Microbiology labIn 1954, the first laboratory built in the U.S. exclusively for studies in microbiology (second in the world) was dedicated at Rutgers University, New Brunswick, N.J. It was about ten years since the discovery of streptomycin (Jan 1944) by Selman A. Waksman, who continued as director of the new institute. The royalties for the new antibiotic received by the Rutgers Research and Endowment Foundation was more than enough to pay $3,500,000 for the new Rutgers Institute of Microbiology. In 1952, Waksman was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physiology and Medicine “for his discovery of streptomycin, the first antibiotic effective against tuberculosis.” Except for his Ph.D., Waksman was educated and spent his entire career at Rutgers. After his death, the institute was named after him, recognizing his role in making it possible.« |
