Environmental and Anthropogenic Impacts of Microbes

ENVS 2126 (3); Spring 2022

Application of basic principles of environmental science to the fundamental understanding of the relationship of microbes with the
environment and humans with emphasis on the impacts and importance of microbial communities; introduction to cutting edge
research through peer-reviewed literature; critique, formulation, and testing of hypotheses.

Prerequisites: ENVS 1126 or ENVS 1127, or equivalent.

Instructor: Dr. Rebeca de Jesus Crespo, College of the Coast and Environment (CCE). Contact by email rdejesuscrespo1@lsu.edu
Class Day/Time: T/TH 10:30-11:50am, first two weeks of class via zoom via zoom (ID 944 1631 4408)
Office Hours: In person (CCE 1263) or via zoom (ID 757 737 9945) Tuesday/Thursday 12:30-1:30pm
Teaching assistant (TA). Jessica Stephens. Contact by email jstep74@lsu.edu

Course Learning Objectives: 1) Demonstrate knowledge of a broad survey in the discipline, including underlying principles that
govern the natural world. 2) Demonstrate the ability to design and test a hypothesis by experimentation or other appropriate
techniques. 3) Demonstrate the ability to use inductive and deductive reasoning to understand scientific phenomena. 4)
Demonstrate an ability to relate the field of study to other fields in the Natural Sciences. 
Gen Ed Natural Science (Life Science) Sequence. ENVS 2126 taken after ENVS 1126 (or ENVS 2126 taken after ENVS 1127) counts as
a General Education Natural Science (Life Science) sequence, as described at http://catalog.lsu.edu/preview_program.php?
catoid=16&poid=8607.

Textbook. Brock Biology of Microorganisms, 16th Edition (ISBN-13: 9780135860717)

Other required Materials: I Contain Multitudes: The Microbes Within Us and a Grander View of Life. By Ed Yong (ISBN: 1784700177)
There will also be supplemental materials provided on Moodle.

Grading
 Quizzes: 14 quizzes, 20 points/each; 280 points
 Class Project: 1 per pair, worth 20 points
 Final Comprehensive Quiz: 1 final quiz, worth 20 points;
 Attendance: 10 points
 Total: 330 points

Grading scale. A+ = 96.50 - 100+; A = 92.50 - 96.49; A- = 89.50 – 92.49; B+ = 86.50 – 89.49; B = 82.50 – 86.49; B- = 79.50 – 82.49; C+ =
76.50 – 79.49; C = 72.50 – 76.49; C- = 69.50 – 72.49; D+ = 66.50 – 69.49; D = 62.50 – 66.49; D- = 59.50 – 62.49; F = 0 – 59.49
Do your own calculations for estimating your grades instead of relying on Moodle’s estimate. The estimate on Moodle can
sometimes be misleading.
Topics. Topics will be the corresponding chapters in your textbook, and to the assigned book (I contain multitudes) as described in
Table 1. Each Topic will feature a power point presentation which will be posted on Moodle the night before the class. You need to
have to have access to the textbook and access to the internet in order to succeed on this course.
Weekly Quizzes. There will be 1 quiz each week of the course, covering the topics discussed that week in class. Quizzes will be
completed on Moodle and have a time limit of 40 minutes once opened. They will consist of 20 questions worth 1 point each.
Quizzes will be made available on Thursday evenings (5pm) and will be due on midnight (11:59pm) of each week’s Sunday. On the
last week of class there will be a makeup quiz. The quiz will be worth 20 points. It will be available for students that for any reason
missed one of the quizzes during the semester, or that wish to improve their grades from other quizzes. This is the only opportunity
to make up a quiz. I will not-re-open quizzes. You will have all weekend to complete the quizzes so make sure to plan accordingly. If
you missed the deadline for a quiz or if you have internet issues while you take the quiz, you will only have access to 1 makeup quiz,
so make sure to plan ahead.
Class Project: You will work in pairs on a class project this semester. The project will be on one of three topics related to microbes:
1. Making Kombucha
2. Making Sourdough Bread
3. Composting
You will be assigned a partner and the project topic that you will be working on. You are responsible for purchasing the material for
the project, which should cost less than $20 for any of the three projects. Specific instructions for the project will be posted on
Moodle. For each of the projects you will be required to do the following:
1. Start your project by Week 3 of the course to allow enough time for your experiment to progress
2. Develop a short document (3-page max, single space, 12-point font) summarizing your project:
4/10/2023 5:19:24 PM Page 1 of 3
 a. Introduction: Describe the system under study. State your Hypothesis. Use 3 scholarly references (5 points)
b. Methods: Briefly describe the materials and steps followed (3 points)
c. Results: Make observations for all three stages. How did it look during the experimental period, what changed? (5
points). Pictures, tables or graphs are encouraged.
d. Conclusions: What did you learn? Did you come up with any questions about this system during this process? (5
points)
e. References: 3 scientific references minimum listed in order and using standard formatting (2 points, the reference
list does not count towards your page limit).
3. For your document, make emphasis on how this project relates to microbes (what microbes are involved, what do they do,
what conditions are required, etc.). Also try to connect it to the environment. For example, answer questions such as: Is this
process affected by environmental factors? Is this process beneficial to the environment?
4. For each project you can either do two experiments (one per partner) for comparison, or one experiment between the two
of you. It’s up to you. At the end, you will present just one report. You and your partner may meet in person, or via zoom. If
you choose to do just one experiment, then meeting in person a few times is required so that you can both observe the
experiment.
5. WARNING: For the Kombucha and Sourdough projects, observe extreme caution and do not consume the product if it has
mold growth or any other suspicious properties. We are not requiring that students consume the product as part of the
grade, just that you undertake the process and make observations.
You will post your assignment on Moodle by Week 11. We will select the best projects per topic as the winners. The winners will get
the opportunity to get 5 bonus points!!! 5 bonus points will be granted for making a 5 min power point presentations and
presenting their work on the last week of class.

Class Project Rubric

Full points Partial Points No points

Introduction 5 points if it gives an overview of
the microbial system at work
using 3 scholarly references and
it states a Hypothesis
Methods 3 points if it makes a concise
summary of the materials and
methods used, and any
adjustments needed to be
made.
Results 5 points if it gives a good
description of what was
observed at all stages of the
process
Conclusions 5 points if it describes what was
learned, how it relates to the
course, and if it addressed the
hypothesis.
References 2 points if references are cited
using a standard format like APA
3 points if it gives an overview of
the microbial system at work
but presents fewer than 3
scholarly references OR is
missing a Hypothesis
1.5 points if the materials and
methods are a copy paste of the
instructions provided on Moodle
3 points if it just provides results
from the end stage of the
process
3 points if it describes what was
learned but does not explain
how it is related to the course or
how it addresses the hypothesis
1 point if references are listed
but do not follow a standard
format
0 points if it gives an overview of
the microbial system at work
but does not provide a
Hypothesis or provides
references
0 points if it is missing either the
materials, or the methods
0 point if the results are missing
any description of what was
observed during the process
0 points if the results do not
describe what was learned, if it
generated any questions, or how
it addresses the hypothesis.
0 points if references are not
listed

Final Comprehensive Quiz

Instead of a final exam, you will have one final comprehensive quiz worth 20 points. It will cover material from the entire semester.
We will do a review on the last week of class.

Attendance
If you come to class every day, or only miss 1-4 classes, then you will get 10 points. If you miss 5+ classes, you will not get these 10
points.

Accessibility Statement:
Louisiana State University is committed to providing reasonable accommodations for all persons with disabilities. The syllabus is
available in alternate formats upon request. Students with disabilities: If you are seeking classroom accommodations under the
Americans with Disabilities Act, you are required to register with Disability Services in 115 Johnston Hall. Their phone number is 225-

4/10/2023 5:19:24 PM Page 2 of 3

578-5919 and website is www.lsu.edu/disability. To receive academic accommodations for this class, please obtain the proper
Disability Services forms and meet with us at the beginning of the semester.

Other points.
 It is your responsibility to make sure your wifi, computer, mobile device, etc. are sufficient to complete your
assignments.
 Please refer to me as Dr. De Jesús, both in person and via email. Make sure to use respectful language when
communicating with me or your classmates both in person and online.
 Please do not ask for me to round up your grades at the end of the semester. It is not good practice to email your
professors with this request.
Timeline* Topic Chapters
Week 1  Review Syllabus Chap 1 (Lecture 01)
January 17-22  Unit 1: Foundations of Microbiology
Week 2  Unit 1: Foundations of Microbiology Chap 1 (Lecture (01)
January 24-29  Unit 4: Microbial Diversity Chap 14 (Lecture 02)

Week 3  Unit 4: Microbial Diversity Chap 16-17 (Lecture

January 31-  Time to Start your Projects 03)
February 5 Chap18 (Lecture 04)
Week 4  Unit 5: Microbial Ecology and Environmental Microbiology Chap 20 (Lecture 05)
February 7-12 Chap 21 (Lecture 06)

Week 5  Unit 5: Microbial Ecology and Environmental Microbiology Chap 22 (Lecture 07)
February 14-19
Week 6  Unit 5: Microbial Ecology and Environmental Microbiology Chap 23 (Lecture 08)
February 21-26
Week 7  Mardi Gras Chap 24 (Lecture 09)
February 28-  Unit 6: Microbial Symbiosis with Humans
March 5

Week 8  Unit 6: Microbial Symbiosis with Humans Chap 25 (Lecture 10)

March 7-12 Chap 26 (Lecture 11)

Week 9 Spring Break

March 14-19
Week 10  Unit 6: Microbial Symbiosis with Humans Chap 27 (Lecture 12)
March 21-26 Chap 28 (Lecture 13)

Week 11  Unit 7: Infectious Diseases Chap 30 (Lecture 14)

March 28-April  Student Projects Due Chap 31 (Lecture 15)
2
Week 12  Unit 7: Infectious Diseases Chap 32 (Lecture 16)
April 4-9
Week 13  Unit 7: Infectious Diseases Chap 33 (Lecture 17)
April 11-16 Chap 34 (Lecture 18)

Week 14  Book Club: I Contain Multitudes Chap 1-5 (Lecture 19)

April 18-23
Week 15  Book Club: I Contain Multitudes Chap 6-10 (Lecture
April 25-30 20)
Week 16  Student Project Presentations
May 2-7  Make up Quiz
 Course Review
Week 17 Finals Week
May 9-14

4/10/2023 5:19:24 PM Page 3 of 3