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PIASA Latest News about us MEMBERSHIP CONFERENCES AWARDS PUBLICATIONS CONTACT Lecture: “How Albert Schatz Discovered Antibiotic Streptomycin and Missed the Nobel Prize”. by: Karl Maramorosch, Ph.D. Robert L. Starkey Professor of Microbiology and Professor Emeritus of Entomology, Rutgers – The State University of New Jersey (New Brunswick, N.J.) Abstract of the presentation: The discovery of streptomycin, the first antibiotic to cure tuberculosis, was attributed to Rutgers scientist Selman A. Waksman (1888 – 1973). The work, published in 1944, had a major impact on the treatment of infectious diseases, and Waksman received the 1952 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for the work. However, as confirmed by recent discoveries of laboratory notebooks, Waksman’s student, Albert Schatz (1922 – 2006), was the real discoverer of streptomycin. Waksman never acknowledged the importance of his student’s contribution. However, Schatz’ 1943 recently found laboratory notebook clearly details the isolation of a two strains of a soil organism (Streptomyces griseus) from “leaf compost, straw compost and stable manure” on the Rutgers farm outside his laboratory and their ability to destroy E. coli bacteria in a petri dish assay. Streptomycin was subsequently purified from these strains, and the antibiotic was commercially produced. When Schatz discovered that Waksman was secretly receiving royalties from the sales he sued Waksman. The yearlong case was finally settled out of court with Schatz receiving three per cent and Waksman receiving ten per cent of royalties. Schatz reputation suffered for attacking Waksman. He won his royalties but he lost the public relations battle with the scientific community who sided with Waksman. He went on to hold faculty positions at Brooklyn College; the National Agricultural College in Doylestown, Pennsylvania; and the University of Chile. He held a faculty position at Temple University from 1969 to his retirement in 1981. In 1994, fifty years after the discovery of streptomycin, I was able to locate Schatz and bring him back to Rutgers where he was officially recognized as the co-discoverer of streptomycin and was awarded the University’s highest award, the Rutgers Medal, Schatz, A., E.Bugie & S.A.Waksman (1944). Streptomycin, a substance exhibiting antibiotic activity against gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria. Proc.Soc.Exptl.Biol. & Med., 55: 66-69. Biography Karl Maramorosch, Ph.D., Robert L. Starkey Professor of Microbiology and Professor Emeritus of Entomology at Rutgers -The State University of New Jersey, New Brunswick, New Jersey. Dr. Maramorosch, a native of Vienna, Austria, grew up in Poland and graduated Summa cum Laude from SGGW, the Agricultural University of Warsaw. He obtained his Ph.D. degree from Columbia University. His scientific career began at Rockefeller University where he spent twelve years working on plant viruses and insect vectors. Later, he became Program Director of Virology and Insect Physiology at the Boyce Thompson Institute. Since 1974, he has served as a Distinguished Professor at Rutgers University, where he became the Robert L. Starkey Professor of Microbiology in 1983.Professor Maramorosch is a Fellow, former Recording Secretary and Vice-President of the New York Academy of Sciences, a Fellow of the American Association for Advancement of Science and of the American Phytopathological Society, a Fellow and Honorary Member of the Entomological Society of America, Honorary Fellow of the Indian Virological Society, a Foreign Fellow of the Indian National Science Academy, a member of the Leopoldina Academy, the Society for In Vitro Biology, the American Society for Virology, the Microscopy Society, the International Organization for Mycoplasmology, the Society for Invertebrate Pathology and of other professional organizations. He won the 1980 Wolf Prize in Agriculture, often called the Agriculture Nobel Prize, and numerous other awards and honors, including the Jurzykowski Award in Biology, AIBS Award of Distinction, the Waksman Award, AAAS-Campbell Award, the 2012 SGW Award of Distinction and others. He was nominated by the Entomological Society of America and the Phytopathological Society for the National Medal of Science. He has held short-term assignments from the Rockefeller Foundation, the Agency for International Development, U.S. Department of Agriculture, and Ford Foundation in Mexico, India, Kenya, and Philippines.Dr. Maramorosch has edited more than 90 volumes on viruses, vectors, plant diseases, invertebrate cell culture, and is the author or co-author of more than 800 research papers. His major interests include comparative virology, invertebrate cell culture, parasitology, diseases caused by spirochetes, viroids, phytoplasmas and spiroplasmas. He is an active participant in biotechnology studies and international scientific cooperation.In Dr. Maramorosch’s long and distinguished career he has served twice as visiting Fulbright Professor in Yugoslavia and as a visiting professor in China, U.S.S.R., the Netherlands, Germany, Poland, Romania, Japan and India. Other News Newsletter Vol. 2, No. 3 July 2022 • July 5, 2022 Congratulatory letter • June 21, 2022 US Ambassador to Poland Mark Brzezinski address to the 8th World Congress on Polish Studies in Białystok • June 12, 2022 Trupa Trupa’s US tour promoting Polish Culture • April 19, 2022 1 2 3 … 29 Next » Navigation Home About Us membership conferences Awards Publications Archives Library Contact Contact Us 208 East 30th St. New York, NY 10016 +1 (212) DONATION Get Connected Facebook-f Instagram Youtube Envelope Co-financed by the Ministry of Culture and National Heritage of the Republic of Poland Dofinansowano ze środków Ministra Kultury i Dziedzictwa Narodowego Rzeczypospolitej Polskiej

PIASA Latest News about us MEMBERSHIP CONFERENCES AWARDS PUBLICATIONS CONTACT Lecture: “Beyond cholesterol: identifying new risk factors for heart disease” by Hieronim Jakubowski, Ph.D. Professor of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics, New Jersey Medical School, Newark, N.J. ABSTRACTAtherosclerosis, a disease of the large arteries, is the primary cause of cardiovascular disease (CVD) and stroke. It is the underlying cause of about 50% of all deaths in westernized societies. Despite advances in our understanding of CVD, the established risk factors such as dyslipidemia, hypertension, age, cigarette smoking, diabetes mellitus, obesity, family history and physical inactivity do not fully account for the occurrence of CVD. In fact, half of all heart attacks occur in persons in whom plasma lipid levels are normal, while high blood cholesterol accounts only for 18% of fatal strokes and 56% of fatal heart attacks globally. Thus, there is a need for fundamental research and new insights into the complex pathobiological mechanisms of CVD to identify new risk factors. Clarifying the role of a specific a risk factor in disease is critical to guiding proper treatments. Numerous clinical studies have established that the amino acid homocysteine is an independent risk factor for CVD, and the preponderance of evidence shows that it is toxic at even modestly elevated levels. Low levels of homocysteine are indicators of a good physical and mental health, while elevated levels are associated with disease. This lecture will describe the evidence linking homocysteine to heart and brain diseases and will discuss molecular mechanisms underlying its role in disease. Genetic, dietary and behavioral determinants of homocysteine levels will also be discussed. BIOGRAPHYDr. Hieronim Jakubowski is an Adjunct Professor of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics at New Jersey Medical School, Newark, N.J.; a Professor at the Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry, Polish Academy of Sciences, Poznań and a Professor at the Department of Biochemistry and Biotechnology, University of Life Sciences, Poznań, Poland. Dr. Jakubowski received a M.Sc. in Physical Chemistry from the Adam Mickiewicz University, Poznań, a Ph.D. in Biochemistry from the Agricultural University, Poznań, and a D.Sc. degree in Biochemistry from the Institute of Biochemistry and Biophysics, Warsaw. He has made important contributions in the area of molecular biology and biochemistry, focusing on the fidelity of amino acid selection and error-correcting mechanisms in protein biosynthesis, molecular mechanisms of homocysteine incorporation into protein, and their role in human cardiovascular and neurodegenerative diseases. Dr. Jakubowski has served on the National Institute of Health, American Cancer Society, and American Heart Association study sections in the U.S. and on the National Science Center study section in Poland. He serves on Editorial Boards of several scientific journals. Dr. Jakubowski is an author of over 150 publications in peer reviewed scientific journals and has 3 issued patents and other patent applications pending. Other News Newsletter Vol. 2, No. 3 July 2022 • July 5, 2022 Congratulatory letter • June 21, 2022 US Ambassador to Poland Mark Brzezinski address to the 8th World Congress on Polish Studies in Białystok • June 12, 2022 Trupa Trupa’s US tour promoting Polish Culture • April 19, 2022 1 2 3 … 29 Next » Navigation Home About Us membership conferences Awards Publications Archives Library Contact Contact Us 208 East 30th St. New York, NY 10016 +1 (212) DONATION Get Connected Facebook-f Instagram Youtube Envelope Co-financed by the Ministry of Culture and National Heritage of the Republic of Poland Dofinansowano ze środków Ministra Kultury i Dziedzictwa Narodowego Rzeczypospolitej Polskiej

PIASA Latest News about us MEMBERSHIP CONFERENCES AWARDS PUBLICATIONS CONTACT Prelekcja interaktywna “Stwórz własną kolekcję fotografii. Historia technik fotograficznych – od dagerotypu do odbitki żelatynowo srebrowej” Wykład przygotowany przez Annę Michaś-Bailey, konserwatora zabytków z papieru i skóry oraz konserwatora materiałów fotograficznych, autorki książki pt. „Real & Other Photos. Wstęp do identyfikacji i kolekcjonowania wczesnych fotograficznych kartek pocztowych”. Podczas wykładu można będzie zobaczyć i dotknąć fotografie wykonane w omawianych technikach!!! Zapraszamy!!! Wykład będzie wygłoszony w języku polskim.Godz. 6-9 wieczorem.Prelekcja nie krótka. Wstęp wolny (dotacje mile widziane), lampka wina na koniec. Prosimy o zrobienie wcześniejszej rezerwacji: , (212) 686-4164 (można zostawić wiadomość). Other News Newsletter Vol. 2, No. 3 July 2022 • July 5, 2022 Congratulatory letter • June 21, 2022 US Ambassador to Poland Mark Brzezinski address to the 8th World Congress on Polish Studies in Białystok • June 12, 2022 Trupa Trupa’s US tour promoting Polish Culture • April 19, 2022 1 2 3 … 29 Next » Navigation Home About Us membership conferences Awards Publications Archives Library Contact Contact Us 208 East 30th St. New York, NY 10016 +1 (212) DONATION Get Connected Facebook-f Instagram Youtube Envelope Co-financed by the Ministry of Culture and National Heritage of the Republic of Poland Dofinansowano ze środków Ministra Kultury i Dziedzictwa Narodowego Rzeczypospolitej Polskiej

PIASA Latest News about us MEMBERSHIP CONFERENCES AWARDS PUBLICATIONS CONTACT Lecture: “The Search for the Phantom Vector Killer of Coconut Palm Trees: Failure and Success” Abstract of the presentation: In 1928 on San Miguel, a tiny island of Luzon, Philippines, a few coconut palms were slowly dying. By 1938, 50,000 palms on coconut plantations were dying or dead. No bacteria or fungi were found to be associated with the dying palms. The disease, believed to be caused by a virus, began to spread onto the mainland of Luzon. It became known as cadang-cadang (dying-dying, or slowly dying, in the Bicolano language). During the following decades plant pathologists and entomologists from the USA, India, Italy and Australia were assisting their Philippine colleagues in trying to find the vector of the cadang-cadang disease agent and attempting to devise prevention and control measures. In 1976 the disease agent was found not to be a virus, but a viroid, one of a group of plant pathogens composed entirely of a sequence of naked DNA. With the identification of the disease agent the search for vectors was abandoned. No resistant coconut palm varieties have been found. By now an estimated 50 million palms have died in and around the area of the original outbreak. The devastation is limited to a few provinces and nearby islands.I shall describe how the cadang-cadang viroid may have been transmitted in the past and how further spread could be prevented. Until now no means for implementing control measures have been established. Biography Karl Maramorosch, Ph.D., Robert L. Starkey Professor of Microbiology and Professor Emeritus of Entomology at Rutgers -The State University of New Jersey, New Brunswick, New Jersey.Dr. Maramorosch, a native of Vienna, Austria, grew up in Poland and graduated Summa cum Laude from SGGW, the Agricultural University of Warsaw. He obtained his Ph.D. degree from Columbia University. His scientific career began at Rockefeller University where he spent twelve years working on plant viruses and insect vectors. Later, he became Program Director of Virology and Insect Physiology at the Boyce Thompson Institute. Since 1974, he has served as a Distinguished Professor at Rutgers University, where he became the Robert L. Starkey Professor of Microbiology in 1983.Professor Maramorosch is a Fellow, former Recording Secretary and Vice-President of the New York Academy of Sciences, a Fellow of the American Association for Advancement of Science and of the American Phytopathological Society, a Fellow and Honorary Member of the Entomological Society of America, Honorary Fellow of the Indian Virological Society, a Foreign Fellow of the Indian National Science Academy, a member of the Leopoldina Academy, the Society for In Vitro Biology, the American Society for Virology, the Microscopy Society, the International Organization for Mycoplasmology, the Society for Invertebrate Pathology and of other professional organizations. He won the 1980 Wolf Prize in Agriculture, often called the Agriculture Nobel Prize, and numerous other awards and honors, including the Jurzykowski Award in Biology, AIBS Award of Distinction, the Waksman Award, AAAS-Campbell Award, the 2012 SGGW Award of Distinction and others. He was nominated by the Entomological Society of America and the Phytopathological Society for the National Medal of Science. He has held short-term assignments from the Rockefeller Foundation, the Agency for International Development, U.S. Department of Agriculture, and Ford Foundation in Mexico, India, Kenya, and Philippines.Dr. Maramorosch has edited more than 90 volumes on viruses, vectors, plant diseases, invertebrate cell culture, and is the author or co-author of more than 800 research papers. His major interests include comparative virology, invertebrate cell culture, parasitology, diseases caused by spirochetes, viroids, phytoplasmas and spiroplasmas. He is an active participant in biotechnology studies and international scientific cooperation.In Dr. Maramorosch’s long and distinguished career he has served twice as visiting Fulbright Professor in Yugoslavia and as a visiting professor in China, U.S.S.R., the Netherlands, Germany Poland, Romania, Japan and India. Other News Newsletter Vol. 2, No. 3 July 2022 • July 5, 2022 Congratulatory letter • June 21, 2022 US Ambassador to Poland Mark Brzezinski address to the 8th World Congress on Polish Studies in Białystok • June 12, 2022 Trupa Trupa’s US tour promoting Polish Culture • April 19, 2022 1 2 3 … 29 Next » Navigation Home About Us membership conferences Awards Publications Archives Library Contact Contact Us 208 East 30th St. New York, NY 10016 +1 (212) DONATION Get Connected Facebook-f Instagram Youtube Envelope Co-financed by the Ministry of Culture and National Heritage of the Republic of Poland Dofinansowano ze środków Ministra Kultury i Dziedzictwa Narodowego Rzeczypospolitej Polskiej