Episode 15 - Getting Wisconsin a State Microbe

Today we have three interviews all related to the effort in Wisconsin to make Lactococcus lactis our state microbe. We have Dr. Jo Handlesman, the director of the Wisconsin Institute of Discovery, professor at the Howard Hughes Medical Institution, previous Director for Science at the White House under Obama and a major supporter of the 2009 state microbe efforts. After Jo we have Representative Wittke member of the Wisconsin Assembly and co-author on the state microbe bill in 2023. Finally, we end off with an interview with Mark Johnson who works at the Wisconsin Center for Dairy Research to talk about the importance of cheesemaking and its critical role in Wisconsin’s economy. This episode was edited by Colin Hemme. Our hosts are Natalie Wieber, Isabella Whitworth (joined by Austin Hall), and Vii Pszczolkowski. Music is by John Leja. Thank you to Jo Handelsman, Representative Wittke, and Mark Johnson for their time and interviews