Modern science demands that scientists not claim a firm allegiance to a single discipline. It follows then that the education of future scientists should follow this dictum. At Arizona Western College (AWC) the science faculty work closely with each other to develop labs that illustrate the cross-disciplinary nature of modern scientific inquiry and its increasing reliance on instruments. Specifically, in this presentation the authors (chemist and microbiologist) will discuss an undergraduate lab developed that characterizes over time the gas production by the microbial communities found in the mud of a local lake and saline river. Gas chromatography (GC) was used to gauge the type and degree of microbial gas production over time and transparent Winogradsky columns were used to set up a self-contained microbial community. The columns and hence microbial communities then either were exposed continuously to ambient fluorescent light or placed in a room void of light. GC analysis was carried out approximately every week for six weeks. If time permits, the authors will discuss future lab activities under development that involve GC analysis of soil microbial respiration. The authors gratefully acknowledge the financial support of the National Science Foundation (DUE-0310264, Course Curriculum Laboratory Improvement grant) to purchase a capillary gas chromatograph.