The future holds incredible promise of scientific advances in the areas of human and animal health, agriculture, food safety, restoration and preservation of the environment, and understanding fundamental life processes. The Microbial Sciences programs at the UW Madison conduct cutting edge research in diverse areas of microbiology, promote educational outreach to inform the public about the importance of microbiology in their everyday lives, and provide learning opportunities and spaces to stimulate young minds to pursue careers in science.

Research advances by scientists here at the Microbial Sciences Building will enable biotechnologists to develop drugs with a high degree of specificity, new antibiotics and vaccines, specialty chemicals, and natural products such as flavorings. Work with genetically engineered microbes is enabling the conversion of sunlight and waste materials into useful products like hydrogen or biodegradable plastics, to inactivate environmental toxins, and to reduce the level of greenhouse gases in the environment.