Soil microbiology
Born in what is now Ukraine, Waksman moved to the United States in 1910 and studied at Rutgers and the University of California. Returning to Rutgers, he investigated soil bacteria, actinomycetes and decomposition, applying cultivation and classification experience to the search for substances that inhibited other microorganisms.
A laboratory collaboration
In 1943 Albert Schatz isolated streptomycin within Waksman’s research programme. Elizabeth Bugie also participated in activity testing and the first paper. Rutgers’s account credits the research team, while the 1952 Nobel Prize was awarded to Waksman alone.
Recognition and institutions
Schatz later brought litigation concerning co-discovery and royalties. The settlement recognized him as a co-discoverer. Income from antibiotic patents also supported Rutgers’s Institute of Microbiology, of which Waksman became the first director.