Teachers' Corner

Welcome to the Teachers' Corner of Small Things Considered. In this section, we include the posts we deem most adequate for teaching purposes. We have reorganized them into subject areas geared for a typical microbiology course. To date, this material has been used for various forms of intellectual enrichment, e.g., suggested readings, class presentations, a source of topics for term papers.

We would appreciate feedback. If you have used this material, please tell us of your experience.

Structure & Cell Organization
Metabolism & Regulation
Growth & Cell Division
Genetics & Genomics
Ecology
Evolution
Bacterial & Archaeal Diversity
Fungi
Protists (incl. microalgae)
Viruses & Prions
Pathogenesis
Antibiotics
Symbiosis

You can also find here our Talmudic Questions, which we characterize as those whose answers cannot be found in Google. We are told that some of these questions have been used in exams ranging from tests for undergraduate courses to qualifying/prelims for graduate students.

Talmudic Questions

We include here items of special interest to teachers. Please send us your comments and suggestions for inclusion in this section.

Pedagogical Issues

Comments

[Victoria]

Thanks to the creators of this blog and those who contribute. My question is ¿Does the response to temperature can be overlap o crosstalk with other response to environmental stimuli in bacteria? Thanks

[G.Rahul]

Hello,Thank you so much for this blog. Your blog provided me with all the fascinating examples to make my lectures interesting . For a starting lecturer like me, your blog is a haven. your blog has smitten me since my first visit.

[Torrent seasrch engine]

Hi! Thank you ever so much for you blog. I have never been interested in such kind of stuff, but one day I had to write a report on the topic "The influence of the ecology on the human bodies". It was difficult for me to submit some true facts, so I decided to visit your site with hope to find an essential information for me. You really put some great suggestions on there and were very helpful!

Elio replies:
Delighted to hear it. We hope you visit us again.

[Deepak Shah]

My first visit to the blog and I could not move away; pity when I studied Microbiology (in 70s) there were no computers. Your Blog proves it is never too late to learn new things! My current job has taken me away from my daily meetings with microbes, so this blog should whet my apetite. I have made this as my home page. Thanks a lot for a fantastic creation and please keep up the good work.

Elio replies:
Such comments gladden our hearts. We work hard on the blog and are gratified to hear that it gets such a lovely reception. It spur us ot try to do even better. Many thanks.

[Renita]

This is my first visit - was looking for some good lecture points on gonococci - something a little more interesting than standard textbook stuff, and am simply amazed by this find! YOUR BLOG IS AWESOME! Keep up the good work. I liked it so much, I have added your blog to my list of favorites, hope it's fine! Thanks!

Elio says:
You couldn't be nicer! Thanks for the kind words and continue to visit.

[Daniel DeRegner]

I peruse Small Things Considered for items I can use in my Diagnostic Microbiology courses. I can usually find something, but many of the posts are beyond the level of my courses. I have the great fortune to be educating the future, entry level MTs and MLTs who will staff our clinical micro labs. My hope is that some of them will go on to earn advanced degrees in microbiology, but at this stage they may still struggle with remembering the basic biochemical ID of common organisms or what to look for in a routine sputum culture and what to do next. STC is great resource, nevertheless. Thanks for the effort of all those who post.

Daniel,
We are glad that you found merit in the blog. Our principal aim is to foster an appreciation of the wonders of the microbial world for one and all.
Elio

[Dayhana rios]

yo necesito saber porque hay organismos parecidos entre si y que tipo de respiracion tienen las baterias que se emplean para producir yogur,kumis y queso y a que se debe el sabor de estos productos
por favor contestenme rapido

****
TO ALL READERS: For non-Spanish speakers, the questioner asks if the bacteria that make yoghurt, kumis, and cheese, are similar, what respiration they carry out, and and what causes the flavor. Does anyone want to answer? I'd be glad to translate the answer into Spanish. Elio