I, microbiologist: a discovery-based course in microbial ecology and molecular evolution

Inquiry and discovery-based approaches to science education emphasise the importance of engaging students in scientific inquiry, prompting their scientific reasoning, and providing them with an insightful perspective about scientific practice and about limitations and constraints encountered in scientific research. In I, microbiologist, we find a textbook conveying an outstanding collection of instructional materials that can be explored in order to meet these goals. As the title elegantly describes, in I, microbiologist, Erin Sanders, Jeffrey Miller and contributors provide learners and educators with a complete course in modern microbiology, comprising state-of-theart techniques and procedures that mimic investigations taking place in real research laboratories. Building up from the concept of biodiversity, specifically focusing on rhizospheric bacterial diversity, the authors guide students through an investigation addressing the impressive diversity of bacteria that can be found in a single soil sample, making use of microbiology and molecular biology approaches. I find this to be a very interesting topic, particularly considering that soil microorganisms hold a wealth of resources with important benefits for humans. But the most valuable feature of this textbook pertains to the authors’ concern to structure the contents and tasks in a most practical and educationally meaningful fashion. The textbook is organised in seven units, each comprising an introductory section followed by a literature review, reading and homework assignments, an experimental overview and experimental protocols. The text is accompanied by high-quality, appealing and informative illustrations. In total, there are 34 proposed experiments, 29 of which involve wet-lab exercises and five that include dry-lab activities. The units evolve from fundamental microbiology to innovative bioinformatic procedures and cutting-edge molecular biology methods. I am particularly pleased that an experimental overview articulating theory with practice is consistently provided, as this clarifies the goals set and the tasks involved. The project depicted throughout the book’s 438 pages is intended for undergraduate students attending microbiology, microbial ecology, molecular evolution, and genomics courses, with a background in biology and previous laboratory experience. Whilst the demanding nature of the knowledge and procedures required to fully take advantage of the materials leads me to believe that it does not adjust to lower instructional levels, some of the more basic protocols, particularly in Units 1, 2 and 4, may be used in upper-secondary biology classes. Further exploration of the book makes it a valuable tool to use in project-based interventions, although it is also possible to select and develop one or more individual activities, instead of conducting the project from start to finish. Finally, I must highlight several special features that demonstrate the authors’ attention to detail and the intention to make this a useful and usable resource. The two most interesting aspects relate to: (1) the I, microbiologist database – an online platform that allows students to share their research findings with a broader community of peers – while projecting the project’s impact to a larger scale, this enables students to communicate their work in a sophisticated technological environment; (2) the ‘budget worksheet’ – allocating a budget to students that requires them to make decisions as to which experiments to conduct and, if necessary, repeat – this cleverly crafted strategy illustrates the demands faced by real investigators in managing external research funding. Other seemingly minor features, such as the detachable sheets, the list of media, supplies and equipment, the safety recommendations, the key terms presented in the introductory sections, and the extended lists of references, become very useful when the book is actually being used. In short, I would describe this as a very interesting and useful hands-on book for anyone who chooses to teach and learn what microbiology is all about nowadays.