Interested in learning more about microbiology, especially in aquatic habitats? Ian teaches the following classes at Cornell University:
BioMI 3500 – Marine Microbes and Disease in a Changing Ocean– Sp 3 cr
Marine microorganisms fuel globally significant elemental cycles through their activities. They also drive diseases in multicellular life through pathogenesis, modulation of host-associated microbiomes, and through induction of stressors (e.g. toxins, hypoxia). The purpose of this course is to provide junior- and senior-level students a background in biological oceanography, marine microbial ecology, biogeochemistry, and disease pathogenesis in marine habitats. The emphasis of the course is on understanding how biology affects and is affected by the oceans, and how organisms interact to produce ocean biological phenomena. The course is divided into 4 modules: 1) Marine microbial diversity and ocean structure; 2) Ocean biogeochemistry; 3) Marine disease pathogenesis; and 4) Pollution and climate change. This course will equip students with foundations for further undergraduate courses in ocean sciences and environmental dynamics, and for graduate studies in biological oceanography and marine biology.
BioMI 6906 – Viral Diversity and Ecology – Sp 1 cr
This course is intended to give graduate students an introduction to virology in an environmental setting. As crucial components of ecosystem function in many habitats, viruses infecting bacteria (bacteriophage) and higher organisms infect and kill their hosts, mediate gene transfer, influence system biogeochemical cycling, and form important links in microbial food webs. This course will provide an overview of viral biology and lifestyles, infection kinetics, and then provide an appreciation for different types of viruses including uncultivated viruses recovered through metagenomics. The course will conclude with discussion of viral influence upon ecosystem processes and host communities.
Ian also regularly makes an appearance in the following classes:
EAS 1540 – Introduction to Oceanography, F 4 cr
BioEE 1610 – Ecology and the Environment, Sp 3 cr
Ian advises in the following undergraduate majors:
Biological Sciences
Environment and Sustainability
Graduate Students in the lab come through the following graduate programs:
Cornell Marine Mass Mortality Laboratory 