Microbiology is a course I didn’t know I would enjoy so much. Although the material was quite difficult to digest at times, I found myself still motivated to understand more than what was expected of us to learn for the assessments. This course was split into two sections: In-class lecture and lab. In lecture we explored the history of microbiology, its most influential scientists, their contributions to the field of science, different vital functions bacteria must perform to sustain themselves, how different microbes interact with the world, and how humans can utilize microorganisms to achieve certain goals. In the lab we explored as a group how scientists handle microorganisms, learned how to conduct certain procedures and tests, learned the significance of each test, and how we could use these tests to determine an unknown microorganism and how it may interact with the world.
The professor for this class was named Dr. Denis Trubitsyn and I absolutely adored this man! His passion for science was evident in each and every interaction you had with him. As a professor, what truly stood out to me was his constant attention to how the class was digesting the material. During each lecture he would ask many times if the class needed him to slow down, speed up, explain an idea in more detail or in a different way, asked how the class learned best (through visual aids, auditory aids, tactile activities, extra review times, etc.), AND he would go out of his way to implement these new methods into his teaching right away! He sent out a student questionnaire about two times throughout the semester asking us students if there was anything that we needed the professor to change or do differently for us to learn more efficiently. After he went through the questionnaire, he implemented the ideas the students proposed without complaint. He truly had the success of his students in the forefront of his teaching. It is this type of passion that was able to get me through the tough units of the course.
Although I enjoyed the class and its content, it was very difficult at times. There were times where I made very simple mistakes that cost me dearly in my grade of an assignment. Even though I made these mistakes, I was still fascinated with the class, its content, and wanted to know more. Each project that was given in this class was appropriate for what we were learning and forced me to think outside the box.