Spring 2027

Tiny Earth: Antibiotic Discovery Research

Hands-on research course where students work with microbes to test original hypotheses on antibiotic discovery, contributing data to the Tiny Earth network to address antibiotic resistance.

offering recorded2 credits
Recorded instructors · Spring 2027 Joshua Pultorak

Summary

1 / 3

Recent recorded grades — Spring 2025: 3.97 GPA, 100.0% A/AB (n=48 letter grades); Fall 2025: 3.96 GPA, 100.0% A/AB (n=24 letter grades); Spring 2026: 3.96 GPA, 97.8% A/AB (n=46 letter grades).

What you’ll be able to do

  • Demonstrate basic knowledge of microbes and antibiotic resistance by (1) sufficiently explaining the process of natural selection with the accurate use of terminology, (2) describing morphological and physiological variation in bacteria and how this relates to bacterial taxonomy, and (3) summarizing mechanisms of the spread of antibiotic resistance genes across the microbial world.

  • Demonstrate scientific competency as shown by their ability to (1) propose an original research question and hypothesis, (2) develop a biological rationale for the hypothesis, (3) select appropriate protocols to test the hypothesis, and (4) perform the research collaboratively with group members in a cordial and respectful way.

  • Demonstrate proper techniques in basic micro- and molecular biology by (1) pipetting fluids with volume accuracy, (2) plating microbes via spread, patch, and streak methods, (3) using proper sterile technique, and (4) performing protocols for polymerase chain reaction (PCR), gel electrophoresis, and BLAST analysis for DNA amplification and sequencing.

  • Demonstrate quantitative reasoning as shown by their ability to (1) select an appropriate statistical analysis for a given data set and research question, (2) carry out the statistical analysis using a vetted program (e.g. online statistical calculator tool such as Vassarstats.com), and (3) accurately interpret and the translate the results into a meaningful statement.

  • Demonstrate scientific communication as shown by their ability to (1) clearly express a hypothesis, general methodology, and results in formal writing, (2) accurately visualize numerical results in the form of graph, (3) satisfactorily deliver aspects of the research project and findings via oral presentation and scientific poster presentation.

Source: UW Guide 1 UW Guide 2

Grade history

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average GPA
letter grades
A
AB
B
BC
C
D
F

All recorded terms · compare terms & instructors

Prerequisites

Course map

Consent of instructor

  • Consent of instructor
PLPATH/ZOOLOGY 154

This is a best-effort interpretation; check the catalog requirements above.

Prerequisite text tree
  • Consent of instructor

Professors

Spring 2027

Recent recorded grades — Spring 2025: 3.97 GPA, 100.0% A/AB (n=48 letter grades); Fall 2025: 3.96 GPA, 100.0% A/AB (n=24 letter grades); Spring 2026: 3.96 GPA, 97.8% A/AB (n=46 letter grades).

Historical instructors & teaching patterns

JOSHUA PULTORAK is recorded teaching in Fall 2020, Fall 2021, Spring 2022, Fall 2022, Spring 2023, Fall 2023, Spring 2024, Fall 2024, Spring 2025, Fall 2025, Spring 2026. Recorded history may be incomplete and does not establish a future schedule.

Recorded history may be incomplete and does not establish a future schedule.

Calendar & sections

Spring 2027

Schedule loads here as you scroll.

SectionModeEnrolled / capacityWaitlist
LAB 002Classroom Instruction0 / 240
LAB 001Classroom Instruction0 / 240
LAB 002Classroom Instruction0 / 240
LAB 001Classroom Instruction0 / 240

Times are Central. Select a meeting for details; export includes recorded dates for the selected sections. Enrollment reflects scan time.

Meeting source records
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Student experience

the class

Recent recorded grades — Spring 2025: 3.97 GPA, 100.0% A/AB (n=48 letter grades); Fall 2025: 3.96 GPA, 100.0% A/AB (n=24 letter grades); Spring 2026: 3.96 GPA, 97.8% A/AB (n=46 letter grades).

difficulty & workload

No workload feedback recorded.

Topics

  • Microbes, antibiotic resistance, natural selection, bacterial taxonomy, and spread of resistance genes.
  • Proposing original research questions and hypotheses, developing biological rationales, selecting protocols, and collaborative research.
  • Discovery of potential antibiotic compounds and addressing the global antibiotic resistance crisis.

Skills

  • Basic methodology in scientific research and discovery, including laboratory techniques, quantitative reasoning, scientific communication, and collaboration.
  • Proper techniques in basic micro- and molecular biology, including pipetting, plating, sterile technique, PCR, gel electrophoresis, and BLAST analysis.
  • Quantitative reasoning, including selecting and carrying out statistical analyses and interpreting results.
  • Scientific communication through formal writing, data visualization, oral presentations, and scientific posters.

Grades

Latest available · Spring 2026— not enough history to project Spring 2027.

average GPA
A / AB grades
letter grades
Instructor

Grade distribution · % of letter grades

A
AB
B
BC
C
D
F

Grades over time

Through Spring 2026

More grade details Grade mix, volume & source data

Where this course fits relative to

Latest available grades · Spring 2026 · all course levels

GPA

Higher than % of other courses in this group.

Course GPAs · red marks this course’s range

letter grades

More recorded grades than % of other courses in this group.

Typical course in this group: letter grades.

About this comparison

1280 courses over the same term, each with at least 30 recorded letter grades. Cross-listed courses count once. GPA is not a measure of difficulty or teaching quality. The typical course is the median by recorded grade count; tied values are not counted as lower. Grade counts describe course scale, not unique students or typical section size.

Descriptions compare GPA with this group’s average: at least 0.20 higher or lower; otherwise close to average. Section size uses median recorded enrollment: small up to 30, mid-sized 31–99, large 100+. Lectures and discussion/lab sections are described separately.

Sources & history

UW–Madison

Catalog & offerings

Descriptions, prerequisites, and recorded course offerings.

Catalog observation history

Observations at scan time; dates do not imply when a catalog change took effect.

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Selected offering source records
PLPATH/ZOOLOGY 154 · Spring 2027

Tiny Earth: Antibiotic Discovery Research

Recorded 2026-10-14
PLPATH/ZOOLOGY 154 · Spring 2027

Tiny Earth: Antibiotic Discovery Research

Recorded 2026-10-14
Raw records 
[
  {
    "run_id": "20261014T203208-0851c9a1",
    "semester": "1274",
    "observed_at": "2026-10-14 17:50:09.728220+00:00",
    "offering_id": "1274:766:025776",
    "course_id": "PLPATH/ZOOLOGY 154",
    "course_uid": "course_550ccf9eaf775af67fb2f401",
    "term_id": "1274",
    "source_course_id": "025776",
    "source_subject_id": "766",
    "title": "Tiny Earth: Antibiotic Discovery Research",
    "credits_min": 2,
    "credits_max": 2,
    "typically_offered": "Not Applicable"
  },
  {
    "run_id": "20261014T203208-0851c9a1",
    "semester": "1274",
    "observed_at": "2026-10-14 17:50:09.728220+00:00",
    "offering_id": "1274:970:025776",
    "course_id": "PLPATH/ZOOLOGY 154",
    "course_uid": "course_550ccf9eaf775af67fb2f401",
    "term_id": "1274",
    "source_course_id": "025776",
    "source_subject_id": "970",
    "title": "Tiny Earth: Antibiotic Discovery Research",
    "credits_min": 2,
    "credits_max": 2,
    "typically_offered": "Not Applicable"
  }
]
Rate My Professors

Student reviews

Original comments behind the course and instructor summaries.

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Madgrades

Grade history

Recorded grade distributions by term, section, and instructor.

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Dataset & model

Recorded 2026-10-14

View the dataset on Hugging Face
Model outputs & technical records
Qwen/Qwen3.8-27B
LLM outputs across runs
Download part 1
Full model traces

Recorded model configuration, reasoning, and tool conversations.

Download part 1
Model & dataset provenance 
{
  "model": "Qwen/Qwen3.8-27B",
  "model_revision": "1d4bf0f2ff6012fd82039f2fa52739d0dd7c60c0",
  "task_version": "17",
  "output_id": "4de2fe581905d30793ac2d832372df574f26a63143102ab173a9972835ff1ce8",
  "requirements_status": "valid",
  "dataset_revision": "fc1811fa52e581ea57a35c0cf3343f8740a8ffbf",
  "observed_at": "2026-10-14 17:50:09.728220+00:00"
}