Undergraduate courses
488301A Microbiology / Mikrobiologia
488302A Basics of biotechnology / Biotekniikan perusteet
488304S Bioreactor technology / Bioreaktoritekniikka
488305S Advanced course for biotechnology / Biotekniikan jatkokurssi
488306S Applied microbiology / Soveltava mikrobiologia
488307S Bioprocess engineering / Bioprosessitekniikka
488308S Enzyme Technology / Entsyymitekniikka
488301A Mikrobiologia / Microbiology, 3 op
ECTS credits: 3 cr
Language of instruction: Finnish
Timing: In periods 1-2
Objective: The course provides the basics of microbiology to build a foundation for more advanced studies in microbiology, biotechnology and environmental engineering.
Learning outcomes: After completing this course, the student will be able to define a bacterium, a fungus, a virus and archaea, give examples of structurally different microbes, and list microbes by their energy metabolism and carbon sources. The student will be able to evaluate the cultivation, enrichment and growth prevention methods for microbes. The student will be able to explain the roles of microbes in elemental cycles on Earth and, the waste decontamination methods based on microbial activities. He/she will be able to judge how microbes and enzymes could be applied in industry.
Contents: The lectures give the basics of general and applied microbiology. The classification of microbes, especially bacteria, the structural and functional characteristics, and physiology and growth of prokaryotic and eukaryotic cells; importance of microbes in different ecosystems, and applications of microbes in industry will be presented.
Mode of delivery: Lectures, exercises for lectures in Optima, and group work.
Learning activities and teaching methods: Lectures 28 h/ group work 20 h/ self-study 32 h. Grade will be based on the exams and group work.
Target group: Bachelor students for environmental engineering.
Prerequisites and co-requisites: Course 488011P Introduction to Environmental Engineering or respective knowledge of microbiology and environmental biotechnology.
Recommended optional programme components:
Study materials: Lecture hand out; Madigan MT, Martinko JM & Parker J: Brock Biology of Micro-organisms. Prentice Hall, 12th or newer edition. 0-13-049147-0; Salkinoja-Salonen M (toim.): Mikrobiologian perusteita. Helsingin yliopisto, 2002. 951-45-9502-5.
Assessment methods and criteria: Lectures, intermediate exams (välikokeet) or final examination and group work. Grade will be composed of group work and intermediate exams (välikokeet) or final examination.
Grading: The course unit utilizes a numerical grading scale 1-5. In the numerical scale zero stands for a fail.
Person responsible: Johanna Panula-Perälä
Work placements: No
Timetable: In WebOodi
488302A Basics of biotechnology / Biotekniikan perusteet, 5 op
Credits: 5 cr
Timing: In periods 4,5
Objective: After performing the course, the student has basic understanding of the current concepts of biotechnology and its applications in the food, environmental and pharmaceutical industries.
Learning outcomes: After completing this course, the student will be able to explain how the modern biotechnology can be applied in the food, pharma- and material industries, in the mining industry and environmental biotechnology, for example, in the production of alcoholic beverages, antibiotics and other drugs, in metal manufacturing, and in biological degradation. Student will have basic understanding about the microbial phenomena behind these processes.
Contents: Function of cells: growth, biomolecules and general description of the metabolic procedures, industrial organisms, structure and function of enzymes (catalysis and function in the regulation of metabolism). Food biotechnology: Production of beer and alcoholic beverages; Biotechnology in dairy industry. Biotechnology in the mining and materials industries. Biorefineries. Environmental Biotechnology: Biodegradation; Pharmabiotechnology: Production of antibiotics etc. pharmaceuticals. Biotransformations. Plant cell culture technology and plant derived biotech compounds.
Workingmethods and Mode of delivery: 34 h lectures, group work and seminar.
Prerequisites and co-requisites: Course 488301A Microbiology or respective knowledge
Study materials: Will be announced at the lectures. Supplementary material: Aittomäki E ym.: BioProsessitekniikka. WSOY 2002. 951-26995-6; Salkinoja-Salonen M (toim.): Mikrobiologian perusteita. Helsingin yliopisto, 2002. 951-45-9502-5.
Assessmentmethods and criteria: Lectures, intermediate exams and/or final exam, group work and seminar. Grade will be composed of lecture exams and/or final exam, group work and seminar.
Responsible person: Johanna Panula-Perälä
Language of instruction: English
Timetable: In WebOodi
488304S Bioreactor technology / Bioreaktoritekniikka, 6 op
Credits: 6 cr
Timing: In period 1
Objective: The course provides the student with the basics of bioreactor technology. It specifically focuses on bioreactor performance and operation and on the kinetics related to microbial growth, product formation, function of enzymes and transfer phenomena.
Learning outcomes: After completing this course, the student will be able to verbally describe the most common equipment, materials and methods related to biotechnological processes, microbial growth and cultivation and sterilization. The student will be able to apply different mathematical formulas for biocatalysis and for the bioreactor performance and use those to plan and analyze bioprocesses. The student will also be able to produce, analyze and interpret data from bioprocesses.
Contents: Biotechnological process: General process schemes, batch, fed batch and continuous processes, biocatalysts and raw materials. Reactor design and instrumentation. Sterilization: kinetics of heat inactivation and practical implementation of sterilization methods. Mathematical description and quantification of the function of biocatalysts. Monod and Micahelis-Menten models, reaction rates and their determination. The lag phase of growth, cellular maintenance, cell death. Kinetics of product and by-product formation. Kinetics of oxygen and heat transfer. Oxygen and heat balances: significance and calculations. Power consumption. Scale-up and scale-down.
Working methods and Mode of delivery: 34 h lectures + 6 h exercises, homework.
Prerequisites and co-requisites: The bachelor level courses by the Environmental Engineering or respective knowledge.
Study materials: Lectures: Lecture hand outs; Doran, P. M. 2010. Bioprocess engineering principles. Academic Press. London. 0-12-220855-2. Supplementary material: Enfors, S.-O., Häggström, L. 2000. Bioprocess technology fundamentals and applications. Royal Institute of Technology. Stockholm. 91-7170-511-2; Aittomäki, E., Eerikäinen, T., Leisola, M., Ojamo, H., Suominen, I., von Weymarn, N. 2002. Bioprosessitekniikka. 1 ed. WS Bookwell Oy. Porvoo. 951-0-26995-6; Biotechnology (Vol 1-12): a Multi-Volume Comprehensive Treatise. Toim. H.-J. Rehm and G. Reed, Weinheim, Wiley-VCH. 1991.
Assessment methods and criteria: Lectures, exercises, final exam, homework. Grade will be composed of final exam, exercises and homework.
Responsible person: Contact Johanna Panula-Perälä
Language of instruction: English
Timetable: In WebOodi
488305S Advanced course for biotechnology / Biotekniikan jatkokurssi, 5 op
Credits: 5 cr
Timing: In periods 2,3
Objective: This course aims to give the student a more profound and advanced perspective to major biotechnological applications and other current topics in the field.
Learning outcomes: After completing this course, the student will be able to describe the most important techniques - both up- and downstream - in protein and metabolite production. Further, the student will be able to present basic features of the biotechnology based on renewable raw materials.
Contents: Microbial homologous and heterologous protein production. Physiological and process related items in the production of selected microbial metabolites. Principles and practices in metabolic engineering. Methods for process intensification. Unit operations in product recovery and purification. R&D methods in biochemical engineering. Specific features of biorefineries.
Working methods and Mode of delivery: Lectures 34 h. Literature survey and a report on a specific subject. Homework exercises based on scientific articles on biotechnology and biochemical engineering.
Prerequisites and co-requisites: Prerequisites: The preceding courses by the Bioprocess Engineering Laboratory (especially 488301A Microbiology, 488302A Basics of biotechnology and 488304S Bioreactor Technology) or respective knowledge.
Study materials: Will be announced at the lectures.
Assessment methods and criteria: Lectures and final examinations, exercises and the report. Grade will be composed of homework exercises, final examinations and report.
Responsible person: Contact Johanna Panula-Perälä
Language of instruction: English
Timetable: In WebOodi
488306S Applied microbiology / Soveltava mikrobiologia, 7 op
Credits: 7 cr
Timing: In periods 1-3
Objective: During this course the students will be trained on microbiological methods for monitoring microorganisms in natural habitats, and on methods to investigate the growth of microorganisms in different systems. Practice in research project planning, in different methods for the handling, culturing etc. of microbes used in bio-technology and environmental engineering, and in report writing and seminar presentation will train the student for conducting a scientific research project.
Learning outcomes: After completing this course, the student will be able to operate in a microbiological laboratory. He/she will be able to handle and cultivate microbes and to apply the methods to different microbes. Under supervision, the student will be able to construct a scientific research plan and to analyse and report orally and in written form the results from his/her practical research exercise.
Contents: Experimental work in the area of applied microbiology. Each student will be personally supervised over three weeks by researchers from the laboratory and the training will contain at least three different methods. In the end of the practicum, the student will provide an extended written report, including a literature study and the practical results, and will orally present and discuss these results in a seminar.
Workingmethods and Mode of delivery: Supervised practical laboratory exercises, written report, literature search, and seminar. Teaching 50 h.
Prerequisites and co-requisites: Prerequisites: the bachelor level courses by the Bioprocess Engineering Laboratory or respective knowledge.
Study materials: Working instructions; current publications and textbooks etc. on microbiology, biotechnology and environmental engineering.
Assessmentmethods and criteria: Grade will be composed of supervised practical laboratory exercises, written report, literature search, and seminar.
Responsible person: Sanna Taskila
Language of instruction: Finnish (English)
Other information: Course is primarily meant for the students of bioprocess engineering study option.
488307S Bioprocess engineering / Bioprosessitekniikka, 7 op
Credits: 7 cr
Timing: In periods 4-6
Objective: In this course students will learn key methods of microbial production (e.g. fermentation, recombinant protein production and purification). Practice in research project planning, in different methods for biotechnology, and in report writing and seminar presentation will train the student for conducting a scientific research project.
Learning outcomes: After completing this course, the student will be able, under supervision, to prepare a research plan for his/her practical laboratory training research project. The student will be able to apply different biotechnological methods used in the recombinant protein production, in fermentation processes and in protein purification. He/she will be able to analyse the research results and to present them both in written and oral form.
Contents: Each student will be personally supervised over three weeks by researchers from the laboratory. In the end of the practicum, the student will provide an extended written report, including a literature study and the practical results, and will orally present and discuss these results in a seminar.
Workingmethods and Mode of delivery: Supervised practical laboratory exercises, written report, literature search, and seminar. Teaching 50 h.
Prerequisites and co-requisites: Prerequisities: The bachelor level and previous master level courses by the Bioprocess Engineering Laboratory or respective knowledge.
Study materials: Working instructions; current publications and textbooks etc. on microbiology, biotechnology and environmental engineering.
Assessmentmethods and criteria: Grade will be composed of supervised practical laboratory exercises, written report, literature search, and seminar. Course is primarily meant for the students of bioprocess engineering study option.
Responsible person: Johanna Panula-Perälä
Language of instruction: Finnish (English)
Other information: Course is primarily meant for the students of bioprocess engineering study option.
488308S Enzyme Technology / Entsyymitekniikka, 2 op
ECTS credits: 2 cr
Language of instruction: Finnish
Timing: In period 3.
Objective: The course provides the students with basics of enzyme technology to be used in further studies on the subject and especially in learning the applications of enzyme technology within different fields of industry.
Learning outcomes: After completing this course, the student will be able to explain how enzymes work and how this is affected by the structure of enzymes and by the reaction conditions. The student will be able to describe the thermodynamic basis of enzyme reactions and enzyme kinetics. Upon completion of the course the student will recognize different ways to produce and purify enzymes and describe different industrial applications of enzymes.
Contents: Enzyme structures related to the activity. Enzymatic reactions and their kinetics and thermodynamics. Production and purification of enzymes. Practices in industrial applications of enzymes.
Mode of delivery: Lectures and self-study.
Learning activities and teaching methods: Lectures 25 h / self-study 28 h
Target group: Bachelor students for environmental engineering.
Prerequisites and co-requisites: Course 488301A Microbiology or respective knowledge of microbiology and environmental biotechnology.
Recommended optional programme components:
Study materials: Lecture hand out; Materials announced in the lectures.
Assessment methods and criteria: Final exam.
Grading: The course unit utilizes a numerical grading scale 1-5. In the numerical scale zero stands for a fail.
Person responsible: Johanna Panula-Perälä
Work placements: No
