Michael Dennis,
Ph.D. "We learn better in a free
spirit of curiosity
rather than under fear and compulsion"
This site was launched in January, 2000. It is being regularly modified. There are still some deficiencies and formatting problems. I'm working on them. Sorry for the inconvenience.
INTRODUCTION
I was born in Pennsylvania, raised and educated in Arizona, and went to graduate school in Colorado. I earned my degree from the Department of Microbiology at Colorado State University in 1978.
I am educated as a Microbiologist and Immunologist with interests in infectious diseases, cancer, and immune responses that protect us from these disorders.
I have taught various courses in microbiology, immunology, toxicology and tumor biology at Colorado State University (Fort Collins), Weber State University (Ogden),
New Mexico State University (Las Cruces), and Montana State University (Billings).
I have been a member of the American Society for Microbiology and the American Association for the Advancement of Science for over 25 years.
For more information you can view a short version of my CV.
My personal interests include an appreciation for good food and wine, contemporary films, hiking and backpacking in summer, downhill and cross country skiing in winter, and fly-fishing all year round.
CURRENT TEACHING
I currently teach the following courses at MSU-Billings. You can view a recent syllabus for each course by opening the link.
- Survey of Biology (Biol 101/115). This is a general education course that is a required course for all undergraduate majors at MSU-B. I teach this course every fall and spring.
- Microbiology for the Health Sciences (Biom 250). This is an introductory medical microbiology course for allied health majors, in particular pre-nursing students. I teach this course (and an accompanying lab) every spring and summer.
- General Microbiology (Biol 340). This is a microbiology course that introduces the basic biology of microorganisms. It is intended for all biology majors. I teach this course (and an accompanying lab) every fall.
- Medical Microbiology (Biol 452). This is a course for advanced biology majors that investigates infectious diseases (primarily bacterial and viral) of man and animals. I teach this course every other year in spring.
- Immunology (Biob 410. This course is a molecular biology approach to immunobiology, the study of how the body defends itself from infectious disease and protects itself from the development of cancer. It is targeted to advanced biology majors with significant molecular biology and biochemistry background. I teach this course every other spring.
- Cancer Biology (Biol 492 - Seminar). This is a short course that is offered every winter during intercession. It covers the basic biology of cancer development in humans, as well as prevention, detection and therapy of cancer. The audience for this seminar course is quite diverse and includes allied health majors as well as advanced biology student
CURRENT STUDENT RESEARCH
Several undergraduate students have worked in my lab over the last 10 years in an effort to gain research experience before advancing to graduate or professional school. Student interest in research has increased at MSU-B over the last five years. All students joining my lab are responsible for helping design their research problem, conducting an appropriate literature review, determining the methods necessary to answer the question that they pose, and then collecting and analyzing data. In addition, students have been active in presenting their findings at local and regional scientific meetings.
Most students in the last three years have been working on an ongoing study of the antimicrobial effects of essential plant oils (e.g. thyme oil) and their components (e.g. carvacrol). The research has progressed nicely. We have shown antimicrobial activity of several plant oils and their purified chemical components against a panel of bacteria and yeasts. We have determined the Minimal Lethal Concentration for these materials as well as the speed at which dilute oils actually kill mo's. We are now trying to determine the mechanism of antimicrobial activity of oils and their components. We use fluorescence microscopy and specific probes to detect cell damage in microorganisms after treatment with oils. We have recently developed a methodology to measure membrane damage in microorganisms. We believe, based on our observations and accumulated data, that these substances destroy cell membranes. In the future we intend to evaluate the mutagenic capability of these materials as well as their irritant and allergenic capability. We will measure mutagenic capabilities of essential oils using a genetically altered E. coli that luminesces when its DNA is damaged.
TO CONTACT ME
Send me an email at: mdennis@msubillings.edu
