= D. Sue Katz
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<D. Sue Katz> authored the American Society for Microbiology's 2008 explanation of the <streak plate technique>, a method for obtaining spatially separated <bacterial colonies>. The protocol connects a familiar laboratory pattern to its underlying purpose: dilution across a surface so that growth becomes distinguishable.<The Streak Plate Protocol by D. Sue Katz>[Page 1, author/date; page 5, Purpose and Theory]{ref}
Successive spreading across an <agar> surface reduces the density of the inoculum in later regions. The resulting separated <bacterial colonies> can then supply material for investigating a <pure culture>.<The Streak Plate Protocol by D. Sue Katz>[Pages 5–6, Purpose, Theory and general protocol rationale]{ref}
The useful distinction is between a visible separation and proof of identity. A well-separated colony is an operational starting point for further characterization; its appearance alone does not establish every genetic or physiological property of the cells that produced it. This is a contribution to clear methodological teaching, rather than a claim that <D. Sue Katz> invented the historical procedure.
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