
Microbiology: A Laboratory Experience
Holly Ahern, SUNY Adirondack
Copyright Year: 2018
ISBN 13: 9781942341543
Publisher: Milne Open Textbooks
Language: English
Formats Available
Conditions of Use
Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike
CC BY-NC-SA
Reviews





This lab book covers a wide array of pertinent topics that are key to an introductory microbiology lab course. It begins with a discussion Biosafety Levels and best practices in the lab, with great links to ASM and CDC resources. Use of the... read more
This lab book covers a wide array of pertinent topics that are key to an introductory microbiology lab course. It begins with a discussion Biosafety Levels and best practices in the lab, with great links to ASM and CDC resources. Use of the microscope is covered in a succinct manner with enough information to be useful but not so much as to be tedious. Bacterial culture methods with opportunities for practical application are plentiful and look like they could be easily adapted to individual course needs. Staining is well covered as is metabolism, physiology and growth. The food safety section utilizes various types of selective and differential media and introduces a practical application of lab skills with the exercise on food contamination. The book includes labs on antibiotic sensitivity, epidemiology and blood smears. The Microbe Mythbuster lab at the end is a great way to incorporate Scientific Literacy assessment into the course. I did not see a glossary although there are several appendices which look to be quite helpful. The reason for the 4 instead of 5 is that while I think the book covers the included topics well, I would like to see some additional sections address microbes other than bacteria a little more thoroughly.
I found the book to be very accurate in terms of the information, photos and drawings. I did not see any errors, typo or otherwise.
The topics included in the text are relevant (Biosafety, microscope use, basic microbiology lab techniques) and will be useful now and into the future. The bacterial metabolism, growth and physiology labs will also be relevant well into the future and easily allow individual courses/instructors to pick and choose the media used based on availability etc. Updates should be easy to incorporate and the Scientific Literacy section has so many options for use, it would be not be difficult to modify it for just about any intro microbiology lab course.
The text is VERY well written, easy to understand and the questions, worksheets and tables to fill in are well organized and very clearly written/setup.
The text is very consistent in content depth and discussion. It explains topics in an understandable way and provides so many practical applications of the material, I think students will relate to the content and exercises very well. This text is very well organized and flows from one topic to the next so nicely.
This text lends itself to reorganization by the instructor, based on course needs. As I perused the text, I could easily navigate the topics and definitely can see where an instructor could realign the order for many of the of the sections to meet the needs of their course.
The course of material through the text is well organized. Steps to exercises are well written and logical in sequence.
All images drawings and diagrams are well presented. Color photos are clear, no blurriness. Charts are organized and fit well into the material.
I did not see any grammatical errors.
I saw no incidences of any topics that would be considered culturally insensitive. I would consider all of the topics covered in the text to be inclusive as the microbes and topics chosen would be relevant to all races, ethnicities and backgrounds.
Table of Contents
- Biosafety Practices and Procedures for the Microbiology Laboratory
- The Microscopic World
- Bacteriological Culture Methods
- The Human Skin Microbiome Project
- Differential Staining Techniques
- Metabolism, Physiology, and Growth Characteristics of Cocci
- Metabolism, Physiology, and Growth Characteristics of Bacilli
- Microbiological Food Safety
- The War on Germs
- Epidemiology and Public Health
- Blood: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly
- Microbe Mythbuster
Ancillary Material
About the Book
As a group of organisms that are too small to see and best known for being agents of disease and death, microbes are not always appreciated for the numerous supportive and positive contributions they make to the living world. Designed to support a course in microbiology, Microbiology: A Laboratory Experience permits a glimpse into both the good and the bad in the microscopic world. The laboratory experiences are designed to engage and support student interest in microbiology as a topic, field of study, and career.
This text provides a series of laboratory exercises compatible with a one-semester undergraduate microbiology or bacteriology course with a three- or four-hour lab period that meets once or twice a week. The design of the lab manual conforms to the American Society for Microbiology curriculum guidelines and takes a ground-up approach — beginning with an introduction to biosafety and containment practices and how to work with biological hazards. From there the course moves to basic but essential microscopy skills, aseptic technique and culture methods, and builds to include more advanced lab techniques. The exercises incorporate a semester-long investigative laboratory project designed to promote the sense of discovery and encourage student engagement. The curriculum is rigorous but manageable for a single semester and incorporates best practices in biology education.
About the Contributors
Author
Holly Ahern is an award-winning professor of microbiology at SUNY Adirondack in Queensbury, NY with over 30 years of teaching and research experience in molecular biology and microbiology. She has written nationally published laboratory textbooks in cell and molecular biology, and is the author of scientific articles published in both scholarly and trade journals. Ahern was named a National Science Foundation American Society for Microbiology (ASM) Biology Scholar in 2008, completing the Biology Scholar Transitions Residency program in 2011. Her goal is to capture student interest in microbiology and science by immersing them in research.