New Equipment Expands Learning Opportunities at Methodist College

Students in biology courses at Methodist College will now be able to prepare and grow cultures in a newly installed laminar flow hood. This new equipment provides a safe workspace and is designed for the protection of personnel and samples.

The use of a laminar flow hood is essential in the BIO 201 Microbiology course. This course -- required of students in the nursing curriculum and a part of Methodist College's Arts and Sciences course offerings --  demonstrates to the student the fundamental aspects of microbes as pathogenic agents: their structure, physiology, genetics, interaction with humans, activities as etiological agents of disease.

"Within minutes of the final installation of the hood, biology instructor Lisa Pumfrey was using it so that students could benefit from it in their labs about 24 hours later," said Dr. Eileen Setti, interim associate provost and dean of arts and sciences. "That is an immediate impact on teaching and learning."

Methodist College offers a robust arts and sciences curriculum that supports students' learning in the college's healthcare and human services degree programs. The microbiology lab is one of three science labs at Methodist College, which include an anatomy and physiology lab and a chemistry lab.