Roles of microorganisms in wastewater treatment, anaerobic digestion of municipal sludges, stream self-purification, and degradation of water quality in drinking-water systems. Disinfection of wastewater and drinking water to remove viruses, bacteria, and protozoa that cause waterborne disease.

• Identify structures and their functions for various biological cells.
• Explain how these structures and functions can be used as indicators in environmental biology.
• Define the central dogma of molecular biology and explain its importance within environmental biological systems.
• Distinguish between phenotypic information and phylogenetic information, and explain how each is used in understanding environmental systems.
• Define various metabolisms that pertain to environmental microbiology (e.g., respiration, fermentation, catabolism of various synthetic organic chemicals, distinguish electron acceptors and donors).
• Define and identify inductive and deductive applications of the scientific method.
• Interpret and critically evaluate technical literature that pertains to microbiological aspects of environmental systems.
• Construct and communicate an experimental plan for microbiological study of an environmental system.

• Amy Pruden