Bacterial Calligraphy: A Memento for Undergraduate Research Students

• Main Author: Wenfa Ng
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: American Society for Microbiology 2012-08-01
• Series: Journal of Microbiology & Biology Education
• Subjects: Bacterial calligraphy; Chromobacterium violaceum; Violacein; Swarming motility; Patterns; Memento
• Online Access: http://jmbesubmissions.asm.org/index.php/jmbe/article/view/414

The research project is a major assignment for final-year undergraduate students. As part of the project’s learning outcomes, undergraduate students are exposed to research methodology, design, and execution of experiments, as well as to data interpretation and presentation. Given the intense nature of the research experience in time and in effort, and the close working relationships and camaraderie that develop, a memento would be fitting at the conclusion of the research project. This activity describes how to create such a memento by using a purple pigment-producing soil bacterium, Chromobacterium violaceum, as an “ink” to inscribe the initials of each student’s name on an agar plate in a process named “bacterial calligraphy.”