PLP320

040170

The world is full of communities of interacting microbes. For example, environmental communities can be manipulated to aid in the cleanup of human pollution (such as oil spills) and communities present in hosts can prevent sickness and aid in important processes like digestion. Furthermore, humans have cultivated and domesticated a variety of microbial communities to produce foods like yogurt, to ferment beer, and to synthesize pharmaceuticals such as insulin. One major goal for research in this area is to learn how to control, influence, and engineer microbiomes to ensure outcomes beneficial for humanity. At the heart of such studies is knowledge concerning ecological principles that determine community structure, but also information about mechanisms that organisms (including humans) use to kill or foster the growth of specific microbes. To address these questions, it will be key to delve into the genetic basis for microbe-microbe interactions and learn the process of designing new microbes. This course will provide a knowledge base to enable critical thinking about the past, present, and future of microbiome research and will foster an understanding of how easy (or difficult) it is to manipulate and control these communities.

GRD - Regular Grades A, B, C, D, E

Undergraduate

CE - CL (Cross Listed)

Background classes in genetics and molecular biology (MCB181/182, PLS312, ECOL320, ECOL326) or microbiology (MIC428, ENVS425, ACBS438, MIC452, PLP329, MIC420) are encouraged but not required.