Category: Uncategorized

Prompt: Imagine yourself as the head of a funding agency (like the National Institute of Health) in which your job is to look at proposals for research projects and decide what projects to award funding to. Based on your readings this term, discuss a research project (or projects) that you would be most excited about… Continue reading Writing Exercise #15

Prompt: Set a timer for 3 minutes, and make a list of as many human non-infectious diseases that you can think of that are influenced by microorganisms. Cancer Alzheimer’s Epilepsy Asthma Pulmonary hypertension Cystic Fibrosis Obesity Mental Disorders Refer back to your Writing Exercise #1 that you completed the first week of class. Reflect and… Continue reading Writing Exercise #14

Prompt: In W. P. Hanage’s article, he discusses the importance of five key questions when interpreting scientific literature: Can experiments detect differences that matter? Hanage discussed how it is often hard to distinguish functional differences in the world of microorganisms when we don’t already know what to look for or have characterized the network well… Continue reading Writing Exercise #13

Prompt: Describe how microbial communities in the body could influence brain and mental health states. Then describe how brain and mental health states could influence microbial communities in the body. In what ways might these promote health and/or disease? Many people might be surprised to know that the gut is considered to be the “second… Continue reading Writing Exercise #12

Prompt: Reflect on the peer-review process with you as the reviewer. How did it feel to read and critique someone else’s writing? What did you learn that you can apply to your own writing as you revise your final essay? It felt good to be giving back good feedback and allowing people too see what… Continue reading Writing Exercise #11

Prompt: Describe the process of peer review to someone who does not frequently read scientific articles. In your response, consider the pros and cons of peer review and how that might impact the credibility of the results that come from that scientific article. The importance of the peer review process in scientific research is to… Continue reading Writing Exercise #10

Prompt: List and describe as many changes in human behaviors as you can think of that contribute to decreased exposure to microbes. Your body is chock full of microorganisms, including bacteria, fungi, archaea and viruses. Altogether,  they help regulate the body by playing an important role in digestion, as well as producing chemicals that shape your… Continue reading Writing Exercise #9

Prompt: List and describe potential factors that the mother or the infant could be exposed to that could influence the colonization of the microbial community in the newborn infant (in positive or negative ways). Gut microbiome very similar to that of their mother’s  Infants born vaginally have a gut microbiome very similar to that of… Continue reading Writing Exercise #7

Prompt: This writing exercise is designed to help you begin to think about a topic you are interested in pursuing for your final essay project in the course.  The most interesting study I learned about this term was the effects on your gut microbiome post surgery and how medical methods and medicines further affect your… Continue reading Writing Exercise #8

Prompt: Describe your personal philosophy about how and when you have taken, or would take, antibiotics. What experiences or prior knowledge do you have that shaped that personal philosophy? If a doctor prescribed me antibiotics to treat a certain bacterial infection I would trust the doctor and take the full antibiotic prescription he gave me.… Continue reading Writing Exercise #6