Microbes Without Borders

One thing I never thought much about before this class was how microbes affect and influence our food. I knew that microbes played a role in fermentation, but I never stopped to think about the extent of it or how different microbes were able to influence food in different ways. Additionally, these same microbes can also positively influence our gut health when we eat them. It was interesting to see how the invisible can have a large effect on our bodies. When learning and researching about the Lascaux Cave in France, I was introduced to the biodegradation of art. Before this class, I never thought how large of an impact various microbes had on the degradation of manmade materials. While reading about the cave, I found it interesting to see how microbial life from moisture, human bodies, environmental elements, and more could have such a detrimental effect on something as insignificant as a cave.

​

From the class, I learned a lot about different cultural and historic UNESCO sites. I enjoyed discovering and reading about the sites that I found on the map and the ones we discussed in class. In the future, I plan to travel to all parts of the world and meet different people from different cultures. I hope in my travels that I remember the UNESCO sites I was introduced to in this class and visit all of them. When I do so, I hope to tell my family and friends about my excursions and encourage them to visit them too.

​

I would definitely inform my friends and family about the benefits and harms of microbes. From what I learned in class about fermentation and gut health, I would encourage those closest to me to continue eating/drinking fermented foods and foods with active cultures. I want my friends and family to be the healthiest they could be, so I will definitely share my wisdom on that subject. At the same time, I would also warn them about the various harms that microbes can cause to humans. There are many microbes in the world that can harm or kill humans. In some countries they cause ongoing epidemics. For this reason I would advise my relatives to be cautious around microbes, especially during flu season. Understandably, this may cause some of them to wash their hands more frequently. After taking part in the module 8 discussion “Are we too clean?”, I learned from my research and my classmates' experiences that being too clean is not always a good thing. Of course being clean can protect you from harmful microbial life, but being too clean can irritate our senses and make us sick in the long run.

​

My global view has mainly remained the same, I am still just as open to meeting people and learning about different cultures. However, while completing the children’s book challenge project, I was able to look at the pandemic from a different perspective and learned a lot about the Indonesian country and culture as a result. Furthermore, I have a better idea of how the US compares to other countries around the world in things such as poverty, the handling of the pandemic, literacy rate, mortality rate, and more. From what I've learned in this class, it has helped me to gain an understanding of the state of things outside of the US and has allowed me to learn how microbes affect us all.

​

​I think the class went well, especially with the transition from in person to online learning. I liked the option to either complete the physical activities or write a summary of the class session. The activities themselves were interesting and the class content/in class projects kept me engaged during the semester. I also appreciated the extra credit and the various speakers that were able to present to us. I think the class could be improved by having students share our physical activity projects to other students in the class. For example, for the Kitchen Lab assignment, I think it would be fun to have each person present what they found in the areas they swabbed. Also, I think the addition of games would be nice. For example, if we have a game that relates to epidemiology, spreading of the virus, etc., it can lead to discussion and a friendly competition. Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed the class and class content.