Subscribe to ArticlesMO BIO Laboratories is an ardent supporter of science education at all levels. So when we heard about the pioneering soil microbiology classes being taught by Adjunct Assistant Professor in the Department of Microbiology, Immunology, & Molecular Genetics at UCLA, Erin Sanders-Lorenz, we had to know more.
Erin received her PhD in 2005 from UCLA and during that time focused much of her efforts on building programs for teaching microbiology to students in a way that would engage and fascinate them. Indeed, her CV contains a long list of undergraduate teaching and instructional development activities, curriculum development projects, and education publications. Her dedication to microbiology education continues to be her main focus as a academic coordinator at UCLA. Erin is currently the Director of Initiatives in Life Science Laboratory Education and a co-faculty advisor for the Training of Departmental Teaching Assistants program at UCLA.
Erin’s latest achievement is the upcoming publication of a new text book, a collaboration with Jeff Miller, Distinguished Professor at UCLA. The book, called: I, Microbiologist: A Discovery-based Course in Microbial Ecology and Molecular Evolution published by ASM Press, will be available in March.
We interviewed Erin to hear more about the book and her teaching experiences at UCLA. Read on to hear her innovative methods for educating the next wave of microbiologists.
Q: What is “I, Microbiologist”?
A: This curriculum is based on my research lab courses at UCLA. I teach a new class each quarter with about 30 students. The students are split into teams of 4. Essentially the teams must go out to collect soil samples, identify the organisms present in the samples and using their 16S rRNA sequences build phylogenetic trees. The course is structured such that no single student can complete the objectives on their own, so they must learn to work as a team to complete their study. Also, part of the class involves teaching students to keep a lab notebook, writing up their results and solidifying research and experimental concepts.
Q: Have your students made any interesting discoveries?
A: Yes, in fact, stage 2 of the curriculum development will involve setting up an online database to make their results available to the general research community. One specific example involved a study of soil samples collected 1 mile underneath Terminal Island. This was part of a feasibility project by the City of Los Angeles and Terralog to break down biosolid waste underneath Terminal Island. The students had to work out growth conditions for those samples that mirrored the environment they were collected, so anaerobic growth conditions in high temperature and high salt. They identified a number of bacteria that were metabolically unique and interesting to the biofuels industry. In fact their results provided the impetus to scale up the experiment with an independent study.
Q: Has this experiential method of coursework impacted other course curriculum at UCLA?
A: Yes, a colleague of mine built on a nitrogen fixing organism that we identified in the Mildred E. Mathias Botanical Gardens in a later course and we are now applying for funding to have the bacteria sequenced. UCLA is strongly considering expanding the concept of discovery based research experiences for undergraduates to other areas of life science research.
Q: How has this curriculum impacted your students?
A: I believe it gives the students a more accurate picture of what to expect from a career in research. Anecdotally I’ve seen some students change course from other career plans to move into a research based career. Our main goal with these classes is to build critical thinking skills and to teach students how to ask the right questions to determine how well a study was constructed when they are reading a report of the results.
Q: Which of your own publications was the most influential to you and inspired you to do what you are doing today?
Sanders ER, Karol KG, and McCourt RM (2003). Occurrence of matK in a trnK group II intron in Charophyte green algae and phylogeny of the Characeae. American Journal of Botany 90: 628-633.
The reason is because it reflects the research efforts of my undergraduate years at DePaul University working with two colleagues, both of whom are close friends to this day (Rick McCourt and Ken Karol). I worked in Rick’s lab for two years and was trained by Ken, who patiently took we undergrads under his wing and taught us every technique and it’s associated nuances. It was a wonderful experience and inspired me to continue my quest for a career in science. This experience prepared me for my graduate work — it got me motivated and excited about the world of research. The fact that I published a paper as a first author undergraduate really underscores the importance of getting students engaged in the process of authentic research early in their college careers — it validates my experience and highlights the potential we all have to thrive and make meaningful contributions to the science community even as students.
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Thanks Erin for your time and especially for your dedication to teaching the critical science skills early on. I am sure that your efforts have a great impact on the students you train and on UCLA’s reputation as a scientific institution.
The book, I, Microbiologist: A Discovery-based Course in Microbial Ecology and Molecular Evolution will be available in March from ASM Press and can be pre-ordered now.
If you are an educator or interested in building similar types of programs at your institution, you will want to get a copy of this book. Also check out www.asmcue.org where Erin will be presenting a poster at the 17th Annual Conference for Undergraduate Educators (May 20-23, 2010) at the Town & Country Resort and Convention Center, San Diego, CA.
Thanks for reading! If you have any questions for Erin or comments about this article, please feel welcome to leave them here on this blog and we will reply as soon as possible.
~Suzanne
Very super information.