Dr. Carl W. Vermeulen
A.B. (Chem.) Hope College
M.S. (Biochem.) University of Illinois
Ph.D. (Microbiology) University of Illinois
757-221-2230; ecoligist@yahoo.com
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Virology is like some of the other areas in the microbial sciences in that it consists of several facets that range from the etherialness of pure science to the medically important, or as one person once said - "from Esoterica to Megabucks." Were it not for virology, little of modern molecular biology would be known; were it not for virology, little would be possible with regard to in vivo genetic engineering and the demise of many genetic diseases.
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Dr. V's course here will attempt to touch upon all aspects of virology, but, because of his bias as a 'pure scientist,' the course will tend to be more in the realm of the 'esoterica.'
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Because the field is moving ahead so rapidly, textbooks tend to get out of date just as rapidly. Sadly, there has not been a really good non-medically oriented virology textbook published in the last 15 years or more. That is why this course has only some poor alternative texts which you may wish to purchase over the internet. Dr. V will provide the class with non-take-home copies of former texts - for whatever (historical) use they might be.
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It has often been asked why this course does not have an attached lab course. The reason is, as you will quickly see, much of the work is done with animal viruses on either animals and/or tissue cultures. Such labs would require you to have a couple of preceeding semesters in the control of pathogens or in the art of preparing and maintaining tissue cultures.
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But do not think that this lack of a lab makes for a dull subject. Philosophically, virology might be the most exciting course you have ever taken - despite Dr. V's boring mumbling and grumbling! Already you should be amazed at the diversity of life. Animals are so different from plants. And both of them are so different from fungi and bacteria. But viruses are in many ways in separate universes. As a hint of this, once one of Dr. V's mentors published a paper entitled: "The Problems of an RNA Genome's Operating in a DNA-Dominated Universe." That ought to get your mind into the Nobel-groove.
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And why 8 a.m. in the morning? Well, then you will have the whole day left to ponder the wonders! (Yeah, sure, Dr. V!)
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Sesqui-weekly curved quizzes. Two 5-minute oral presentations/student. Two 80-minute lab meetings. Average course grades: half A- and above.
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Content presuppositions: this course has the prerequisite that you have taken one of these sorts of courses: biochemistry, cell physiology, or any other that concerns the fundamental biochemistry and metabolism of cells because it is the business of viruses to sabotage these processes. From the opening day of virology, you should be fluent in glycolysis, Krebs Cycle, nucleic acid structure and polymerizations, protein synthesis, and what lipids and polysaccharides look like.