Microbiology students in their 2nd year course have a substantial writing assignment worth 20% of their grade. To keep the assignment relevant and topical, a theme is taken from a microbiology related item in the news. Students are provided with a range of possible essay topics related to the theme, from which they choose according to their interests.
Dr Kathryn Jones’ 2nd year BIOSCI 204 course provides an introduction to the diversity, physiology and functions of microorganisms (prokaryotes, eukaryotes, viruses) as individuals and as communities. The fundamental roles of microorganisms in ecosystems, health and disease are considered alongside methods for their isolation and study. Microbial applications in biomedicine, biotechnology, food production, agriculture and industry are also discussed.
For a peer-reviewed assignment; ‘Microbiology in the News,’ students are provided with a range of current microbiology related news articles to choose from. Students then research the background science for their chosen topic and write a report according to their interests. This helps to keep the assignment authentic, as well as providing students with an opportunity to learn more about an aspect of microbiology they are particularly interested in.
Examples
2022 essay topics
Read through this fabulous collection of topics provided by your lecturers – chosen new every year for this assignment – and decide on a couple you would be excited to research and write about. I will open the streaming for these topics after the first lecture. Stream into a topic using the ‘People’ Tab, this is currently hidden but will appear for streaming after the first lecture. You can change your essay topic stream as long as there is space to move into another topic. There are 13 different essay topics to choose from, with ~340 students in the class this means each topic is limited to 26 students max. Essays won’t be marked if you have not streamed into a topic so it is important to do this first step.
TOPIC 1: Turning the power off, and back on again! How can we stop Geobacter “breathing” electricity from its snorkel? (by Gavin Lear)
Microbes have evolved diverse ways to allow them to function in ‘extreme environments.’ The pili of some Geobacter strains appear to push snorkel-like structures into their surrounding environment, allowing them to breathe!
Starting reference
https://www.livescience.com/bacteria-breathe-electricity-on-off-switch.html
Using evidence from the scientific literature:
- Describe how bacterial pili appear capable of helping Geobacter to ‘breathe’ electricity.
- Explain how scientists can effectively switch this ability on/off.
- Detail any ways you can think of that Geobacter’s unusual skills could be further applied by science or industry.
TOPIC 2: Chlamydia koalas!? (by Gavin Lear)
Chlamydia poses a huge threat to Australia’s population of (incredibly cute!) koala bears, and the problem appears to be getting worse!
Starting reference
https://edition.cnn.com/2021/11/06/australia/australia-koala-chlamydia-intl-dst-hnk/index.html
Using evidence from the scientific literature:
- Detail why koalas are vulnerable to chlamydia (is there anything special about Chlamydia that allow it to evade mammalian immune responses?)
- Describe why the koalas’ diet of eucalyptus leaves can cause them complications once dosed with antibiotics to treat chlamydia.
- Explain how we might use microbial knowledge to generate better outcomes for Australia’s (still very cute!) koalas.
Changing the article and essay topics every year keeps the assignment relevant and topical, prompts student agency in allowing students to focus on area of their interest and find out more about their chosen topic, and reduces the likelihood of academic misconduct year to year.
As an additional bonus, the variation maintains lecturer interest in marking!
There is also a version of this assessment for the international Aulin (NEFU) pathway, modified for the Chinese students.1 The essay topic for the students at Aulin College was not constrained at all. They were free to research and write on any microorganism or microbial process that caught their interest. This also made it unlikely that any two students would choose the same topic, and allowed the lecturer insight into student interests.
- Aulin College hosts University of Auckland students on Northeast Forestry University campus in China. ↩