Week One: Microbial Structure, Growth and Nutrition Goal: An understanding of microbial scale, growth kinetics and nutritional requirements

Week Two: Microbial Metabolism and Nutrient Cycling Goal: An understanding of the basic chemistry underlying microbe/environment interactions and an introduction to the nitrogen cycle.

Week Three: Aquatic Microbial Ecology Goal: An understanding of the role of microbes in the macroscopic setting of aquatic environments.

Week Four: Current Topics on the Nitrogen Cycle: Denitrification Goal: An understanding of the current paradigm of environmental denitrification including but not limited to the metabolic pathway switching of facultative anaerobes and “aerobic” denitrification.

Week Five: Manipulating the Nitrogen Cycle for Reefkeping Part I: Considerations for Aquarium Setup, Cycling and Curing Live Rock Goal: To examine the basic techniques of establishing the nitrogen cycle in aquaria in the context of current microbiological understanding.

Week Six: Manipulating the Nitrogen Cycle for Reefkeping Part II: Advanced Denitrification Techniques. Goal: To review various advanced techniques to augment denitrification including but not limited to: deep sandbeds, alcohol dosing, macroalgae, water changes; and the implications of these techniques on the semi-closed systems of reef aquaria.