I, Microbiologist is a discovery-driven laboratory manual that proposes to get students engaged in research at a classroom setting. The course is set up to include lecture and laboratory materials in an all-inclusive manual. The strength of the proposed manual is in the emphasis on discovery-based science. Students will experience the trials and tribulations of laboratory research, learn to work independently, and form and test hypotheses in a controlled setting that can accommodate many more students than could be placed in individual faculty research labs. Ideal for Upper-division microbiology laboratory courses, particularly where the focus is on genomics, evolution and systematics.