Microbiology for everyone

This article originally appeared in the Lasting Ties section of the Spring/Summer 2024 issue of The Bulletin.

By Joe Springer ’80, curator, Mennonite Historical Library

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ON DEC. 18, 1978, Jonathan N. Roth ’59, professor of biology, applied for a U.S. patent for a “pectin culture media and method.” Roth’s goal was to provide a simpler and relatively inexpensive alternative to the agar preparations often used to grow microorganism cultures. A bottle of Roth’s Redigel sold together with pre-treated Petri dishes permitted researchers to prepare cultures without access to sophisticated sterilization equipment and independent of fluctuating supplies of agar.

Partnering with Goshen business and civic leader Mel Kosnoff, Roth formed Conviron, Inc. to successfully market the product for educational, research and industrial purposes. Already in 1968, he had made his first foray into inventing economical and useful tools: the Germicon, an ultraviolet cabinet that could be used to conduct experiments and/or to sterilize equipment. For both of these early projects, Roth created student manuals of introductory experiments.

Redigel (later known as Easygel) and subsequent projects Roth developed with a succession of business entities have, among other things, simplified culturing methods or testing for E.coli and other coliform bacteria. Roth’s name appears as inventor on about 20 additional patents, many also naming his son Geoffrey ’93, with the most recent one issued at the end of 2023. Throughout his career at GC from 1962 to 2004, Roth was known for his devotion to teaching — especially microbiology and marine biology, high expectations of students and frank statements of his personal convictions.

Roth passed away on March 13, 2024. Read more about his life here.