TEACHING:

Autumn 2010-2011: BIO 23N – “FACEBUG: The social life of microbes”
We will explore three crucial aspects of microbial life. First, examine how the unseen microbial majority is responsible for critical but under-appreciated aspects of the biology of the planet. Second, investigate the array of current genomic and imaging tools available to probe microscopic organisms in the environment.  Last, we will research the importance of microbial communities and social dynamics in ecological and human health settings. (Image courtesy Ilina BG)

Autumn 2008-2009: “Microbes, Mysteries and Metagenomics
Microbes, the unseen majority in the world, but only in the last decades have methods been developed to investigate their diversity. How are these new technologies shaping appreciation of microbial diversity? Discoveries in genomics and metagenomics, and the interfaces among bioinformatics, evolutionary biology, and synthetic biology. Emphasis is on microbes in the environment and current ability to dissect the interactions of complex microbial communities. (Image: Class of 2008)