A summary of the main themes and findings presented at the ASM Intermountain Branch meeting (2024).

The annual meeting for the Intermountain Branch was held in April 2024 on the campus of Brigham Young University. There were 127 branch members from Utah, Idaho, and Nevada who attended the meeting and were composed of undergraduate students, graduate or medical students, and faculty. This report highlights the diversity of, and the emerging trends in, the research conducted by American Society for Microbiology members in the Intermountain Branch.

A concept for international societally relevant microbiology education and microbiology knowledge promulgation in society.

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY: Microbes are all pervasive in their distribution and influence on the functioning and well-being of humans, life in general and the planet. Microbially-based technologies contribute hugely to the supply of important goods and services we depend upon, such as the provision of food, medicines and clean water. They also offer mechanisms and strategies to mitigate and solve a wide range of problems and crises facing humanity at all levels, including those encapsulated in the sustainable development goals (SDGs) formulated by the United Nations. For example, microbial technologies can contribute in multiple ways to decarbonisation and hence confronting global warming, provide sanitation and clean water to the billions of people lacking them, improve soil fertility and hence food production and develop vaccines and other medicines to reduce and in some cases eliminate deadly infections. They are the foundation of biotechnology, an increasingly important and growing business sector and source of employment, and the centre of the bioeconomy, Green Deal, etc. But, because microbes are largely invisible, they are not familiar to most people, so opportunities they offer to effectively prevent and solve problems are often missed by decision-makers, with the negative consequences this entrains. To correct this lack of vital knowledge, the International Microbiology Literacy Initiative-the IMiLI-is recruiting from the global microbiology community and making freely available, teaching resources for a curriculum in societally relevant microbiology that can be used at all levels of learning. Its goal is the development of a society that is literate in relevant microbiology and, as a consequence, able to take full advantage of the potential of microbes and minimise the consequences of their negative activities. In addition to teaching about microbes, almost every lesson discusses the influence they have on sustainability and the SDGs and their ability to solve pressing problems of societal inequalities. The curriculum thus teaches about sustainability, societal needs and global citizenship. The lessons also reveal the impacts microbes and their activities have on our daily lives at the personal, family, community, national and global levels and their relevance for decisions at all levels. And, because effective, evidence-based decisions require not only relevant information but also critical and systems thinking, the resources also teach about these key generic aspects of deliberation. The IMiLI teaching resources are learner-centric, not academic microbiology-centric and deal with the microbiology of everyday issues. These span topics as diverse as owning and caring for a companion animal, the vast range of everyday foods that are produced via microbial processes, impressive geological formations created by microbes, childhood illnesses and how they are managed and how to reduce waste and pollution. They also leverage the exceptional excitement of exploration and discovery that typifies much progress in microbiology to capture the interest, inspire and motivate educators and learners alike. The IMiLI is establishing Regional Centres to translate the teaching resources into regional languages and adapt them to regional cultures, and to promote their use and assist educators employing them. Two of these are now operational. The Regional Centres constitute the interface between resource creators and educators-learners. As such, they will collect and analyse feedback from the end-users and transmit this to the resource creators so that teaching materials can be improved and refined, and new resources added in response to demand: educators and learners will thereby be directly involved in evolution of the teaching resources. The interactions between educators-learners and resource creators mediated by the Regional Centres will establish dynamic and synergistic relationships-a global societally relevant microbiology education ecosystem-in which creators also become learners, teaching resources are optimised and all players/stakeholders are empowered and their motivation increased. The IMiLI concept thus embraces the principle of teaching societally relevant microbiology embedded in the wider context of societal, biosphere and planetary needs, inequalities, the range of crises that confront us and the need for improved decisioning, which should ultimately lead to better citizenship and a humanity that is more sustainable and resilient. ABSTRACT: The biosphere of planet Earth is a microbial world: a vast reactor of countless microbially driven chemical transformations and energy transfers that push and pull many planetary geochemical processes, including the cycling of the elements of life, mitigate or amplify climate change (e.g., Nature Reviews Microbiology, 2019, 17, 569) and impact the well-being and activities of all organisms, including humans. Microbes are both our ancestors and creators of the planetary chemistry that allowed us to evolve (e.g., Life's engines: How microbes made earth habitable, 2023). To understand how the biosphere functions, how humans can influence its development and live more sustainably with the other organisms sharing it, we need to understand the microbes. In a recent editorial (Environmental Microbiology, 2019, 21, 1513), we advocated for improved microbiology literacy in society. Our concept of microbiology literacy is not based on knowledge of the academic subject of microbiology, with its multitude of component topics, plus the growing number of additional topics from other disciplines that become vitally important elements of current microbiology. Rather it is focused on microbial activities that impact us-individuals/communities/nations/the human world-and the biosphere and that are key to reaching informed decisions on a multitude of issues that regularly confront us, ranging from personal issues to crises of global importance. In other words, it is knowledge and understanding essential for adulthood and the transition to it, knowledge and understanding that must be acquired early in life in school. The 2019 Editorial marked the launch of the International Microbiology Literacy Initiative, the IMiLI. HERE, WE PRESENT: our concept of how microbiology literacy may be achieved and the rationale underpinning it; the type of teaching resources being created to realise the concept and the framing of microbial activities treated in these resources in the context of sustainability, societal needs and responsibilities and decision-making; and the key role of Regional Centres that will translate the teaching resources into local languages, adapt them according to local cultural needs, interface with regional educators and develop and serve as hubs of microbiology literacy education networks. The topics featuring in teaching resources are learner-centric and have been selected for their inherent relevance, interest and ability to excite and engage. Importantly, the resources coherently integrate and emphasise the overarching issues of sustainability, stewardship and critical thinking and the pervasive interdependencies of processes. More broadly, the concept emphasises how the multifarious applications of microbial activities can be leveraged to promote human/animal, plant, environmental and planetary health, improve social equity, alleviate humanitarian deficits and causes of conflicts among peoples and increase understanding between peoples (Microbial Biotechnology, 2023, 16(6), 1091-1111). Importantly, although the primary target of the freely available (CC BY-NC 4.0) IMiLI teaching resources is schoolchildren and their educators, they and the teaching philosophy are intended for all ages, abilities and cultural spectra of learners worldwide: in university education, lifelong learning, curiosity-driven, web-based knowledge acquisition and public outreach. The IMiLI teaching resources aim to promote development of a global microbiology education ecosystem that democratises microbiology knowledge.

A 3-D interactive microbiology laboratory via virtual reality for enhancing practical skills.

Virtual Reality (VR) laboratories are a new pedagogical approach to support psychomotor skills development in undergraduate programmes to achieve practical competency. VR laboratories are successfully used to carry out virtual experiments in science courses and for clinical skills training in professional courses. This paper describes the development and evaluation of a VR-based microbiology laboratory on Head-Mounted Display (HMD) for undergraduate students. Student and faculty perceptions and expectations were collected to incorporate into the laboratory design. An interactive 3-dimensional VR laboratory with a 360° view was developed simulating our physical laboratory setup. The laboratory environment was created using Unity with the (created) necessary assets and 3D models. The virtual laboratory was designed to replicate the physical laboratory environment as suggested by the students and faculty. In this VR laboratory, six microbiology experiments on Gram staining, bacterial streaking, bacterial motility, catalase test, oxidase test and biochemical tests were placed on the virtual platform. First-year biomedical science students were recruited to evaluate the VR laboratory. Students' perception of the virtual laboratory was positive and encouraging. About 70% of the students expressed they felt safe using the VR laboratory and that it was engaging. They felt that the VR laboratory provided an immersive learning experience. They appreciated that they could repeat each experiment multiple times without worrying about mistakes or mishaps. They could personalise their learning by concentrating on the specific experiments. Our in-house VR-based microbiology laboratory was later extended to other health professions programmes teaching microbiology.

Guidelines to support the design, and selection and appraisal of multimedia teaching aids for microbiology education.

Microbiology education has a serious handicap - the lack of visibility of the players of the subject and their interactions - which engenders a disproportionate reliance upon multimedia teaching aids (MTAs). The International Microbiology Literacy Initiative (IMiLI) is creating educational resources in societally-relevant microbiology complemented by appropriate MTAs. However, proper guidance supporting microbiology educators in locating and selecting, or commissioning the creation of, adequate MTAs for different target audiences and learning objectives is lacking. The aims of this study were to (i) identify important considerations regarding educational/didactical standards and the design of educational multimedia and (ii) create an evidence-based guideline for selecting and appraising existing, and informing the creation of new, microbiology MTAs. This investigation is based on an exploratory, mixed-methods approach. The results of two literature reviews (covering educational and good practice multimedia design) informed the collation of a preliminary appraisal guideline for videos, animations, comics, and video games. A web-scraping approach was utilised to locate and retrieve existing exemplars of the four multimedia types and create four pertinent multimedia databases (including metadata). The preliminary guideline was piloted (and revised accordingly) by appraising quasi-random (or purposive) samples of each multimedia type. Educational multimedia experts were interviewed to discuss the findings. Finally, the guideline was updated to reflect the expert comments together with the results of the pilot appraisals. The final guideline has four components: (i) central considerations for selecting and appraising multimedia for specific audiences and educational purposes, (ii) multimedia selection tool, (iii) multimedia appraisal tools, and (iv) extensive background information as appendices linking all sections for further comprehension. Broad utilisation of the guideline has significant potential for simplifying and systematising multimedia selection/creation, leading to superior multimedia-based learning outcomes, establishing a rapid selection database (pre-appraised multimedia), reducing disparities in microbiology education and incentivising educational content creators.

Ten promotion and tenure tips for microbiologists and immunologists.

In this editorial, I share advice and general principles based on recent experiences as a mentor and evaluator for early-career microbiology and immunology faculty seeking promotion and tenure. I outline 10 recommendations covering research, service, teaching, and mentoring. In addition, I encourage nuanced conversations with colleagues to strategically navigate the unique promotion and tenure processes at different institutions. I hope that these practical tips will assist early-career faculty in attaining promotion and tenure, contributing to long-term scientific and career advances.

Using "Adopt a Bacterium" as an e-learning tool for simultaneously teaching microbiology to different health-related university courses.

The COVID-19 pandemic has posed challenges for education, particularly in undergraduate teaching. In this study, we report on the experience of how a private university successfully addressed this challenge through an active methodology applied to a microbiology discipline offered remotely to students from various health-related courses (veterinary, physiotherapy, nursing, biomedicine, and nutrition). Remote teaching was combined with the "Adopt a Bacterium" methodology, implemented for the first time on Google Sites. The distance learning activity notably improved student participation in microbiology discussions, both through word cloud analysis and the richness of discourse measured by the Shannon index. Furthermore, feedback from students about the e-learning approach was highly positive, indicating its effectiveness in motivating and involving students in the learning process. The results also demonstrate that despite being offered simultaneously to students, the methodology allowed for the acquisition of specialized knowledge within each course and sparked student interest in various aspects of microbiology. In conclusion, the remote "Adopt a Bacterium" methodology facilitated knowledge sharing among undergraduate students from different health-related courses and represented a valuable resource in distance microbiology education.

Mikros, aplicación androide para Microbiología y Parasitología en la Universidad de Ciencias Médicas de Camagüey / Mikros, an Android Application for the Microbiology and Parasitology Subject in the University of Medical Sciences of Camagüey

Introducción: El aprendizaje móvil (m-learning) es la inclusión de dispositivos móviles en las actividades de aprendizaje. En la enseñanza de Microbiología y Parasitología médica estos ofrecen un alto poder de ilustración y contribuyen al aprendizaje de la asignatura de los estudiantes de la carrera de medicina; además, sirven de apoyo a otros perfiles como Tecnología de la Salud. Objetivo: Exponer la actualización del curso de Microbiología y Parasitología en la Universidad de Ciencias Médicas de Camagüey mediante una aplicación androide. Métodos: Se realizó una aplicación optimizada para androide 4.4 o superior con el lenguaje de programación Java. Esta investigación se desarrolló en la Universidad de Ciencias Médicas Carlos J. Finlay y se aplicó a estudiantes de la carrera de medicina en los cursos 2018-2019 y 2019-2020. El universo del estudio fueron 1446 estudiantes de los cursos de 2016-2020. Se realizó una encuesta validada por expertos a una muestra probabilística de 88 estudiantes de la Universidad de Ciencias Médicas de Camagüey, en el período comprendido entre noviembre y diciembre de 2020. Se calculó el coeficiente concordancia general W de Kendall en cuanto a las respuestas a las preguntas. Resultados: Mikros fue una herramienta de apoyo a la docencia, fruto de un proyecto de colaboración entre el Centro de Inmunología y Productos Biológicos de la Universidad de Ciencias Médicas y la Facultad de Ingeniería Informática de la Universidad Ignacio Agramonte, de Camagüey, que permitió introducir al profesor en una modalidad de enseñanza muy a tono con estos tiempos. Conclusiones: La aplicación Mikros incluyó conceptos básicos y un alto nivel de actualización. También contribuyó a elevar el índice académico y a una mayor satisfacción del alumno en el aprendizaje, y resultó una herramienta de consulta práctica para estudiantes de años posteriores de la carrera en rotación por el área clínica y útil para el aprendizaje a distancia en tiempos de COVID-19(AU)

Introduction: Mobile learning (m-learning) consists in the inclusion of mobile devices into learning activities. In the teaching of medical parasitology and microbiology, such devices offer a high power of illustration and contribute to medical students' learning of the subject; in addition, they serve as support to other profiles such as health technology. Objective: To present the update, by means of an android application, of the Microbiology and Parasitology course at the University of Medical Sciences of Camagüey. Methods: An optimized application for android 4.4 or higher was created with the Java programming language. This research was carried out at Carlos J. Finlay University of Medical Sciences and applied to medical students in the 2018-2019 and 2019-2020 academic years. The study universe was made up of 1446 students from the academic years from 2016 to 2020. A survey validated by experts was carried out, in the period between November and December 2020, with a probabilistic sample of 88 students from the University of Medical Sciences of Camagüey. Kendall's coefficient of general concordance (W) was calculated for the answers to the questions. Results: Mikros was a teaching support tool, the result of a collaborative project between the Center of Immunology and Biological Products at the University of Medical Sciences and the School of Computer Engineering at Ignacio Agramonte University, in Camagüey, which allowed to present the professor in a teaching modality much in tune with the current times. Conclusions: The Mikros application included basic concepts and a high update level. It also contributed to raising the student's academic index and satisfaction with learning. It turned out to be a practical consultation tool for students of higher academic years of the major who are rotating through the clinical area, as well as a useful tool for distance learning in COVID-19 times(AU)

Leguminosae Lectins as Biological Tools in Medical Research: a Review

Abstract Lectins were discovered first in plants and later in other living things, and nowadays it is known that they are present in almost all many life forms. These proteins can bind to specific carbohydrates, which make them perform a number of biological activities and can be used as tools in the study of glycoconjugate structures present on the cell surface, being effective in medical research. Plant lectins, leguminosae lectins particularly, are among the most studied plant proteins. They are very versatile molecules, which show several interesting biological properties. Thus, the present paper reviewed the advances about the leguminosae lectins biological properties studies in the last ten years, taking into account their possible applications in the fields of Clinical Microbiology, Pharmacy and Cancerology through a search in the electronic databases, providing opportunity to exchange information about the theme. Leguminosae lectins can neutralize pathogenic organisms, be they viruses, prokaryotes and eukaryotes, in addition carcinogenic cells, besides decreasing oxidative stress, conditions which increases the possibility of alternative substances for the design of new drugs to be used in current therapeutic, expanding the possibilities of diseases cure.

Juan Nicolás Dávalos Betancourt y su influencia en la formación en investigación microbiológica / Juan Nicolas Davalos Betancourt and his influence on microbiologic research training

Matanzas a finales siglo XIX, fue cuna de grandes personalidades de la medicina. En coincidencia con el desarrollo económico y cultural. En Sabanilla del Encomendador nació Juan Nicolás Dávalos Betancourt. Estudió medicina en la Habana y en España, preparándose en Francia sobre aspectos relacionados con la microbiología y las técnicas de la misma. A su regreso se consagró a aplicar lo aprendido en el laboratorio y la investigación en general. Objetivo: reseñar su vida y obra como una de las grandes figuras de la medicina y la microbiología en Cuba y desarrollar apuntes sobre su influencia en la formación de médicos investigadores en microbiología. Desarrollo: fue un destacado bacteriólogo cubano. Se recogen datos de su vida y obra como precursor de la bacteriología en Cuba y que dignificó la práctica médica en el laboratorio, así como sus aportes e influencia en la formación en microbiología e investigación. Se reconoce su influencia en la formación de investigadores con elementos a destacar en la formación de discípulos, la impronta sobre los investigadores de su grupo, su época y épocas posteriores en relación al trabajo en equipo, la comunicación de resultados en publicaciones y el entorno académico, así como el desarrollo de investigaciones por encargo. Conclusiones: Se dedicó a la investigación científico microbiológica, orientada a los problemas de salud del momento. Sus investigaciones fueron del laboratorio al terreno y del diagnóstico a la terapéutica con elementos claros de influencia educativa... (AU)

Adopt a Bacterium - an active and collaborative learning experience in microbiology based on social media

ABSTRACT The "Adopt a Bacterium" project is based on the use of social network as a tool in Microbiology undergraduate education, improving student learning and encouraging students to participate in collaborative learning. The approach involves active participation of both students and teachers, emphasizing knowledge exchange, based on widely used social media. Students were organized in groups and asked to adopt a specific bacterial genus and, subsequently, submit posts about "adopted genus". The formative assessment is based on posting information on Facebook®, and the summative assessment involves presentation of seminars about the adopted theme. To evaluate the project, students filled out three anonymous and voluntary surveys. Most of the students enjoyed the activities and positively evaluated the experience. A large amount of students declared a change in their attitude towards the way they processed information, especially regarding the use of scientific sources. Finally, we evaluated knowledge retention six months after the end of the course and students were able to recall relevant Microbiology concepts. Our results suggest that the "Adopt a Bacterium" project represents a useful strategy in Microbiology learning and may be applied to other academic fields.

Paródias no ensino de microbiologia: a música como ferramenta pedagógica / Parodies in the teaching of microbiology: music as a pedagogical tool / Parodias en la enseñanza de la microbiología: la música como herramienta pegagógica

Atividades lúdicas, como as paródias, são estratégias didáticas motivadoras para a aprendizagem e configuram-se como forma criativa e crítica de trabalhar o aprendizado. O presente artigo objetiva descrever o processo de construção e divulgação de paródias como instrumento facilitador para transmissão e assimilação de conteúdos microbianos, no âmbito do projeto de extensão ‘Musicalizando a Biologia’, vinculado ao Curso de Ciências Biológicas a distância da Universidade Estadual do Ceará/Universidade Aberta do Brasil. Trata-se de relato de experiência da produção de três paródias na qual foi possível estabelecer os critérios e os conteúdos, bem como a escolha de músicas populares que viriam a facilitar a fixação da melodia e da letra contendo as ideias que se queria transmitir. Os resultados indicam que a utilização dessa ferramenta pode oferecer contribuições significativas para o ensino e favorecer a aprendizagem dos conteúdos em microbiologia.

Fun activities, such as parodies, are among the creative teaching strategies that can motivate learning and critical analysis. This article describes the process of constructing and diffusion of parodies as aninstrument for transmission and assimilation of the technical concepts involving microbiology, in the project called ‘Musicalizando a Biologia’ (musicalization of biology), associated with the distance education undergraduate course in biology offered by University of Ceará/Open University of Brazil. It is a experience report of the production of three parodies, through which it was possible to establish the criteria, as well as the choice of popular melodies to facilitate memorization of the content and ideas. The results indicate that the use of this tool can make significant contributions to teaching and favoring the learning of concepts of microbiology.

Actividades lúdicas, como parodias, son estrategias de enseñanza motivadoras y se configuran como forma creativa y crítica para trabajar el aprendizaje. Este artículo describe el proceso de construcción y divulgación de parodias como facilitador para la transmisión y asimilación de contenido microbiano dentro del proyecto denominado ‘Musicalizando a Biologia’, vinculado a el curso de ciencias biológicas a distancia de la Universidad del Estado de Ceará/Universidad Abierta de Brasil. Se trata de un relato de experiencia de la producción de tres parodias, por la cual fue posible establecer los criterios y contenidos, así como la elección de canciones populares que facilitasen la memorización de la melodía y de la letra con las ideas que se quería transmitir. Los resultados indican que el uso de esta herramienta puede ofrecer contribuciones significativas a la enseñanza y favorecer el aprendizaje de contenidos en microbiología.

Habilidades lingüísticas sobre nomenclatura microbiana en profesionales de la salud / Linguistic skills of health professionals regarding the microbial nomenclature

En los programas de estudios donde se aplican la Microbiología o Parasitología Médica aparece en todos los casos como objetivo nombrar a los microorganismos. Objetivo: analizar el estado de las habilidades lingüísticas sobre taxonomía microbiana en profesionales de la salud. Métodos: se realizó un estudio descriptivo donde fueron revisados 270 trabajos científicos escritos, relacionados con estas dos especialidades médicas y se efectuaron 250 entrevistas a profesionales de las distintas especialidades médicas, se respetó el anonimato en todos los casos. Resultados: se observaron problemas en la gramática en el 73 por ciento de los artículos, 22 por ciento de las tesis de maestría y 14 por ciento de las tesis de doctorado, mientras que en la nomenclatura estos se reportaron en 29 %, 13 por ciento y 5 por ciento, respectivamente. En el 91 por ciento de las entrevistas se detectaron problemas de dicción. Conclusiones: existen problemas de dicción, gramaticales y escritura sobre los nombres de los microorganismos entre los profesionales de la salud...

The curricula in which microbiology and medical parasitology are involved have as an objective in all the cases to name the various microorganisms. Objective: to analyze the linguistic skills of health professionals in terms of microbial taxonomy. Methods: a descriptive study was carried out to review 270 scientific papers related to these specialties and 250 interviews were made to professionals from different medical specialties. They were all anonymous. Results: grammatical mistakes were observed in 73 per cent of the papers, in 22 per cent of master's theses and in 14 per cent of Ph D's theses, whereas nomenclature errors were found in 29 per cent, 13 per cent and 5 per cent respectively. Pronunciation problems were noticed in 91 per cent of interviews. Conclusions: pronunciation, grammatical and writing problems related to the names of microorganisms were detected in the health professionals participating in this research...

Introducción del hiperentorno de Virología en el programa de la asignatura Microbiología de la carrera de Estomatología / Introduction to the hyperenvironment of Virology in the program of the subject Microbiology in the specialty of Stomatology

La Educación Superior en Cuba se encuentra inmersa en una ola de cambios, de los que no escapan las carreras de las Ciencias Médicas. La asignatura Microbiología, como parte de las que integran la carrera de Estomatología, carece de medios de enseñanza adecuados que le permitan asumir con calidad el proceso de enseñanza-aprendizaje en las condiciones de universalización, por lo que puede aprovechar las bondades de las tecnologías de la información y las comunicaciones para elevar la calidad de su proceso docente. Para dar solución a esta limitante, las autoras, en su función de profesoras de esta asignatura en la Universidad de Ciencias Médicas de Matanzas, se propusieron integrar el programa de la misma a hiperentornos que tributen a cada uno de los temas que la conforman, realizando una integración didáctica de todos los contenidos. En esta investigación se muestran los resultados obtenidos con la implementación del hiperentorno de virología, en el proceso de enseñanza aprendizaje de la asignatura Microbiología, después de haber sido utilizado durante un curso académico. El hiperentorno facilita no solo la transferencia de información, sino también la organización del acceso a la misma, la colaboración y la actividad independiente del educando, en correspondencia con las exigencias didácticas de la universalización.

The High Education in Cuba is submitted to a wave of changes, and the specialties of the Medical Sciences are not free of them. The subject Microbiology, as part of the ones integrated in the specialty of Stomatology, is lack of the adequate teaching means allowing assuming with quality the learning-teaching process in the conditions of the universalization, so it should be made good use of the possibilities of the communications and information technologies to increase the quality of the teaching process. To solve this inadequacy, the authors, in their function as teachers of this subject in the Medical Sciences University of Matanzas, wanted to integrate the subject program to the hyperenvironments contributing to each of the themes that form it, making a didactic integration of all the contents. In this research we show the results obtained with the implementation of the hyperenvironment of virology in the teaching learning process of the subject Microbiology, after being used during a school year. The hyperenvironment allows not only the information transference, but also the organization of process of the access to the information, the collaboration and independent activity of the student, in correspondence with the didactical exigencies of the universalization process.

Aprendizaje y consolidación de la asignatura de microbiología y parasitología medicas en la carrera de medicina / Learning and consolidation of medical microbiology and parasitology subject in medicine studies

Se aplicó un instrumento evaluativo de las esencialidades de la asignatura Microbiología y Parasitología Médicas (Agentes biológicos), en forma de encuesta anónima, a los estudiantes de Medicina de la Facultad General Calixto García, quienes cursaron la asignatura en el 4to Semestre del curso 2003-2004, en varios Cortes: I antes de Propedéutica, al iniciar el 5to Semestre; II después de Medicina Interna, al finalizar el 6to Semestre; III después de Pediatría, al finalizar el 8vo Semestre y IV después de MGI II, en el Internado, para conocer si el futuro Médico General Básico (MGB), se había apropiado de esos conocimientos en la asignatura y valorar su consolidación en el Área Clínica. Los alumnos no demostraron el conocimiento esperado de los agentes causales de enfermedades infecciosas frecuentes en la población, no hubo retención de los objetivos instructivos de la asignatura y en el área clínica no se logró la consolidación de dichos objetivos(AU)

An assessment instrument for the main objectives of the subjects Medical Microbiology and Parasitology (Biological Agents) was applied, as an anonymous survey, to 4th semester Medical Students from General Calixto Garcia Medical School in the school term 2003-2004. It was applied at four different times: I) Before Propedeutics, at the beginning of their 5th semester; II) After Internal Medicine, at the end of their 6th semester; III) After Pediatrics at the end of their 8th semester and IV) After Family Medicine II, during their 11th and 12th semester, to find out if the future General Practitioner has acquired the main knowledge of the subject and to assess its consolidation in the Clinical Area.The students did not know what was expected about the agents that cause frequent infectious diseases in our population; they had no retention of the subject's instructive goals nor was the consolidation of these goals achieved in the clinical area(AU)

Diplomado en toxicología ambiental, microbiología y química sanitaria a distancia: opción de superación profesional / Masterliness on environmental toxicology, microbiology, and distant health chemistry: an option of professional excelling

La actualización de los recursos humanos en el campo de la salud ambiental en Cuba es una necesidad. El diplomado que se propone posibilita el desarrollo de competencias y habilidades en temáticas utilizadas en las funciones laborales de quienes optan por esta modalidad de superación profesional. El Diplomado en Toxicología Ambiental, Microbiología y Química Sanitaria constituye una contribución en la búsqueda de la excelencia en la gestión de los laboratorios de ensayo de muestras ambientales en el país. El diseño curricular elaborado está acorde con los objetivos propuestos para el perfil del egresado y se caracteriza por la actualización en los temas tratados y la inserción de lecturas complementarias que apoyan el estudio independiente del diplomante. La modalidad a distancia le concede al diplomado un valor de generalización del conocimiento amplio en estas ramas del saber, por la capacidad de acceso a través de las redes telemáticas del país.

Updating of human resources in the environmental health field in Cuba is a need. Masterliness proposed allows the development of competences and abilities in the subjects used in labour tasks of those opting by this modality of professional excelling. Masterliness in Environmental Toxicology, Microbiology, and Health Chemistry is a contribution in search of excellence in management of laboratories of environmental samples assays in our country. Curriculum design elaborated is in agreement to objectives proposed for graduate profile and it is characterized by the updating of the subjects discussed, and the insertion of complementary readings supporting the independent study of diplomate. Distant modality allows to student to value the generalization of extensive wisdom in these branches of knowledge by access ability through telematic networks of the country.

Aula virtual de microbiología 2009-2010: percepción de los estudiante de segundo año de la escuela de medicina "Luis Razetti" / Virtual Classroom microbiology 2009-2010: perception sophomore in medical school \"Luis Razetti\"

El estudio tiene por objetivo evaluar la percepción de los estudiantes de Microbiología de segundo año de la Escuela de Medicina “Luis Razetti” de la Universidad Central de Venezuela, cohorte 2009-2010, en relación a un entorno virtual de aprendizaje interactivo denominado “Aula Virtual de Microbiología 2009-2010”. Se realizó un diseño de investigación no experimental, transversal, descriptivo aplicado a los estudiantes inscritos en el curso de la asignatura de Microbiología de segundo año de Medicina 2009-2010, se utilizó un instrumento tipo encuesta de opinión para evaluar la percepción de los estudiantes con relación a la herramienta virtual usada y su aprendizaje mediado por la misma. El 77% de las respuestas de los estudiantes corresponden a una valoración muy favorable, en 20% la valoración fue buena y en 3% fue desfavorable. Cuando se comparó la apreciación de los estudiantes sobre la calidad educativa vs la calidad técnica del entorno virtual deaprendizaje interactivo se observaron diferencias estadísticamente significativas. El “Aula Virtual de Microbiología 2009-2010” es percibida por los estudiantes de manera satisfactoria y como una herramienta útil parafacilitar el aprendizaje

The purpose of this study is to assess the perception of second-year microbiology students of the “Luis Razetti” School of Medicine of Universidad Central de Venezuela towards a virtual learning environment, named “2009-2010 Microbiology Virtual Classroom”. A non-experimental, transversal and descriptive study applied to students registered in second-year of Medicine 2009-2010 Microbiology course was carried out; students´ perceptions about the virtual learning environment and their learning upon using this tool were assessed through a survey. According to the survey, 77% of students´ answers showed a very positive opinion towards the virtual classroom, 20% reflected a good opinion and the opinion of 3% was poor. When students´ opinions about virtual classroom´s technical quality vs. its educational quality were compared, the differences reported statistical significance. Results suggest that “2009-2010 Microbiology Virtual Classroom” promotes a satisfactory students´ perception about itself and as such as a tool to enhance learning

Microbiología. bacteriología, características y clasificación bacteriana. virología, características y técnicas bioquímicas

Obra profusamente ilustrada que por su estructura didáctica facilita notablemente el aprendizaje de esta materia. Recomendada para estudiantes de Formación Profesional y Técnicos Especialistas de Laboratorio. Incorpora ejercicios prácticos de autoevaluación para determinar el nivel de conocimientos adquiridos por el alumno.