Course Information Microbe Hackers is a synthetic biology research stream, forming part of the Freshman Research Initiative. This means our research focuses on topics such as molecular biology, genetic engineering, and microbiology. Many of the concepts discussed also overlap with other undergraduate courses such as introductory biology, genetics, and microbiology. As a result, students in Microbe Hackers often find that participation in this stream reinforces their understanding of these courses while also gaining useful lab skills. Aside from learning about our current research, our lectures also include discussions on other synthetic biology research, ethics of genetic engineering, and presenting scientific research to the public. The progression of the Microbe Hackers research lab is as follows: Freshman Spring: Students learn about synthetic biology concepts and basic lab techniques Students practice scientific writing and communication Students join one of our lab’s research projects Summer Interested students can stay and conduct research in the summer Sophomore Fall Students return and focus on their research project Students continue to work on scientific communication Students learn about current issues in synthetic biology Emphasis on development of higher level skills: critical thinking, project management, presentations, data analysis. We offer the following course credits: Spring: CH204 & NSC109 Fall: BIO206L & MBS177 / MBS377 / CH369K Agar plate of E. coli containing different genetic devices created by our Microbe Hackers. Weekly commitment in the spring semester. In the fall semester, there is more flexibility, with one hour spent in lecture and at least four hours in lab, with extra hours spent on research or lab assignments as needed. First Semester Breakdown: Here is an example of our weekly breakdown of the freshman spring semester from 2025:
