Web Sites of Interest to Microbiology Teachers

The Sites listed here are those found to be useful in teaching microbiology and others recommended to us by microbiology teachers.

  • The sites are listed in a number of categories.


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    Curricular Materials on the Internet

     

    The microbiology and Immunology Department of Leicester University maintains a Home Page containing information on a series of their courses in microbiology and immunology. Many of these course descriptions contain extensive lecture notes and images. Some of the courses listed are Introductory Microbiology, Infection and Immunity, Environmental Microbiology, and Virology.

    "Access Excellence is a national educational program sponsored by ... Genentech, Inc. that puts high school biology teachers in touch with their colleagues, scientists and critical sources of new scientific information through an online network". This site contains an "Activities Exchange", a "What's New feature, "The Teachers Lounge", "About Biotech" and an extensive array of laboratory exercises in "The Resource Center". Dont forget to visit The Graphics Gallery which contains a lengthy list of printer ready graphics which can be placed into Power Point programs or copied onto acetate overlays.

    Be It Ever So Humble, There's No Place Like Dung. From the Access Excellence page, this article by Juliana Hauser describes dung inhabitants, their adaptations and their succession.

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    Descriptions of Techniques

    Polymerase Chain Reaction, from the Access Excellence collection

    Monoclonal Antibody Technology - The Basics and Monoclonal Antibody Production From the Access Excellence Collection.

    Restriction Enzymes From the Access Excellence Collection.

     Electron Microscopy

    An Introduction to Microscopy and Photography Through the Microscope

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    Image Sources for Microbiology Teachers

    BGSU Center for Algal Microscopy and Image Digitization This Home Page was created to serve as a "Gateway" to Bowling Green State University's archive of digitized images. It contains links to many sites containing images of algae and of microscopes.

    CELLS alive. This site contains animated GIFs including Cytotoxic T Cells, the effect of Penicillin, dividing bacteria, apoptosis and bacterial motility.

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    Teaching Resources

    The Tree of Life. This "Project is designed to contain information about the phylogenetic relationships and characteristics of organisms [including microorganisms], to illustrate the diversity and unity of living organisms, and to link biological information available on the Internet in the form of a phylogenetic navigator." The optimistic ambition of this site is to eventually contain information about most [all] of the worlds known taxa. The usefulness of the site will increase with time as more taxa are added.

    The Microbial Underground's Guide to Microbiology on the Net This site maintained by m.pallen@ic.ac.uk contains a large number of links to microbiology related sites on the internet inluding course descriptions, infectious disease sites, virology, protists, fungi, news groups, bulletin board services, culture collections, online publications and "Wierd & Wonderful" stuff.

    Bugs in the News!. A site created and maintained by John Brown of the University of Kansas. Contains feature articles and "What the heck is.....????" articles for the curious.

    Student produced Portfolio Contents and Descriptions The most complete set of explanations and instructions we have seen on student evaluation and growth through the construction of student produced portfolios. A part of the Genentech sponsored Access Excellence site.

    The Center for Microbial Ecology is engaged in an attempt to "understand factors that influence the competitiveness, diversity, and function of microorganisms in their natural and managed habitats. The center has major programs in Research, Graduate Education, Industrial Outreach and Educational Outreach" The latter site includes the element, K-12: "The Unseen World" devoted to telling students and teachers about the importance of biotechnology and microbial ecology in protecting the environment. This section of the CME Web Site has sections on "Environmental Journalism, Science Writing, Elementary Alternative Assessment, Teacher Professional Development and the Expoerimental Method for Elementary Students.

    The Digital Learning Center for Microbial Ecology Links to many resources of value to students and teachers including the "Microbe of the Week", "The Microbe Zoo", "Microbes in the News", "Meet the Scientists and "Microbial Ecology Resources."

    The Center for Biofilm Engineering at Montana State University-Bozeman maintains this site. It contains descriptions of the importance of biofilms and the technologies required to study them. The latter includes a Microscope/I.A. Page which describes the types of microscopes used to investigate biofilms including the confocal microscope. The site also describes the methods used in the analysis of the data.

    "The American Type Culture Collection is a global bioscience organization that provides biological products, technical services, and educational programs to private industry, government, and academic organizations around the world. The mission of the ATCC is to acquire, authenticate, and maintain reference cultures, related biological materials and associated data, and to distribute these to qualified scientists in government, industry and education." Among other resources on this site is an extensive list of media that can be found under Search ATCC Catalogues.

    Eucaryotes in extreme environments is a page compiled by Dave Roberts of the Zoology Department, of The Natural History Museum, Cromwell Road London.

    The Berkeley Museum of Paleontology. This museum site contains on line exhibits, on line catalogs on which students can search for specific organisms and learn about their taxonomy, fossil record, morphology and life history and ecology.

    Species 2000 "The goal of the Species 2000 program is to establish a world-wide network for listing and indexing the existence of species of organisms of all groups".

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    Organism Specific Sites

    What are yeasts?

    Cellular Slime Mold WWW Server. "The purpose of this site is to facilitate communication between researchers involved in studies of cellular slime molds such as Dictyostelium discoideum and Polysphondylium.

    Introduction to the Bacteria A portion of the monumental Berkeley Virtual Museum of Paleontology.

    Introduction to the Archaea Another segment of the Berkeley Virtual Museum of Paleontology.

    Mycological Resources on the Internet: Resources for Teaching

     Education related sites found on the American Society for Microbiology Home Page

     

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    Medically Related Sites

    Emerging and Re-emerging Diseases "Provided on this page is a list of resources about emerging and re-emerging diseases found throughout the world. The listings include viruses, bacteria, parasites and fungi."

    Outbreak "Outbreak is an on-line information service addressing emerging diseases."

    Emerging Infectious Diseases Home Page Includes perspectives, synopses and dispatches related concerning emerging diseases.

    The Marburg and Ebola Virus site contains a great deal of information about these filo-viruses, including history, taxonomy, virion properties, genomic properties, host range and geographic properties, evolution, pathology and diagnosis.

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    Special Topics in Microbiology

    Understanding the Soil Process

    Microbes Muddle Shroud of Turin's Age

    Microminds

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    Organizations Which Support Microbiology Education

    American Society for Microbiology Search our their Education site. You will find a variety of resources and grant opportunities related to microbiology education. There you will also find the Undergraduate Microbiology Curriculum Recommendations developed and expanded through several Undergraduate Microbiology Conferences. Here you will also find the "Core Components of the microbiology Laboratory and a Draft Document on the Laboratory Core Curriculum including sections on Laboratory Safety, Laboratory Skills, Laboratory Thinking Skills and Laboratory Content. This ASM site also includes a set of "Resources for Active Learning in the Microbiology Classroom" also developed at the undergraduate microbiology conferences.

    National Science Teachers Association

    National Association of Biology Teachers

     

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