 
Microbiology
Today May 2001
Microbiological issues are always in the headlines. Whether it is a food
scare, the latest outbreak of an infectious disease or a pollution
problem, people are always hearing about micro-organisms. But do they
really understand what these microscopic life forms are and their
important role in the ecosystems of Earth? The public needs to be educated
about microbiology and where best to start but at school? However, someone
has to teach the teachers, and research and development is necessary so
that we can control harmful micro-organisms or exploit beneficial ones for
our good. Higher education institutions fulfil this remit. This issue of
Microbiology Today looks at microbiology education in its broadest
sense and at all levels.
Liz Sockett, of Nottingham University, is the SGM's Education Officer.
She emphasizes that microbiology education is a lifelong process, and that
even the professionals never stop learning about their subject.
Microbiologists have to learn other skills alongside their science.
Alan Cann, winner of the SGM Peter Wildy Prize for Microbiology
Education, who has an excellent track record in using the web as a
teaching aid, describes which 'key skills' are relevant to microbiology
students. One particular skill is often lacking in science students - the
ability to do fairly basic maths. Adrian Eley (University of Sheffield)
and Ron Bishop (University of Ulster) cover some of the problems and
explore strategies for overcoming these.
Liz Sockett takes a look at the content of microbiology degrees in the
UK and discovers that a wide variety of topics are available to the keen
student. But who is actually studying microbiology at university these
days? Recruitment figures to first degrees are holding up quite well,
despite the competition from more fashionable subjects such as media
studies which have soaring uptake numbers.
What's happening at postgraduate level? How well are the students
fairing as they carry out research projects for their PhDs? Much depends
on the relationship they have with their supervisor, as Adrian Eley
(University of Sheffield) explains. He believes that training of PhD
supervisors is particularly important.
Schoolchildren and the general public can learn about microbiology and
related subjects in the exciting ways presented by the new science centres
bankrolled by the Millennium Fund. Leigh Fish currently works at the
Glasgow Science Centre, but he was formerly employed at
At-Bristol and so is well qualified to describe the facilities on
offer.
Studying microbiology overseas has pros and cons. Here two
microbiologists describe their experiences, one an undergraduate who spent
a year in France, and the other a postdoctoral scientist currently working
in California. Martin Collins (Queen's University of Belfast) doesn't
study abroad - but he goes to Mexico each year to impart his knowledge to
students there.
What resources are available to help those either teaching or learning
about microbiology? A range of websites, videos and other media for all
age ranges is described in a series of short articles by experts.
In schools in England and Wales science education is in a period of
change, particularly for those studying at post-16. Dariel Burdass of the
SGM Education Office describes the new Curriculum 2000, which aims
to broaden the range of subjects covered by this age group, and its impact
in schools. In Scotland the system is different and Ian Sutherland
(University of Edinburgh) describes the biotechnology summer school for
teachers he helps to run each year. A summary of SGM activities to promote
microbiology education and careers shows the importance of these matters
to the Society.
SGM offers small grants to members to enable them to develop teaching
resources. Here past recipients describe their projects. These include a
teacher's guide to studying the virulence factors of Candida albicans, a
multimedia courseware unit on prokaryotic diversity, a microbial
case-based CAL package for nursing students, a Powerpoint presentation of
microbes in everyday life and a computer simulation of the dynamics of
microbial populations.
Foot-and-mouth disease has dominated the media over the past few months
and has affected many people's lives. SGM staff summarize the progress of
the recent UK outbreak and ponder on the lessons that can be learnt for
the future.
Recently a letter has been circulating urging life scientists to
boycott journals, as authors, referees or editors, which do not allow free
on-line access to full text papers from 6 months after publication and do
not deposit all content in public repositories such as PubMed
Central. As a publisher of learned journals, SGM has a stake in the
outcome of this initiative. The Council's statement of policy is provided
here.
Hot off the Press
 [Acrobat PDF] highlights
some new developments in microbiological research published in the
Society's journals - Microbiology, Journal of General
Virology and International Journal of Systematic and Evolutionary
Microbiology. Topics covered include:
- A global view of FMD - an analysis of the virus serotypes found
in the current UK outbreak
- FMD in pigs - research into methods of detecting the disease in
apparently healthy animals
- Minimalist microbes - the proteins associated with the
structure of Mycoplasma pneumoniae
- 'FreeTree' taxonomy program - software used to classify
trichomonads
- Order! Order! - implications of alternative classifications and
horizontal gene transfer for bacterial taxonomy
- Surviving acid attack - understanding how E. coli
withstands stomach acid
- Watching evolution - studying the adaptation of bacteria to
their environmen
Other items include:
- Women in science
[Acrobat PDF] - the ATHENA
project, a career profile and a new magazine
- Gradline
[Acrobat PDF] - SOAPBOX letters
- Comment
[Acrobat PDF] - the state of
microbiology education today
Last updated 10 December 2003
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