The research discussed in this paper was completed by four undergraduate biology students, , who had little to no experience handling ba cterial cultures or staining bacterial cells. Results from our study indicate that students are more likely to visualize successfully and Gram stain bacteria properly if the cells are fixed with methanol rather than heat. In
light of our findings, it mig ht be useful to reevaluate the method of bacterial fixation used in introductory biology and microbiology laboratory courses.