20515 Bacteria in Industry
Credits: 3 advanced seminar credits in Life Sciences
Prerequisites: 36 credits in the Sciences, including General Biology I or Introduction to Life Sciences, and The World of Bacteria. Students must also fulfill all English requirements and take bibliographic instruction in the Library.
Recommended: Genetics,1 Biochemistry I, Biochemistry II
The course is based on a reader edited by Stefan Rokem.
Applied microbiology is a long-established field; 4,000 years ago, yeasts were already used to bake bread and produce beer. It was only in the 19th century that Pasteur demonstrated that microorganisms were involved in these processes, as in the production of various foods and other substances. Today, cells of microorganisms, plants and animals are utilized to produce a large variety of compounds widely used in medicine, agriculture, and the food industry. Production processes of these compounds require extensive knowledge in Microbiology, Biochemistry, Genetics and Engineering, as well as Economics. The course introduces students to the relationship between these fields and industrial processes.
After studying the material, students write a seminar paper based on up-to-date studies in areas that contribute to the development of research in applied microbiology and innovative production methods.
1or the previous version of the course, From Mendelism to Genetic Engineering.