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University of Vermont

A Closer Look at

Microbiology & Molecular Genetics


College of Agriculture
and Life Sciences
Department of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics
802-656-2164

http://www.uvm.edu/~mmg/

Courses

  • Introductory Biology
  • Introductory Chemistry
  • Genetics
  • Organic Chemistry
  • Calculus
  • Physics
  • Biology of Microorganisms
  • Recombinant DNA Technology
  • Biochemistry

    Advanced Level Courses

  • Microbiology and Pathogenesis
  • Environmental Microbiology
  • Virology
  • Immunology
  • Molecular Cloning
  • Mammalian Cell Culture in Molecular Biology
  • Prokaryotic Molecular Genetics
  • Industrial Microbiology
  • Food Microbiology
  • Eukaryotic Genetics
  • Macromolecular Processing
  • Biochemistry
  • Research
  • Undergraduate Teaching Assistantships
  • Undergraduate Internships
  • Microbial Pathogenesis
  • Bioinformatics
  • Macromolecular Structure of Proteins and Nucleic Acids
    		• Fascinating developments in contemporary medicine and science begin with molecular events that underlie the routine functions of cells and organisms. Scientists in the field of microbiology study microbes essential to medicine, industry, ecology, and basic science. Molecular genetics, in turn, provides the means to investigate, at the molecular level, the chemical and biological principles that underlie all living processes.

    The Microbiology and Molecular Genetics Department is unique at UVM because it exists within two colleges, the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences and the College of Medicine. From this position, it draws on expertise from such departments as botany and agricultural biochemistry, pathology, biology, and pharmacology.

    What Will I Study?

    You can choose a major in Microbiology with a concentration in clinical, applied or general microbiology, or in Molecular Genetics.

    All students must finish the basic distribution requirements for a bachelor of science degree from the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences. Microbiology or Molecular Genetics majors also take a foundation of biological and physical science courses, plus upper-level microbiology and molecular genetics and biological sciences courses to complete their major requirements.

    The program is flexible enough to allow you to minor in a scientific discipline such as medical technology, nutrition, or biological science – or a field that’s altogether different. Students have graduated with minors in French, business, and statistics, allowing them to put together a career plan that spans a wide range of opportunities.

    Exciting Field and Research Experience

    Small classes and a strong commitment to advising give you plenty of chance to interact with the faculty, who frequently involve undergraduates in cutting-edge research. Laboratories offer broad opportunities to do research along with coursework in such areas as DNA repair, fungal genetics, environmental microbiology, developmental genetics, infectious diseases, and other fields.

    Looking to the Future

    An undergraduate in microbiology or molecular genetics prepares you to go on to study for an advanced degree in medicine, biotechnology, microbiology, biochemistry, or something as divergent as the law, where changes in the patent industry, as well as questions of ethics related to bioengineering or genetics counseling have companies and regulatory agencies clamoring for graduates with a science background to complement legal expertise.

    You’ll be ready to work in virtually any type of laboratory in the biological sciences—research, clinical, or applied sciences, such as forensics or toxicology. Within these careers – whether in industry or an academic setting – you might teach, run experiments, lead a research team, or any combination. Industries like food processing and pharmaceuticals offer many openings, but graduates have also chosen to start their own businesses.

    Faculty and Area of Expertise

    RICHARD J. ALBERTINI, M.D. UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN; somatic cell genetics.
    ERIK BATEMAN, PH.D. READING UNIVERSITY; eukaryotic transcription.
    JEFFREY P. BOND, PH.D. UNIVERSITY OF ROCHESTER; computational biology.
    A. JOHN BRAMLEY, PH.D. UNIVERSITY OF READING, ENGLAND; microbiology, disease pathogenesis, molecular basis of pathogenicity, pathogenesis of bovine mastitis.
    JOHN M. BURKE, PH.D. MASSACHUSETTS INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY; structure, function, and applications of ribozymes.
    M. AHMAD CHAUDHRY, PH.D. UNIVERSITY OF MANCHESTER; DNA microarrays.
    SYLVIE DOUBLIÉ, PH.D. UNIVERSITY OF NORTH CAROLINA, CHAPEL HILL; x-ray crystallography of protein-nucleic acid complexes.
    BARRY A. FINETTE, PH.D./M.D. UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS at AUSTIN & TEXAS SOUTHWESTERN MEDICAL CENTER at DALLAS; mutagenic mechanisms, iatrogenic carcinogenic.
    CHRISTOPHER S. FRANCKLYN, PH.D. UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA-SANTA BARBARA; protein and RNA interactions with DNA.
    GREGORY GILMARTIN, PH.D. UNIVERSITY OF VIRGINIA; RNA processing.
    KEN HAMPEL, PH.D. UNIVERSITY OF SASKATCHEWAN; catalytic RNA.
    JOYCE HECKMAN, PH.D. MASSACHUSETTS INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY; structure and function of catalytic RNA.
    NICHOLAS HEINTZ, PH.D. UNIVERSITY OF VERMONT; DNA replication.
    DOUGLAS I. JOHNSON, PH.D. PURDUE UNIVERSITY; fungal pathogenesis.
    THOMAS A. LEWIS, PH.D. OREGON STATE UNIVERSITY; environmental microbiology.
    MARIANA MATRAJT, PH.D. UNIVERSITY OF BUENOS AIRES; host-parasite interactions.
    KEITH MINTZ, PH.D. UNIVERSITY OF VERMONT; bacterial pathogenesis.
    SCOTT MORRICAL, PH.D. UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN-MADISON; DNA repair, replication and recombination.
    DAVID S. PEDERSON, PH.D. UNIVERSITY OF ROCHESTER; eukaryotic transcription and replication.
    BRENDA V. TESSMANN, M.S. UNIVERSITY OF VERMONT; clinical microbiology and medical technology.
    MARKUS THALI, PH.D. UNIVERSITY OF ZURICH; cell and molecular biology of virus/host relationships.
    MARY TIERNEY, PH.D. MICHIGAN STATE UNIVERSITY; plant development, plant extracellular matrix structure.
    SUSAN WALLACE, PH.D. CORNELL UNIVERSITY (DEPARTMENT CHAIR); DNA damage and repair.
    GARY WARD, PH.D. UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA-SAN DIEGO; host cell recognition and attachment.
    CEDRIC WESLEY, PH.D. STATE UNIVERSITY OF NEW YORK, STONY BROOK; drosophila development.
    UMADEVI WESLEY, PH.D. STATE UNIVERSITY OF NEW YORK, STONY BROOK; cell signaling.

    Last modified September 30 2005 10:25 AM

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