and assisting in biology courses. This experience may include supervised participation in a discussion group, assisting in a biology laboratory, assisting in field biology, or tutoring.

The course will focus on the origin, transmission, consequences, and management of diverse microbiota throughout the food chain. Topics in this course generally include: 1) the microbiota of different food systems, 2) the physiology, metabolism, and pathogenesis of important groups of microbes, and 3) application of food microbiology to the industrial sector. You will receive a basic education in interdisciplinary subjects that require knowledge of microbiology, food safety, epidemiology, public health, biotechnology, and cell metabolism. Knowledge and expertise gained in this course will support your qualification for a future career in food science, biotechnology, or microbiology.

Principles of Virology is a course designed to convey the basic principles of virus biology, to illustrate the key concepts of virus-host interactions and their consequences for virus replication and pathogenesis of viral disease. The course focuses on identifying unifying principles underlying virus biology and highlighting important differences between viruses. Viruses infecting plants, animals, and bacteria will be discussed. A graduate level component of this course will further focus on seminal virology research findings and the cutting-edge technologies used in modern experimental virology through primary literature reading assignments provided in addition to the lecture material.

The goal of this course is to prepare students for advanced work in molecular bacteriology, with a special emphasis on experimental design. First year graduate students as well as senior undergraduates with an interest in understanding how bacterial cells work at the molecular level will gain the most from this course. We will cover bacterial growth and metabolism, cell structures, physiology, pathogenesis, and experimental approaches. A background in bacteriology or microbiology is not required, since we will begin each week with a review of fundamental concepts before digging deeper into these concepts using primary literature. Further, we will examine the foundational experiments that led to our current understanding of the bacterial world. We will then critically analyze recent primary literature in this field to advance our knowledge and will use this literature as a basis for generating new hypotheses. Students will also build a foundation in structural, genetic, and biochemical tools used in microbiology laboratories. Foundational knowledge and practical skills learned in this course will help prepare the student for advanced work in the bacteriology laboratory.

High-throughput sequencing has revolutionized and become common practice across the field of microbiology. This course will prepare students for analyzing large sequencing datasets through a meaningful biological lens. Via a combination of lectures, discussions of primary literature, and hands-on, data-driven computational labs, we will learn how to organize computational projects, work in the command line, perform cloud computing, and gather, interpret, and analyze amplicon, genomic, and shot-gun metagenomic data to advance our understanding of microbial systems. We will evaluate the distribution of microbial biodiversity and gene abundances and compare the taxonomic and genomic composition of microbial communities. This course is geared towards graduate students and upper-level undergraduate students across biology. We will focus on how to use software for biological analyses while touching on broader concepts of statistical algorithms. (Note: the specifics of statistical models will not be the focus.)

Bacteria and archaea are the driving force behind all major environmental cycles on the planet, they are critical players in a broad range of agricultural and industrial applications, as well as being responsible for many of the greatest medical challenges and opportunities facing humanity. Additionally, the underpinning of all molecular biology basically comes from work in bacteria. Systems being discovered in bacteria and archaea are continuing to drive the latest technologies in gene modification and genetic engineering across the life sciences. This course will provide a fundamental understanding of the genetics of bacteria and archaea and how this information can be used to understand the uniquely important role they play in the natural environment and current and future applications.

Graduate level introduction to environmental microbiology including an introduction to microbial cell physiology, overview of microbial habitats (soil, groundwater, freshwater and marine habitats), biogeochemical cycles, environmental pathogens, principals of microbial ecology and microbial/viral evolution. Emphasis on how microorganisms interact with environmental conditions, and how their communities are shaped by physicochemical conditions.

The oceans cover 70% of the planet and are at the center of earth’s function as a habitable planet. They hold value for humans in context of cultural and natural resources, and are also sources and sinks of phenomena that affect global climate. The purpose of this graduate class is to introduce students to a breadth of topics related to the oceans through survey of contemporary and historic literature, preparation of funding proposals to facilitate future work, and sharing research ideas as they relate to the oceans. Students will share recent research findings from the peer-reviewed literature, learn about funding opportunities, prepare and peer-review funding proposals available to ocean sciences, and share their research ideas or current work performed in graduate study.

The ability to communicate effectively is essential for success as a scientist. The primary goal of this course is to provide students with an opportunity to develop self-confidence and refine their formal oral presentation skills. Students are asked to present topical seminars that are critically evaluated by the instructor. Feedback for improving the presentation and peer evaluations are emphasized.

The microbiology seminar series hosts local, national, and international speakers for research seminars. Students in BIOMI 7990 gain insight into current topics and cutting-edge methods in microbiology, and are provided with networking opportunities with established scientists, as well as opportunities to present their own seminars.