Microbial Life - Educational Resources

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This site contains a variety of educational and supporting materials for students and teachers of microbiology. You will find information about microorganisms, extremophiles and extreme habitats, as well as links to online provides information about the ecology, diversity and evolution of micro-organisms for students, K-12 teachers, university faculty, and the general public.

Microbial Life in Extreme Environments:

• Find out more about the extraordinary micrbobes that inhabit some of the most inhospitable environments on Earth.
• Who are the extremophiles?
• Examples of extreme environments.

Microbial Life in Marine Environments:

• Find out more about the myriad of microorganisms that live in marine environments.
• Explore these investigative case studies regarding marine microbes.

Microbial Observatories:

• Explore profiles of several microbial observatories, NSF-funded projects dedicated to the discovery and characterization of novel microorganisms and microbial communities of diverse environments.
• Learn about how research techniques, and data sets are being used in cutting edge ecologic/microbial studies.
• Ponder the significance of this research, and results of individual studies in diverse environments.

Research Methods:

Learn about commonly used techniques in geomicrobiology and biogeochemistry with these research method technique sheets:

• Learn about a selection of commonly used techniques in Environmental Sampling and Biogeochemistry.
• Learn about a selection of commonly used techniques in Genomics and Microscopy.
• Explore an application of geomicrobiological techniques with the Mammoth Terraced Architecture Case Study.

Online Resources for Teachers and Students:

• Search the general collection of internet resources including websites, articles, images, data sets, teaching activities, and more.
• Search the special collections we've developed about microbial mining, Octopus Springs in Yellowstone National Park and Winogradsky columns.
• Explore the vast collection of microbe images, classification schemes, descriptions of organisms, talks and other educational resources at micro*scope (more info) .

Topics of Interest:

• Explore general topics and specific case studies that include collections of activities, literature, and other resources for teaching and learning about life in extreme environments.
• Search by topic or specific examples from Mono Lake, Rio Tinto and Yellowstone's thermal springs.

Resources for Teachers and Students:

Browse the resources for K-12 teachers and students and undergraduate students and faculty, including online WebQuest activities for students and helpful resources for educators from the Science Education Resource Center.

Integrating Research and Education:

See how the MLER project is making available exciting new research results for use by educators and students, and helping researchers to effectively contribute to education and outreach programs.

Micro*scope:

micro*scope is a web site that provides images and descriptive information about microbes and provides guides to related material elsewhere on the internet. Clicking on many images inside MLER will take you to the appropriate part of micro*scope.

Contribute to the Collections:

Please share your experience and expertise with the community at large by contributing to these collections.