At the end of this course, the student is able to:
- develop an approach for the use of microorganisms as bio-catalysts in industrial applications such as waste water treatment, biogas production and bioremediation
- examine the novelty of a microorganism that was newly isolated from the environment based on genotypic and phenotypic characteristics
- design experiments to characterize the diversity and function of microorganisms in the environment in order to understand biogeochemical cycles in an ecosystem
- evaluate the implication of environmental key parameters on microbial diversity in order to predict the response to environmental changes
- discuss the role of microorganisms in the evolution of cellular life on Earth
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Our Earth is a microbial planet. Microbes do not only play a fundamental role in nature's nutrient cycling, their catalytic functionality is also applied in biotechnological processes such as waste water treatment, bioremediation and energy generation. They are incredibly diverse and so far only a fraction of what is estimated to live on our planet has been discovered and characterized.
In 'Environmental Microbiology & Biotechnology', we will have a look at microbial diversity in nature and introduce methods to study their distribution and function in an ecosystem. We will focus on their role in Earth's nutrient cycling, their adaptation to different environments and from there make a link to their application in engineered systems. |
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| Basic knowledge in microbial physiology and the role of microorganisms in biogeochemical cycling as can be obtained in the courses "Physiology of Microorganisms" and "Microbial Metabolism" in the BSc Biology at RU or by self-study with the book "Brock Microbiology of Microorganisms". Ideally, students should also take the MSc Biology specialisation Microbiology course "Microbial physiology and metabolism" in parallel. |
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| Oral examination (30 min per student) |
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| The course is a mandatory course within the MSc Biology specialisation Microbiology. The number of places is limited, but allows additional students from other study programs. Please inquire with the course coordinator Dr. Sebastian Lücker (s.luecker@science.ru.nl). |
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