| Department of Ecology | |||||||||||||||
| Earliest Possible Year | MSc. 1 year to MSc. 2 year | ||||||||||||||
| Duration | One block | ||||||||||||||
| Credits | 7.5 (ECTS) | ||||||||||||||
| Course Level | MSc | ||||||||||||||
| Examination | Final Examination oral examination All aids allowed Description of Examination: During the course, each group hands in written practicals reports. Examination based on the reports, and on textbook, reviews, and original papers. Weight: Reports on practicals 20% Oral examination 80% 7-point scale, internal examiner | ||||||||||||||
| Requirement For Attending Exam | 75% of practical reports submitted | ||||||||||||||
| Organisation of Teaching | |||||||||||||||
| Block Placement | Block 2 Week Structure: A | ||||||||||||||
| Teaching Language | English | ||||||||||||||
| Restrictions | Maximum 24 students | ||||||||||||||
| Areas of Competence the Course Will Address | |||||||||||||||
| Competences within basic science: Knowledge about applied microbiology with emphasis on topics and perspectives relevant to interdisciplinary work in Biotechnology, Environmental Science, Natural Resources, and Food Science. Ability to read and discuss original articles within the field. Ability to formulate relevant research hypotheses, choose methods for experimental hypotheses testing and to interpret results from experiments. Competences within applied science: Practical skills in applied microbiology at an advanced level. Competences within ethics and values: Knowledge and understanding of ethics in relation to application of microbiology. | |||||||||||||||
| Course Objectives | |||||||||||||||
| The aim is to give the students insight and practical skills in applied microbiology at an advanced level. The course supplements basic courses at the Bachelor level and supports thematic courses at the Masters level. | |||||||||||||||
| Course Contents | |||||||||||||||
| Teaching will take the form of practical exercises, lectures and colloquia. The following areas will be covered: * Microbial bioprospecting and population analysis. Detection and genotyping of microorganisms, producers of particular metabolites, and assessment of biodiversity. *Extremophilic organisms. Strategies for life and metabolic adaptations of cells to extreme conditions. Screening for enzymes and other biologically active molecules. Application of extremophilic organisms. *Microbial interactions in agriculture. Trophic interactions, plant-microbe interactions, microbiological control of fungal plant pathogens, and importance of microorganisms for soil fertility. Plant-growth promoting rhizobacteria, secondary metabolites with antifungal activities, biosurfactans. *Microbial ecotoxicology and environmental quality. Bioavailability and toxicity of pollutants (e.g. heavy metals and xenobiotics). Development of co-resistance to antibiotics in polluted environments. *Bioremediation of polluted soils. Bottlenecks for biodegradation of organic pollutants (e.g. pesticides, pharmaceuticals and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons). *Aquaculture microbiology: Identification and biology of taste-and-odour producing bacteria in fish ponds and their impact on fish quality. During the course, the students will obtain hands-on experience with a number of classical and new, cutting edge microbiological techniques, for example: Plate screening, flow cytometry, immunodetection, reporter genes and recombinant bacterial biosensors, fluorescence in situ hybridization, Biolog/PLFA/DGGE or T-RFLP fingerprinting, gas chromatography | |||||||||||||||
| Teaching And Learning Methods | |||||||||||||||
| Introductory, plenary lectures and seminars/colloquia. Practical laboratory exercises. | |||||||||||||||
| Learning Outcome | |||||||||||||||
| . | |||||||||||||||
| Course Litterature | |||||||||||||||
| Brock: Biology of Microorganisms, 11th ed. Madigan & Martinko (Prentice Hall). Reviews, original articles, and compendia. | |||||||||||||||
| Course Coordinator | |||||||||||||||
| Peter Stougaard, psg@life.ku.dk, Department of Agriculture and Ecology/Section of Genetics and Microbiology, Phone: 35332609 | |||||||||||||||
| Study Board | |||||||||||||||
| Study Committee NSN | |||||||||||||||
| Course Scope | |||||||||||||||
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