Teaching
BSCI 30171 General Microbiology
4 credits, with lab
Prerequisites: BSCI 10110, 20140; CHEM 10060, 10061, 10062, 10063
This course is offered every Fall and Spring semester. I typically teach it in one of those two semesters, alternating with Dr. Jen Mou.
Audience: This junior-level course is required for several undergraduate majors (BSCI-Premed, CHEM-Biochemistry, Biotechnology) and is also a popular elective, running with 100-170 students per semester.
Subject: In this course we introduce basic principles of microbiology, including physiology, genetics, diversity, diseases, and ecology. It is designed to provide the necessary background to support further education in the fields of microbiology, environmental science, medicine and other related disciplines. The lecture incorporates video lectures as well as traditional in-person lectures, making classtime available for clickers and review sessions.
Teaching philosophy: Early on, I restructured the course in three major ways to match my teaching philosophy. First, I felt that the course needed an interesting case study microorganism – a “character” that can be used to create an interesting narrative for the class while demonstrating important concepts. The microbe I use is E. coli, which is fascinating because it ranges from harmless to life-threatening, and from an environmental contaminant to a biotechnology tool. After introducing E. coli, we spend the first half of the course touring basic cell structure, metabolism, gene expression, evolution, and immunology, all with the goal of trying to explain how a single species can play so many roles. From this understanding of E. coli, we branch out to other microbes and environments in the second half of the semester.
Second, my goal is to present updated material that engages the students and demonstrates the constantly changing state of microbiological knowledge. This means that the course is in a constant state of revision. I present the most up-to-date information about major environmental and disease-causing microbes - from Ebola and Zika viruses to the Toledo water crisis - in order to show students the economic and social consequences of microbiology in the US and other parts of the world.
Third, I focused the lab component of the course on the scientific process. To create a realistic feeling of discovery in the lab, students use environmental samples in experiments that span several weeks. They are expected to practice scientific reasoning to make interesting hypotheses and interpret their data. I also placed greater emphasis on written lab reports, rather than traditional lab practicals/quizzes. This requires students, in their own words, to explain hypotheses, present results, and draw conclusions about their experiments. This moves the lab experience away from busy work and rote memorization, and towards intellectual engagement, critical analysis, and writing.
BSCI 4/5/70162 Soil Biology
3 credits
Prerequisites: BSCI 10110, 10120
Offered alternating years.
Audience: This is an advanced undergraduate/graduate level course with few prerequisites. Soil Biology is a highly interdisciplinary science, and the course covers topics important in conservation, agriculture, plant and microbial ecology, evironmental science, and biogeochemistry. The course also benefits from students bringing a wide variety of educational and personal experiences. For example, students are welcome from backgrounds in molecular biology, botany, conservation, geology, etc. Group projects and discussions draw on all of these areas of expertise. I have had 15-40 undergraduates and 1-6 graduate students enrolled in this course.
Subject: The activity of soil organisms supports global and local nutrient cycles, aboveground biological communities, and ecosystem development. Soil is therefore a critical resource wherever we manage ecosystems with a terrestrial component, including in agriculture, conservation, watershed protection, and forestry. In this course we will see how soils sustain life through exploration of the ecology of soil organisms, including microbes, plants, and animals. Physical and chemical aspects of soil will also be introduced to provide the basis of understanding this unique environment and how it relates to the broader terrestrial ecosystem.
Teaching philosophy: In addition to textbooks, this class introduces required reading and interpretation of primary scientific literature. This is often the first course undergraduates take in which this is required, so we talk about how to understand a scientific paper. The course is approximately 2/3 lecture and 1/3 discussion. Discussions begin in small groups, and then move to class-wide discussions.
A major part of the course is a collection of projects done in groups, which include students with differing backgrounds. Students rely on each other for expertise, and everyone is pushed outside their comfort zone but assists someone else. These assignments culminate in a written report and, depending on the size of the class, a presentation.
BSCI 5/70195 Special Topics: Advanced Community Ecology
Co-taught with Mark Kershner
2 credits
Prerequisites: BSCI 5/70373, 6/70103
Offered sporadically based on student demand.
Audience: Graduate students familiar with community ecology and basic statistics, and seeking advanced training in these topics. Typically 5-10 students.
Subject: What are the current debates in community ecology? How does one analyze a biotic inventory or other data collected on natural assemblages of organisms? This course provides an in-depth analysis of select topics and practice in community ecology, and will be applicable to the study of any taxonomic group. Classroom activities focus on discussions of concepts and approaches and hands-on experience in R for advanced methods in statistical data analysis.
Course topics vary to some extent based on student interests. We always cover analysis of alpha and beta diversity and multivariate methods, but have also considered metacommunity theory, neutral theory, phylogenetic dispersion/constraints, spatial statistics, functional trait analysis, null models/permutation tests, co-occurence analysis, time-series analysis, indicator species, rank abundance distributions, and generalized linear mixed models.
Teaching philosophy: This advanced course is based on intensive readings, discussion, coding in R, and interpretation of results. Students often work on their own datasets throughout the course. This course is meant to help begin a lifelong self-directed exploration of community ecology and multivariate statistics.
BSCI 5/70372 Community and Ecosystem Ecology
2 credits
Prerequisites: Graduate standing and some familiarity with ecology
Offered alternating years.
Audience: This course is part of the series of graduate-level "core" courses in our Ecology and Evolutionary Biology graduate program, and is also occassionally taken by students in other graduate programs. These courses represent key preparation for more advanced work and candidacy exams. Typically 10-20 students are enrolled.
Subject: This course focuses on the ecosystem approach to understanding the environment, and how ecological communities affect ecosystem processes and stability. The goal is to provide new graduate students with a solid basis in these topics in terms of historical background, applications, theory, and current debates. Students also become familiar with the myriad of ways in which scientific knowledge is advanced, and are exposed to an abundance of primary scientific articles.
Teaching philosophy: Graduate students are expected to engage in material on a deeper level, developing the ability to critically evaluate specific scientific reports, place new information in the context of broader scientific knowledge, and draw their own conclusions and syntheses from a body of scientific literature. To develop these skills, students read extensively from a wide variety of sources in this course. Most of the course consists of small group discussions, whole class discussions, or student presentations.
A highlight of the course consists of the "Kent State EEB Lambda Alpha Delta Cup Best Paper Competition". Students present a paper, published in the last six months, that they felt best advanced a topic we had recently covered in lecture. The winner is decided by vote, who adds their name to the cup (in sharpie on lab tape, of course) and holds it until the next competition (every few weeks). This activity is a fun way for graduate students to survey current literature for exciting developments, practice presentations, and build camaraderie within their cohort. Also, guess what the lambda, alpha, and delta (lower case), which the cup was named for, refers to?
Course grades are based on a large range of skills as appropriate for a graduate class, including discussion participation, a written paper, a presentation, and tests designed to help get students ready for our candidacy exam format. Exams consist of essay questions involving problem-solving and creative application of principles we have covered. Students are provided ahead of time with 30-40 potential essay questions, ~4 of which will be on the actual exam. They are encouraged to write out practice answers, debate their answers with each other, and talk about them with me. This preparation process results in deeper learning of the material.
BSCI 5/70195 Special Topics: Spatial Statistics
2 credits
Prerequisites: BSCI 5/70373, 6/70103
Offered sporadically based on student demand.
Audience: Graduate students familiar with community ecology and basic statistics, and seeking advanced training in these topics. Typically 5-10 students.
Subject: This course was similar to Advanced Community Ecology except that we decided to focus on spatial statistics; i.e., detection of spatial patterns and hypothesis testing in the presence of spatial autocorrelation. Course topics included analysis of multivariate community data using geostatistics, kriging, Moran's eigenvalue maps, spatial covariance in generalized linear mixed models, point pattern analysis, and permutation tests.
BSCI 4/5/70195 Special Topics: Ecology of Forest Fungi
3 credits, with lab
Prerequisites: One of BSCI 30171 (General Microbiology), BSCI 30360 (General Ecology), BSCI 30270 (Plant Biology), BSCI 40162 (Soil Biology)
Offered sporadically based on student demand.
Audience: Any students interested in hands-on experience in research methods and cultivation of fungi from forests. Typically 5-10 students.
Subject: There is much more to fungi than the mushrooms that seem to appear and disappear overnight. The ecology of forests is closely linked to the activity of fungi – normally microscopic residents with large effects on plants and the globe. In this course we will examine the critical role that fungi play in nutrient cycles in forests, and the symbioses that fungi engage in with plants.
Students will gain direct exposure to current research and methods related to fungal communities in forests, fungal identification, and cultivation. An emphasis will be placed on lab and field activities, as well as readings and discussion to demonstrate the current state of the science surrounding these enigmatic forest residents.
Teaching philosophy: This was a three-week intensive summer course with a focus on field and lab.
