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Faculty Page · Microbiology · Folsom Lake College
Professor Cassandra NeitlingMicrobiology · Folsom Lake College Request a Letter
BIOL 442 · General Microbiology

The invisible world that shapes human health.

Professor Cassandra Neitling teaches the biology of bacteria, viruses, fungi and parasites at Folsom Lake College, preparing students for careers in nursing and the health professions.

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Professor Cassandra Neitling outdoors by a mountain lake
Prof. Cassandra NeitlingMicrobiology
About the course

About Microbiology

Microbiology is the study of the bacteria, viruses, fungi, protozoa and helminths that shape human health. In BIOL 442: General Microbiology and Public Health, students examine how these organisms are built, how they live and reproduce, how they cause disease, and how we identify, treat and prevent infection, from individual patients to global epidemics and pandemics.

The course is taught as preparation for careers in healthcare. Most students are headed toward nursing and other health professions, and the lab is where much of the learning happens: microscopy, culturing bacteria, and identifying unknown microorganisms from a simulated patient infection.

Course at a glance

CourseBIOL 442
Units5 (3 lecture + 2 lab)
FormatLecture + Laboratory
PrerequisiteCHEM 305 or CHEM 400
Total points500
Schedule & requirements
A welcome from your professor

Welcome!

I am Cassandra Neitling, professor of Microbiology at Folsom Lake College. I have been at FLC for a few years and have LOVED every minute of it.

I started my academic career at Lake Tahoe Community College and transferred to Cornell University for my undergraduate degree and Harvard University for my graduate degree. Community college has always held a special place in my heart because it was where I really grew up and decided who I wanted to be. It gave me the confidence to pursue any university I aspired to attend. I admired my professors, developed incredibly beneficial study habits, and learned a TON about science.

I look forward to working with you to develop your scientific confidence, to perfect your own personal study techniques, and support you throughout your educational journey. I hope you will feel encouraged every step of the way and I know you will learn all about MICROORGANISMS!

Let's do this!
Prof.Professor Cassandra Neitling

Professor Neitling at her desk in her Folsom Lake College classroom
In the classroom · Folsom Lake College
Plates 1–5

The organisms of microbiology

The five groups studied in BIOL 442, with their typical sizes.

Fig. 1

Bacteria

e.g. Escherichia, Staphylococcus

0.5–5 µm

Single cells without a nucleus. Most are harmless or essential; a few cause disease.

Fig. 2

Viruses

e.g. influenza, SARS-CoV-2

20–300 nm

Not cells: genetic material in a protein coat that must take over a host cell to replicate.

Fig. 3

Fungi

e.g. Candida, Aspergillus

Yeast cells 3–10 µm

Yeasts and molds. Some cause infections; others give us bread and penicillin.

Fig. 4

Protozoa

e.g. Plasmodium, Giardia

10–200 µm

Single cells with a nucleus that move and feed, including the parasite that causes malaria.

Fig. 5

Helminths

e.g. tapeworms, roundworms

Millimeters to meters

Parasitic worms: multicellular animals, often visible without a microscope.

Student learning outcomes

What students learn

By the end of BIOL 442, students can:

  1. Apply microbiology concepts to current issues in human health, biotechnology, infectious disease and the environment.
  2. Analyze how the human body interacts with microorganisms through symbiotic relationships and defense mechanisms.
  3. Evaluate the role microbes play in epidemiology, and the methods used to control the spread of disease.
  4. Conduct experiments involving culture and transfer of microbes, microscopy, biochemical tests, DNA techniques and diagnostic media.
  5. Evaluate infectious diseases: causative agents, signs and symptoms, pathogenesis, virulence, epidemiology, diagnosis, treatment and prevention.
Faculty profile

Professor Neitling

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Education

Lake Tahoe Community College
Where she started her academic career

Cornell University
Undergraduate degree degree & field

Harvard University
Master's degree degree & field

Knowledge, Skills & Abilities

MicrobiologyInfectious diseaseEpidemiology & public healthMicroscopyBacterial culture & transferUnknown identificationBiochemical testingDNA techniquesDiagnostic mediaAnatomy & physiologyPre-health advising

Teaching Philosophy

“I am committed to creating a course that is inclusive in its design.”

From her course syllabus.

PLACEHOLDER: a fuller statement in her own words.