LSCI
3261

Mycology Lab: Fungal Lifestyles

Eugene Lang College Lib Arts: Natural Sciences & Mathematics

Liberal Arts
Undergraduate Course
Degree Students (with Restrictions)
Mycology Lab:Fungal Lifestyles
Spring 2024
Taught By: Jordan Hoffman
Section: A

CRN: 13631

Credits: 4

Fungi live strange lives. Some are deadly parasites, threatening the lives of many plants, animals and even other fungi. Others are invaluable plant partners, responsible for helping land plants dominate the planet for many millions of years. Some fungi are even sought-after delicacies that taste amazing fried with some herbs and olive oil. Incredibly, some fungi are all of the above! The kingdom Fungi is immensely diverse and critically important and influential to our world, but is also often misunderstood and considerably under-appreciated. In our mycology-centric course, we will explore the incredible diversity of fungi, learn about the many lifestyles that they often lead, and uncover the many ways fungi impact our lives – the good, the bad, and the downright weird. Everything from fermenting beer to fouling food, from destroying amphibian species to forming biodegradable replacements for plastic packaging, will be up for discussion. We will learn about these concepts and pressing issues in our lives, and more, through a combination of lectures, assigned readings, class discussions. Additionally, our class is supported by a lab component where we will cultivate sourdough yeast cultures, experiment with plant-fungal relationships, grow common mushrooms from spores, examine fungal anatomy under microscopes, and head into the field to explore the many species of lichens that call NYC home. This course satisfies the Laboratory Science requirement for the Interdisciplinary Science major and minor. Prerequisites: LSCI 2320 Microbial Ecologies OR LSCI 2040 Genes, Environment, & Behavior.

College: Eugene Lang College Lib Arts (LC)

Department: Natural Sciences & Mathematics (NSM)

Campus: New York City (GV)

Course Format: Laboratory (B)

Modality: In-Person

Max Enrollment: 12

Add/Drop Deadline: February 4, 2024 (Sunday)

Online Withdrawal Deadline: April 16, 2024 (Tuesday)

Seats Available: No

Status: Closed*

* Status information is updated every few minutes. The status of this course may have changed since the last update. Open seats may have restrictions that will prevent some students from registering. Updated: 2:36pm EDT 3/28/2024

Meeting Info:
Days: Friday
Times: 12:00pm - 3:20pm
Building: Academic Entrance 63 Fifth Ave
Room: 618
Date Range: 1/26/2024 - 5/10/2024