Why I chose Microbiology as an area of Focus in Library Studies-Competency #1

I chose microbiology as an area of focus in library science because it's an area of study that interests me. It developed as an interest because of my job experiences at Auburn University and Alabama State University as a microbiology research assistant. The major foci included:

• utilizing antimicrobial agents such as penicilin or silver nitrate on Salmonella typhimurim and varying strands of bacteria
• utilizing PCR and electrophoresis for the dectection of food borne bacterial DNA (Salmonella tyhimurium or E. coli) in canned foods such as chicken broth and skim milk
• performed stem cell research on mice in treating gastrointestinal disorders in humans as result of food borne pathogens

"I find this area of study on food safety practices and measures very important as it relates to microbiology". A McDonalds in Illinois experienced an epidemic of Hepatitis A outbreaks as a result of two employees not washing their hands who were infected with this virus. I'm not trying to scare people from eating at their favorite restaurants/fastfood franchises, but I'm just warning everyone to be more vigilant about this serious matter. To get a glimpse at the entire article, follow this link to find out more info. on preventing bacterial diseases/ spread through handwashing : http://www.nbafoodadvocate.com/fast-food-employees-and-poor-hand-sanitization-a-perfect-environment-for-foodborne-illness-1219

For more information on the following topics based on my research and other topics of interest, please refer to these sites for related articles: http://www.nbafoodadvocate.com/hygiene-and-foodborne-illness-in-the-united-states-america%e2%80%99s-dirty-little-secret-1600

http://www.nbafoodadvocate.com/why-you-should-be-concerned-about-antibiotic-resistant-salmonella-and-e-coli-1393

http://chattahbox.com/science/2009/08/27/scientists-develop-gene-therapy-method-to-prevent-some-inherited-diseases/

http://www.invitrogen.com/site/us/en/home/Products-and-Services/Applications/Protein-Expression-and-Analysis/Protein-Gel-Electrophoresis/1D-Electrophoresis.html

Want to find out other interesting topics about the swine flu and how to protect yourself? Follow these links:

http://www.cdc.gov/h1n1flu/

http://www.cdc.gov/h1n1flu/qa.htm

http://www.cdc.gov/h1n1flu/sick.htm

http://www.cdc.gov/h1n1flu/guidance_homecare.htm

http://flu.gov/

Microbiology Media Specialist- Competency #1 and Podcasts- Competency # 2

Greetings everyone! I'm a new student at Texas Women's University enrolled in the Library Science Program. In my Information Storage and Retrieval class, the first assignment is to create a blog. A blog from my understanding is a personalized web page for persons (bloggers) to use to exchange information/ideas on various topics of interest. My area of focus or specialization is microbiology, particularly studying food-borne pathogens and the prevention of illnesses. In relation to library studies, I will be working at a university library where I want to provide improved virtual access and retrieval methods for microbiology students. Additionally, I would like to implement a database system (just like an online library) where students/ faculty can not only retrieve and store current microbiology research/ studies, but they will also be able to improve their knowledge base in this area of study via learning about other digital resources. I'm very excited about my area of focus and applying it to library sciene. I hope that you find my area of study fascinating too!

MY PODCASTS

Just to give viewers an idea of what microbiology is all about and to keep everyone focused, I have attached two interesting podcasts links; the first one is : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=udtr9qZSReg and the other one is : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1EkehFkhWf4 . I hope viewers find both of these broadcasts not only to be entertaining, but I hope that each person viewing learns some new information. I selected these two podcasts in order to interest and motivate university students, since this is my library type (university-academic) and topic (microbiology) in order to browse, research, and retrieve information related to this area of study. I used Youtube as a search engine to find these podcasts. Students in this area of biology and related sciences can give professors feedback on interesting topics or information that has not been covered in class; students and professors can view these clips in class, which can increase the students' knowledge base in microbiology. There are many more microbiology podcasts available for viewing on Youtube for students and interested persons.