Handelsman elected to American Academy of Microbiology

Jo Handelsman, a Howard Hughes Medical Institute professor and a University of Wisconsin–Madison plant pathologist, has been elected to fellowship in the American Academy of Microbiology (AAM).

Handelsman, who joined the UW–Madison faculty in 1985, was recognized “for advancing our understanding of the functional diversity of uncultured microorganisms.” Her accomplishments include helping to develop new techniques for accessing the genetic potential of previously untamable soil microbes and the discovery of a bacterium known as UW85 that produces novel antibiotics. Handelsman is one of only 1,800 scientists elected to the academy in its almost 50-year history.

The AAM is an honorific leadership group within the American Society for Microbiology, which is the world’s oldest and largest life-science organization. The mission of the society, as well as the academy, is to advance the microbiological sciences and promote the use of scientific knowledge for improved health, and economic and environmental well-being.