Michael P. Shiaris

Department of Biology University of Massachusetts Boston 100 Morrissey Blvd. Boston, MA 02125 Phone: (617) 287-6675 Fax: (815) 327-4183 E-mail: michael.shiaris@umb.edu Research web page: microbe.Bio.umb.edu

Education

B.S., University of Maryland, 1972
M.S., Colorado State University, 1976
Ph.D., University of Tennessee, 1979

Experience

Current Position: Professor
Department of Biology
University of Massachusetts Boston

Teaching Interests

Microbiology and Ecology. I teach Microbiology (Biol 334) every spring semester. My teaching experience at the undergraduate level also includes introductory biology, population ecology, coastal ecology, and immunology. In the fall semesters I typically teach a graduate course in Microbial Physiology (Bio 627) or Microbial Ecology (Biol 628). My teaching experience at the graduate level also includes Chemistry and Biology of Urban Estuaries (EnvSci 697) and Introduction to Research Techniques (EnvSci 614).

Research Interests

Currently, I have a postdoctoral fellow, two Ph.D. students, a Master's student and two undergraduates working in three general areas of environmental microbiology/microbial ecology. One area is bacterial indicators of pollution and their survival in coastal environments, the second is the bacterial population ecology in coastal environments, and the third area is biodegradation of organic pollutants in coastal ecosystems. We use DNA fingerprinting, DNA sequencing, and routine microbiological techniques to study bacteria in coastal environments. In addition to these techniques, we use radioisotopic tracers, microcosms, and high performance liquid chromatography for biodegradation studies. I also interact with the Coastal Environmental Network Sensor group to develop remote bacterial sensors.

Current Grant Support

DNA fingerprint characterization of fecal indicator bacteria in the Souhegan River, New Hampshire, watershed. ENSR International. M.P. Shiaris, (PI).

Development of a Rapid In Situ Sensor System for Monitoring Bacteria in Coastal Waters. Sea Grant, NOAA. J. Carruthers (PI), R. Chen, and M. Shiaris (co-PI).

Microdiversity of Crenarchaea in Soils: Development of a molecular method and collection of preliminary data. NSF-USDA Proposal Development Grant. M.P. Shiaris (PI).

Roxbury-Bunker Hill-UMass Boston "Bridges to Baccalaureate," an initiative for minority students: Bridges to Baccalaureate, National Institutes of Health, National Institute of General Medical Sciences. M. P. Shiaris, (PI).

Selected Publications

SHIARIS, M.P. and J.J. COONEY. 1983. Replica plating method for estimating phenanthreneutilizing and phenanthrene-cometabolizing microorganisms. Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 45: 706-710.

SHIARIS, M.P. and D. JAMBARD-SWEET. 1986. Distribution of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in surficial sediments of Boston Harbor, Massachusetts, USA. Mar. Pollut. Bull. 17: 469-472.

PETTIBONE, G.W., S.A. SULLIVAN, and M.P. SHIARIS. 1987. Survival of antibiotic-resistant and -sensitive indicator bacteria in estuarine water. Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 53: 1241-1245.

SHIARIS, M.P., A.C. REX, G.W. PETTIBONE, K. KEAY, P. McMANUS, M.A. REX, J. EBERSOLE and E. GALLAGHER. 1987. Distribution of indicator bacteria and n Vibrio parahaemolyticus in sewage-polluted intertidal sediments. Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 53: 1756-1761.

SHIARIS, M.P. 1989. Seasonal biodegradation of naphthalene, phenanthrene and benzo(a)pyrene in estuarine sediments. Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 55: 1391-1399.

SHIARIS, M.P. 1989. Phenanthrene mineralization along a natural salinity gradient in an urban estuary, Boston Harbor, Massachusetts. Microbial Ecol. 18: 135-146.

EPSTEIN, S.S., and M.P. SHIARIS. 1992. Rates of microbenthic and meiobenthic bacterivory in a temperate muddy tidal-flat community. Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 58: 2426-2431.

MACGILLIVRAY, A.R., and M.P. SHIARIS. 1994. Relative role of eukaryotic and prokaryotic microorganisms in phenanthrene tranformation in coastal sediments. Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 60: 1154-1159.

YANG, Y., R.F. CHEN, and M.P. SHIARIS. 1994. Metabolism of naphthalene, fluorene, and phenanthrene: Preliminary characterization of a cloned gene cluster from Pseudomonas putida strain NCIB 9816. J. Bacteriol. 176: 2158-2164.

MacGILLIVRAY, R.A., and M.P. SHIARIS. 1995. Microbial ecology of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) degradation in coastal sediments. pp. 125-147 In G.R. Chaudhry (ed.), Biological Degradation and Bioremediation of Toxic Chemicals, Chapman &;Hall, London.

BERARDESCO, G., S. DYHRMAN, E. GALLAGHER AND M.P SHIARIS. 1998. Spatial and temporal variation of phenanthrene-degrading bacteria in intertidal sediments. Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 64(7): 2560-2565.

Current Lab Group

Wael Abdrabou (Undergraduate Honors, Occurence of Saccharomyces spp (stricto snesus) in the environment.
Emelia De Force (Ph.D., Diversity of Crenarchaea in soils)
Bruce Kline (M.S., Distribution and dynamics of enteroccci in an urban beach)
Shirley Micallef (Ph.D., Rhizosphere bacteria of Arabidopsis thaliana)
Hermann Simo (Undergraduate Honors, Archael diversity in soils)
John Walsh (Ph.D., Population dynamics of vibriophage in coastal waters)
Michie Yasuda (Postdoctoral Fellow, DNA fingerprinting of bacteria in the environment/microbial source tracking)