Course Instructor: 

         Dr. Babu Fathepure

         421 Life Science East

         E-mail: babu.fathepure@okstate.edu

Laboratory instructors: 

         Ms. Swechchha Pradhan

         E-mail: Swechchha.pradhan@okstate.edu

         Office hours: ______________________

Lab Organization – Project Oriented Labs.

Unlike the labs in most other classes (e.g., MICR 2132 and MICR 3223), the lab for this course is ‘project-oriented’.  In this lab you will start several experiments in the first few weeks and carry them to completion concurrently during the semester.  Most of the exercises are longer-term experiments requiring one to several weeks.  This means, on any given lab session, you will be performing part of several experiments that you have already initiated.  Therefore, it is critical that you need to be organized and be able to closely follow the progress of old and new experiments simultaneously.  In addition, you will have to be extra careful in performing and monitoring experiments since a simple mistake can jeopardize something you have been working for several weeks. This also means you can’t miss any labs – the enrichment process or growth of a culture won’t stop and wait for you.  In addition, you can’t progress to the next step until the previously initiated step is completed and the data is available.  Also, organisms or cultures prepared in one experiment maybe useful for another experiment.  The lab TA and your instructor will be available to help you but the success of the experiments is entirely depends on the performance of you and your team.  

For improved performance, some of the course material has been either modified from a previous manual or entirely new.  Therefore, at times, you may experience difficulty in either getting correct results or availability of appropriate reagents or instruments.  Also, you may not even be able to complete all the experiments presented in the lab manual.  This is perfectly all right.  The important goal of this lab is to make you aware of important principles underlying the interrelationships among living organisms and their functions in the environment.

Reports:You will submit 1 to 2 pages report for each completed project.  The report is due 1 week after the completion of the project work.  All reports will be written independently, although some data may be obtained from your lab partner or the whole class.  The journal style of the American Society for Microbiology (ASM) will be used as a guide.  The reports will be, for the most part, brief rather than embellished. The data tables, provenance of isolates, etc. are very important. The discussion should provide an interpretation of the results in relation to previously published work and suggestions or conclusions based on your laboratory observations.  If possible, you should try to incorporate some of the relevant journal literature in each report.  A good report will contain one or a few outside references/literature.  Avoid citing web pages as references, but you can use the web for searching original articles.  Reports will be written in correct scientific English.  Reports will be submitted typed, double spaced, as required by the ASM.   An excellent review of the written standards of the ASM is available:  Day, R.A. 1998.  How to Write and Publish a Scientific Paper.  Oryx Press, Phoenix, AZ.  For additional information on writing reports, see the lab manual. 

Exams:There will be one mid-term examination and one final.

Required Lab Manual:“Microbial Physiology and Ecology (MICR 4214/5214) Laboratory Exercises” (Pay at the bookstore and bring the receipt to 307 LSE to pick-up your manual

Required Supplies:The following items can be purchased at the bookstore.

• Laboratory coat
• Sharpie
• Lab notebook

Each student will keep a daily record of all observations, data, and specifics of experimental procedures not included in the lab manual in a working laboratory book. All the information necessary to repeat an experiment, the provenance of an isolate, etc. must be recorded in the notebook.  A good way to keep a notebook is to use whole pages for each day’s work for each individual experiment.  At the logical conclusion of an experiment, it’s a good idea to summarize the appropriate observations/results on another separate page.  Use pen/ink for the lab note.  It is mandatory that you bring your lab notebook with you to the lab without fail.  Your TA may audit your notebook without prior notice.  For additional instructions, read the lab manual.

Laboratory rules:

• Laboratory coat and eye protection must be worn in the teaching laboratory all the time. 
• You must keep your backpack and other personal items outside the lab for safety reason (we are not responsible for your valuables left outside in the backpacks).
• Cell phone must be turned off while you are in the lab.
• No eating or drinking while you are working in the lab.
• It is recommended that you wash your hands thoroughly with soap before leaving the teaching lab.

Lab Grading:Total possible score for all the laboratory exercises is 400 points (40% of the final grade).

• Attendance = 10 points
• Notebook = 30 points
• Peer evaluation = 15 points
• Reports 10 @ 10 points = 100 points total
• Quizzes, 3 @ 15 points = 45 points total
• Presentation = 50 points
• Exams, 2 @ 75 = 150 points total

Presentations:

• Presentation style (charts, drawings or models) = 10 points
• Explanation or Presentation = 25 points
• Attire = 5 points
• Questions/Answers = 5 points
• Style (attitude, eye contact, finish in time, etc) =  5 points

Chronology of Laboratory Exercises –please note that this schedule is flexible since science is not always predictable!!

Please note: Each session will last approximately 1.5 hours and you are REQUIRED to stay full lab hours in the lab even if you have completed an ongoing experiment.  Therefore, depending on the remaining time in the session, it is anticipated that you will start a new project.

Exercise       Project  Duration         Project Title                        Start date                 End date

Exer. 01           1-2 weeks                   Basic Microbiological Techniques     8/17/11           ??

Exer. 02           4-5 weeks                   Plant/microbe interactions 

Exer. 03           4 weeks                      Enrichment and isolation 

Exer. 04           3 weeks                      Community structure 

Exer. 05           4 weeks                      Community stability 

Exer. 06           3 weeks                      Microbe/microbe interactions 

Exer. 07           4-5 weeks                   Phylogenetic identification 

Exer. 08           4-5 weeks                   Microbial Succession  

Exer. 09           3 weeks                      Oxygenic primary producers  

Exer. 10           5 weeks                      Anoxygenic primary producers  

Exer. 11           4 weeks                      Nitrogen cycle –1 (N2 fixation) 

Exer. 12           4 weeks                      Nitrogen cycle –2 (Denitrification) 

Exer. 13           2 weeks                      Sulfur cycle