Dive into the microscopic world and discover the life teeming all around—and often beyond—what the naked eye can see! In this exciting course, students will collect samples from ponds, forests, and everyday objects, then explore them under the microscope to uncover hidden organisms and structures.
You’ll examine and compare unicellular and multicellular organisms like algae, amoebas, and Tetrahymena, learning to distinguish bacterial, animal, and plant cells. Along the way, you’ll master essential lab skills—preparing slides, using microscopes with precision, and keeping thorough lab reports and journals—while exploring real-world applications in fields such as pathology, microbiology, and food science.
Using Tetrahymena as a model organism, you’ll study processes common to larger multicellular life, visit Duke’s nanotechnology lab to see objects at incredible magnifications, and engage in hands-on experiments like baking bread, making yogurt, building mini-ecosystems, and conducting your own research on favorite microbes. This course is a thrilling journey into the unseen world, where science, creativity, and curiosity come together!
