Benson's Microbiological Applications Laboratory Manual--ConcVersion ISE

Heidi Smith leads the microbiology discipline at Front Range Community College in Fort Collins, CO, teaching a variety of biology courses each semester including microbiology, anatomy/ physiology, and biotechnology Collaboration with other faculty across the nation, the development and implementation of new digital learning tools, and her focus on student learning outcomes have revolutionized her face-to-face and online teaching approaches and student performance in her classes. Outside of the classroom, Heidi oversees a federal grant program designed to train and support underrepresented students for undergraduate research and transfer into four-year STEM degree programs. She is also an active member of the American Society for Microbiology and participated as a task force member for the development of their Curriculum Guidelines for Undergraduate Microbiology Education. Off campus, Heidi enjoys the beautiful Colorado outdoors with her husband and three young children. Professor and Chair, Consultant Environmental Microbiology

Part 1 Microscopy1 Brightfield Microscopy
2 Darkfield Microscopy
3 Phase-Contrast Microscopy
4 Microscopic Measurements


Part 2 Survey of Microorganisms
5 Microbiology of Pond Water - Protists, Algae, and Cyanobacteria
6 Ubiquity of Bacteria
7 The Fungi: Molds and Yeasts


Part 3 Manipulation of Microorganisms
8 Aseptic Technique
9 Pure Culture Techniques


Part 4 Staining and Observations of Microorganisms
10 Smear Preparation
11 Simple Staining (Observing Bacterial Cell Morphology)
12 Negative Staining
13 Capsular Staining
14 Gram Staining
15 Endosphere Staining
16 Acid-Fast Staining: Kinyoun Method
17 Motility Determination


Part 5 Culture Methods
18 Culture Media Preparation
19 Enumeration of Bacteria: The Standard Plate Count
20 Slide Culture: Fungi


Part 6 Bacterial Viruses
21 Determination of a Bacteriophage Titer
22 Isolation of Phage from Flies
23 Phage Typing


Part 7 Environmental Influences and Control of Microbial Growth
24 Effects of Oxygen on Growth
25 Temperature: Effects on Growth
26 pH and Microbial Growth
27 Water Activity and Osmotic Pressure
28 Ultraviolet Light: Lethal Effects
29 The Effects of Lysozyme on Bacterial Cells
30 Evaluation of Alcohol: Its Effectiveness as an Antiseptic
31 Antimicrobic Sensitivity Testing: The Kirby-Bauer Method
32 Evaluation of Antiseptics: The Filter Paper Disk Method
33 Effectiveness of Hand Scrubbing


Part 8 Identification of Unknown Bacteria
34 Morphological Study of An Unknown Bacterium
35 Cultural Characteristics
36 Physiological Characteristics: Oxidation and Fermentation Tests
37 Physiological Characteristics: Hydrolytic and Degradative Reactions
38 Physiological Characteristics: Multiple Test Media
39 Use of Bergey’s Manual


Part 9 Miniaturized Multitest Systems
40 Enterobacteriaceae Identification: The API 20E® System
41 Enterobacteriaceae Identification: The Entero-Pluri- Test System
42 Staphylococcus Identification: The API® Staph Test System


Part 10 Applied Microbiology
43 Bacterial Counts of Foods
44 Bacteriological Examination of Water: Most Probable Number Determination
45 Bacteriological Examination of Water: The Membrane Filter Method
46 Reductase Test
47 Temperature: Lethal Effects
48 Microbial Spoilage of Canned Food
49 Microbiology of Alcohol Fermentation


Part 11 Bacterial Genetics and Biotechnology
50 Polymerase Chain Reaction for Amplifying DNA
51 Bacterial Transformation
52 CRISPR-Cas9 System


Part 12 Immunology and Serology
53 The Staphylococci: Isolation and Identification
54 The Streptococci and Enterococci: Isolation and Identification
55 Gram-Negative Intestinal Pathogens
56 A Synthetic Epidemic


Part 13 Immunology and Serology
57 Slide Agglutination Test: Serological Typing
58 Slide Agglutination Test for S. aureus
59 Slide Agglutination Test for Streptococcus
60 Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay (ELISA)
61 Blood Grouping