Open AccessA CURE for Meat: Comparing Bacterial Contaminants on Different Ground Beef Sources Emphasizes Process of Science and Quantitative Reasoning
Author(s) -
Sarah M. Boomer,
Savannah Kumar,
Bryan E. Dutton
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
journal of microbiology and biology education
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.301
H-Index - 7
eISSN - 1935-7885
pISSN - 1935-7877
DOI - 10.1128/jmbe.v22i1.2237
Subject(s) - computer science , enumeration , contamination , identification (biology) , process (computing) , data science , food science , biology , mathematics , ecology , combinatorics , operating system
To broaden and emphasize the educational benefits of research to more biology majors in a course setting, we developed and assessed a microbiology-focused course-based undergraduate research experience that utilizes culture-based bacterial enumeration to compare contamination present on different ground beef sources (conventional versus organic). During the final 3 weeks of the quarter, students learned and practiced common microbiology techniques like dilution math, selective and differential media-based identification, and statistical analysis to evaluate data and test hypotheses.