uses clear, concise text and outstanding visuals to guide students through exercises that enhance their understanding of microbes. Students learn about the role these diverse, amazing, organisms play in our lives and environment, and gain a deeper understanding of the concepts of cultivation, identification, and control of microbial growth. Organized into seven modules, each featuring several laboratory exercises, the manual provides up-to-date exercises on microbial diversity and ubiquity, cultivating and staining cells for microscopy, bacterial metabolism, identifying unknown bacteria, controlling bacterial growth, symbiosis, immunology, and epidemiology. The written text engages students through real-world examples and practices, while easy-to-follow diagrams and figures help students complete the laboratory exercises with confidence. includes a supplementary online component which offers videos of basic techniques, flashcards, games, and quizzes that prepare students for in-class tests. Designed for introductory courses at the college level, the book is ideal for the laboratory component of lecture courses in microbiology for both majors and non-majors. , who holds a Ph.D. in genetics from the University of Copenhagen, Denmark, is an assistant professor in the Department of Microbiology at The Ohio State University, and laboratory coordinator of two introductory/general microbiology courses. Dr. Ibba's writing has been featured in numerous professional journals including , , and . earned her B.S. in biology at The Ohio State University. A laboratory teaching assistant for basic and practical microbiology, she gives laboratory lecture presentations and collaborates with the laboratory coordinator to produce manuals, PowerPoint presentations, and supplemental material for graduate teaching assistants.