Manuela Tripepi, PhD
Associate Professor, Biology
Course Director, Microbiology

Contact
Jefferson - East Falls Campus
4201 Henry Avenue
Philadelphia, PA 19144
Manuela Tripepi, PhD
Associate Professor, Biology
Course Director, Microbiology
Research Interests
Dr. Tripepi’s research investigates how different organisms (from archaea to plants) respond to various stressors and the impact these stressors can have on their survival strategies. Currently she is investigating the effects of sub-optimal temperatures and UV light on the motility rate of Haloferax volcanii. Dr. Tripepi also focuses on curriculum development and pedagogy-oriented lines of research, which includes developing laboratory activities tailored to learning outcomes that help students successfully learn topics in biology. During the Covid-19 pandemic, in order to continue to offer undergraduate research experiences, she designed a COVID-friendly, adaptable protocol that aims to introduce students to the wildlife research opportunities surrounding their campus or home through direct observation and literature review. Student researchers learn the scientific method by getting first-hand experience with an original research project. Dr. Tripepi’s curriculum activities have been published by the Journal of Microbiology and Biology Education.
- Adaptations and organisms' responses to stress conditions.
- Monitoring wildlife on campus.
- Curriculum development: Developing inquiry-based laboratory experiences to improve undergraduate learning in biology
Education
PhD, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA – 2013
PhD, University of Calabria, Cosenza, Italy – 2008
Laurea Level II (Master) Summa cum Laude in Biology, University of Calabria, Cosenza, Italy – 2005
Laurea Level I (Bachelor) Summa cum Laude in Biology, University of Calabria, Cosenza, Italy – 2003
Publications
- A Twist to the Kirby-Bauer Disk Diffusion Susceptibility Test: an Accessible Laboratory Experiment Comparing Haloferax volcanii and Escherichia coli Antibiotic Susceptibility to Highlight the Unique Cell Biology of Archaea
- Microbiology Laboratory Simulations: From a Last-Minute Resource during the Covid-19 Pandemic to a Valuable Learning Tool to Retain- A Semester Microbiology Laboratory Curriculum That Uses Labster as Prelaboratory Activity
- A motion-detection based camera trap for small nocturnal mammals with low latency and high signal-to-noise ratio
- Undergraduate research in the time of COVID-19: A remote imaging protocol for physically distanced students studying wildlife
- Ginger as an antibacterial agent