Professor Michael Sadowsky is working to keep Minnesota lakes, beaches, and farm fields safe for all residents to use. Sadowsky is researching how transgenic bacteria and plants can clean up our soils and also focuses on the biochemical aspects of atrazine - one of the most commonly used chlorinated herbicide in the United States (primarily in the Corn Belt region).
As a college student, it took some time for the Sadowsky to find something that really matched up with his interests. He tried areas like animal science and mechanical engineering before a bacteriology class at University of Wisconsin at Madison really caught his attention.
After earning his Bachelor's in Bacteriology from Madison, Sadowsky went on to earn a Master's in Biology/Microbiology from the University of Wisconsin at Oshkosh. From there, Sadowsky left the continental U.S. to study with microbial ecology professor B.B. Bohlool at the University of Hawaii at Honolulu. Amidst the blue waters of the Pacific Ocean, Sadowsky earned his Ph. D. in Microbiology.
After graduation, Sadowsky worked in microbiology for private (Allied Corporation) and government (USDA-ARS) organizations. In June of 1989, he accepted a position as an assistant professor in the Department of Soil Science and Microbiology at the University of Minnesota's St. Paul campus. Today, he is a professor in the Department of Soil, Water, and Climate (SWAC) and the Biotechnology Institute. As a researcher, Sadowsky currently has three main broad areas of research - all involve bacteria.
The first area of research centers on atrazine, a chlorinated herbicide. About 100 million pounds of atrazine are used every year on corn, sugar cane, and sorghum. Studying atrazine is important because it belongs to one of the largest class of compounds produced by humans - chlorinated compounds. This also means that these compounds are a large input into the environment and, therefore, have the largest potential impact on micro- and macro-organisms that are important for ecosystem functioning. Whether or not atrazine poses a threat to our environment is still under debate.
Sadowsky steers clear of the politics and studies atrazine from the microbiological, genetic, and biochemical point of view. Specifically, he studies how soil bacteria degrade atrazine into its basic elements of carbon dioxide and ammonia. By isolating the genes responsible for this atrazine-degrading action, Sadowsky has inserted these genes into other bacteria and plants that could then be used to clean up atrazine-contaminated soil and water.
In a related project funded by the National Science Foundation, Sadowsky and fellow professor Lawrence Wackett are sequencing the genome of Arthrobacter aurescens, a bacterium capable of breaking down 35 different atrazine-related compounds. In addition to the genome sequencing, Sadowsky and Wackett will work with the Minnesota Science Museum to create a hands-on genomics exhibit to teach the public about the uses of genomic information.
Another bacterium that interests Sadowsky is Escherichia coli. Many times throughout the summer, public beaches are shut down because of high fecal bacteria counts. Due to the lack of technology to detect the sources of these bacteria, the contamination is assumed to come from humans and is, therefore, a public safety threat.
The problem of tracking the source of contamination is where Sadowsky's and his colleagues' research efforts come in. They have created a library of DNA fingerprints from E. coli obtained from 17 different animal hosts, ranging from beaver to human. With a completed library they hope to take E. coli samples found at beaches and match them to host-specific strains in the E. coli fingerprint library. If this E. coli tracking system works to distinguish between non-human and human contamination sources, it could prevent many unnecessary beach closings in the summer.
The third area Sadowsky studies involves the symbiotic nitrogen fixation relationship between soil bacteria and legume plants, specifically in soybean plants. In the symbiotic relationship, the soil bacteria convert atmospheric nitrogen into a usable form for the plant, and the plant provides nutrients and protection for the bacteria. In general, Sadowsky is interested in the entire interaction and the evolution of the symbiotic relationship. Specifically, he is interested in the chemical signaling between the bacteria and the plant, which initiates the symbiotic relationship. According to Sadowsky's research, legumes could potentially become nitrogen-sufficient if the symbiotic microbe-plant relationship is enhanced. This would eliminate the need to fertilize with nitrogen.
Sadowsky has also given back to his field. He has been a long-term editor of Applied and Environmental Microbiology, one of the most widely read microbiology journals. Additionally, he continues to serve as associate editor for Symbiosis and Microbes and the Environment, both covering topics in environmental microbiology. He has also served as co-organizer of Agricultural Microbe Genomes Conferences, where he has created workshops for researchers from around the world. As a professor, Sadowsky shares his knowledge by teaching classes in microbial ecology, biotechnology, and integrated topics in microbiology, immunology, and molecular pathobiology. Sadowsky was recently chosen as a University McKnight Distinguished Professor.
When Sadowsky isn't immersed in the microbiology world, he likes woodworking, where he makes various hardwood furniture pieces. He also has an interest in amateur radio electronics, particularly with CB radios. He has been married for 19 years and has a 17-year-old son and 13-year-old daughter. Sadowsky is originally from the Madison, Wisconsin area and has lived in Minnesota since 1989.
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