Timothy D. PaustianAsk Dr. Paustian a question | Associate FacultyTeacher, Coordinator of Instruction, Lab Manual Master, Experiment Development, Web Site Mng., Programmer, Computer GeekDegrees:B.S., 1985, University of Wisconsin-Madison Ph.D., 1989, University of Wisconsin-Madison |
I am a staunch generalist and love to do many things. My two main passions are teaching and programming and they tend to cross fertilize each other.
Dr. Robin Kurtz and I wrote the lab manuals that accompany these courses and they are a significant break from the "classic" microbiology manual. Active learning and analysis of generated data is emphasized. The three labs start students in classical microbiology and finish with modern techniques
Bacteriology 304 introduces students to the microbial world by doing investigative experiments often on samples that the students bring in. The course has three goals. First, to introduce students to the basic techniques used by scientists to investigate the fascinating world of microorganisms. The experiments in the course will instruct students in microscopy, aseptic technique, the biochemistry, physiology, genetics and molecular biology of microorganisms. A second goal is to introduce students to the major representative groups of microorganisms. Students will examine microorganisms that are important in antibiotic production, in sewage treatment, in disease, in food manufacture, and in ecology, to name a few. The third and most important goal is to teach the scientific process. Learning how to be a good scientist involves developing hypotheses, designing experiments, performing experiments, collecting data, analyzing it critically, and reporting it to others.
Bacteriology 527 laboratory serves as the second required laboratory course in the Bacteriology Core curriculum (taken in the fall of the senior year). It is a state-of-the art technique-intensive course designed to expose students to methods used in modern academic and industrial laboratories. The course begins with an experiment in which students determine the chemical composition of three different bacteria. Phase microscopy and spectroscopy are used to determine the size, density, percentage protein and RNA of bacteria. Next students learn basic molecular biological techniques as they clone (move genes) from a marine bacterium to a lab-adapted strain of E. coli . The experiment involves isolation of DNA, analysis of DNA, 'cutting and 'pasting' DNA into a vehicle for transfer, transferring DNA, and verifying that the correct piece was transferred. Cloning is a fundamental technique used in many labs. A genetic approach to a metabolic question is used to map genes involved in Vitamin B12 biosynthesis in the next experiment. Several weeks are then devoted to the purification of a protein used in sugar metabolism. This particular experiment requires students to utilize a High Performance Liquid Chromatograph (HPLC) and to analyze their purified protein using mathematical calculations, gel electrophoresis, and Western Blotting. Finally the course ends with two experiments on bacterial physiology, the heat shock response and transport.
Students are challenged with a think-through-the-material approach much more than with the assimilation-of-facts approach. Evaluation of students is structured following the same philosophy. All experiments are summarized in written laboratory reports, loosely following a scientific journal format.
In lab, students are asked to analyze experimental data and to draw conclusions. The approach we use greatly stimulates student participation during lab exercises, since they are asked to express their opinion on possible pitfalls in the interpretation of the data they generate. Equally important to the students is the realization of the value of the information acquired in previous courses.
In the capstone phase of the course, students are asked to write a research grant proposal on one of several topics. Experimental approaches are designed and a list of materials is generated. In the last month of the semester, students carry out the research outlined in their proposal.
The experiments covered in Bacteriology 551 are updated yearly with approximately 10% of it changing every year. This keeps the course up to date with developments in the field. Lab sections average about 20 students
In the summer I sometimes teach Bacteriology 101, an introductory microbiology class for non-majors. This lecture course emphasizes active learning and covers many aspects of microbiology. I try to make the subject matter relevant to the student and point out why it is important.
In conjunction with the Web site, I have written Web Warrior, an HTML editor for the Macintosh. The program was written using Metrowerks Code Warrior and Power Plant. This is a fantastic programming environment and I recommend it to anyone who is interested in writing code. I am often willing to help people learn Macintosh programming and especially Power Plant. Look if I can do this, so can you.
I also use Frontier to do many things, including manage the web site and have written a Frontier CGI workshop explaining the ins and outs of using Frontier to write CGI scripts.
I recently visited Betty Overland's class at Glenn Stephens Elementary in Madison. We had the students investigate the microbes in their mouth and in the soil (isolated Bacillus. They found out that Listerine does not kill all germs in the mouth and Bacillus spores are really tough. I think they all came away science if interesting, exciting, and smelly (well microbiology anyway).
Dr. Kenneth Todar and I have put together the Bacteriology Web Site. At this point it is mostly a teaching and recruiting tool. This ever expanding project will soon branch into other areas.
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