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Dansk English

BMB818: Extremophile microbes: Microbiology and biotechnology (5 ECTS)

STADS: 01011901

Level
Master's level course

Teaching period
The course is offered in the spring semester.

Teacher responsible
Email: r.p.cox@bmb.sdu.dk

Timetable
Group Type Day Time Classroom Weeks Comment
Common I Monday 12-14 U10 21 BMB818
Common I Monday 14-16 U10 22 BMB818 afslutning
Common I Wednesday 12-14 U70 7,9
Common I Wednesday 14-16 U105 14,16
Common I Wednesday 10-12 U105 18
Common I Thursday 14-16 U105 11
Common I Thursday 14-16 U7 20 BMB818
H1 TE Monday 14-16 U70 10
H1 TE Monday 10-12 U10 17
H1 TE Tuesday 10-12 U10 15
H1 TE Tuesday 14-16 U105 19
H1 TE Wednesday 14-16 U10 13
H1 TE Wednesday 08-10 U10 17
H1 TE Thursday 12-14 U10 15
H1 TE Thursday 12-14 U105 19
H1 TE Friday 12-14 U70 10
H1 TE Friday 08-10 U103 13
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Comment:
Max 16 studerende

Prerequisites:
None

Academic preconditions:
Students are expected to have followed an introductory course in microbiology, for example BMB507 Fundamental microbiology, BB509 Microbiology or a similar course in microbiology from another university.

The course is also open to students at bachelor level.

Course introduction
The course covers the microbiology of Bacteria and Archaea that are adapted to extreme environments and their industrial applications.

Qualifications
Students will obtain experience in reading scientific articles in English and giving oral presentations to fellow students in the same language. They will also gain experience in isolation and characterization of a pure culture of a microbe from an extreme environment.

Expected learning outcome
After completing the course, students will be able to

  1. Describe the different types of extreme environments and explain how Bacteria and Archaea are able to survive and grow under these conditions.
  2. Give examples of the biotechnological application of extremophiles
  3. Perform the procedures involved in isolating a pure culture of a microbe from an extreme environment.
  4. Use 16S rRNA sequences to identify Bacteria or Archaea in accordance with current ideas about microbial phylogeny.
Subject overview
  1. Types of extreme environment and the extremophile concept
  2. Biology of the Archaea
  3. High temperatures – thermophiles
  4. Low temperatures - psychrophiles
  5. Extremes of pH – acidophiles and alkaliphiles
  6. Environments with high salt concentrations – halophiles
  7. Environments with limiting nutrients – oligotrophs
  8. Extremely slow growth and long-term survival
Literature
There isn't any litterature for the course at the moment.

Website
This course uses e-learn (blackboard).

Prerequisites for participating in the exam
Acceptable presentation of two research articles and participation in discussions. Approved report describing the laboratory exercises. Pass/fail, evaluated by the instructor alone (01011912)

It will be possible to re-submit the lab report (will be announced on Blackboard).

Assessment and marking:

  1. Written report. Internal examiner, graded after Danish 7 mark scale (5 ECTS). (01011902)
Expected working hours
The teaching method is based on three phase model.
Intro phase: 12 hours
Skills training phase: 32 hours, hereof:
 - Tutorials: 20 hours
 - Laboratory exercises: 12 hours

Educational activities Study phase: 72 hours

The study phase will be used for preparation of student presentations, reading articles to be presented by other students, and wrting the reports of the laboratory activities.

Language
This course is taught in English.

Remarks
Max 16 students

Course enrollment
See deadline of enrolment.

Tuition fees for single courses
See fees for single courses.