ENVR 616 Environmental Microbiology ENVR 324 Microbial Ecology Winter, 2000

(This course is also be listed under other numbers at both the graduate and undergraduate levels)

Instructor:	R. Christopher Barry, Ph.D., P.E. Assistant Professor of Environmental Engineering
Office:	602 Nesbitt Hall (215) 895-2285 barryrc@drexel.edu
Office Hours:	2:00-5:00 PM Tuesdays and Thursdays, and by appointment
Class Meetings:	Wednesdays, 6:00-9:00
Required Textbook:	Microbial Ecology, by R.M. Atlas and R. Bartha, 4th edition, Addison Wesley Longman, 1998, ISBN 0-8053-0655-2

Grading:

1. Exams: There will be one midterm exam and one final exam, both of which count 30% towards the course grade.
2. Research Proposal: Students must prepare a research proposal during the course of the term, with deadlines as noted on the accompanying schedule. Details are discussed on a separate sheet
3. Current Journal Articles: Before each class, students must go to the library and look through research journals and find a paper related to that week's topic. The paper must be a description of actual research, not a review article or commentary. After reading the article, the student must prepare a one page typewritten summary of the article to be turned in at the end of the class. You must also submit a photocopy of the original article. Several students will be selected during class each week to share their findings with the group. The instructor will review the summaries and articles and return them, although no specific grade is put on the assignments. Students will receive credit for the assignment provided their summary gives a full description of the research.

Any delays in completing assignments should be brought to instructor's attention BEFORE the due date or exam date! Course grades will be assigned based on the following distribution:

NOTE TO STUDENTS REGISTERED FOR 4.5 credit hours of MICROBIAL ECOLOGY: You must schedule an appointment to meet with the instructor to discuss additional research activities to be completed during the term. These activities will count 15% towards your final grade, and the midterm, final and proposal will each count 25%

Tentative Schedule
ENVR 616: Environmental Microbiology
ENVR 324: Microbial Ecology
Winter, 2000

Text: Atlas and Bartha: Microbial Ecology, 4th Edition, 1998 (Addison Wesley)

ENVR 616/ENVR 324 Research Proposal Exercise

Winter, 2000, Dr. Barry

Writing and evaluating proposals is a central activity both in private industry and in academic research. This exercise provides students with an introduction to grant writing, and the evaluation process used to judge which grants will be funded. Over the course of the term, students will prepare a research proposal using the guidelines provided by the National Science Foundation (NSF) in their Grant Proposal Guide. This guide can be downloaded at the following URL:

http://www.nsf.gov/cgi-bin/getpub?gpg

The proposals will be in response to an NSF program announcement released sometime in the past year, and will focus on topics related to microbial ecology. A listing of recent program announcements may be found at

http://www.nsf.gov/home/programs/recent.htm

Examples of programs specifically targeted at microbial ecology include the Microbial Observatories, Biocomplexity, and Life in Extreme Environments (Lexen) programs

http://www.nsf.gov/cgi-bin/getpub?nsf0021

http://www.nsf.gov/cgi-bin/getpub?nsf0022

http://www.nsf.gov/cgi-bin/getpub?nsf9943

Many broader programs also exist, such as Technology for a Sustainable Environment and those related to polar exploration

http://www.nsf.gov/cgi-bin/getpub?nsf9993

http://www.nsf.gov/cgi-bin/getpub?nsf99108

Your proposal could be directed towards any of these announcements, or to others that are appropriate for research into environmental microbiology. The announcements must come from the NSF, however.

After reading the announcements, you will have to develop a research idea and prepare the proposal for completion of the research. To keep project development on track, you are required to submit your topic by the date indicated on the class schedule so the instructor can review your choice. You must also submit a copy of the program announcement you are responding to at this time as well. Later in the term you must submit the outline you will use in preparing your project description. Your final document will include budget information, PI qualifications, and other related material as well as the 15 page project description. Students are forewarned that these additional documents may take considerable effort to prepare.

Project summaries (analogous to abstracts) will be distributed to all class members, and three will receive your entire proposal for review. One individual will lead class discussion (in your absence) and will provide comments and an evaluation similar to that which you would receive from the NSF. All students will be lead reviewers for at least one proposal. Grading will be at the discretion of the instructor, although student observations will be considered in assigning a grade.