Students will be trained in the use of diverse laboratory and computational approaches for the study of microbial organisms in the environment. The techniques include microscopy and basic identification, preparation of culture media, establishment of cell cultures from environmental samples, use of diverse DNA extraction methods, gel electrophoresis, PCR applications, generation of metabarcoding and genomic data (high-throughput DNA sequencing), and the use of computation tools for sequence data analysis. At the end of the course, students will have a broad and integrative view of contemporary tools widely used to study microbial diversity and abundance.