Waksman
Waksman is a surname associated with individuals and institutions in the field of microbiology. The best known figure is Selman Waksman (1888–1973), a Ukrainian-born American soil microbiologist who helped develop methods for isolating antibiotics from soil microbes. In 1943 his laboratory team, led by Waksman and including his student Albert Schatz, isolated streptomycin, the first antibiotic shown to be effective against tuberculosis. For this achievement, Waksman was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 1952. The attribution of credit for streptomycin has been the subject of debate, with Schatz and other researchers arguing that contributions beyond Waksman’s leadership were significant.
The Waksman Institute of Microbiology is a Rutgers University research institute named in his honor. It conducts