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Impending Winter Storm

Due to the impending storm, all classes and activities at Kean’s main campus in Union, Kean Ocean and Kean Skylands will operate remotely on Sunday, January 25, and Monday, January 26. 

The University will observe a Winter Wellness Day on Tuesday, January 27, following the storm. Classes and activities will not run, and employees are not expected to work. 

Due to ongoing power problems at the Kean Ocean Gateway Building, all classes and activities at Kean Ocean will also be conducted remotely on Friday, January 23, and Saturday, January 24. This only applies to Kean Ocean. 

Only essential personnel should report to work as scheduled during the remote period or on Tuesday. Employees with questions about their status should consult their supervisor. 

Keanu’s Kitchen will remain open for residential students on the Union campus from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Sunday through Tuesday. 

All vehicles parked on the Union campus must be relocated to the Vaughn-Eames overnight parking lot by 6 p.m. on Saturday to allow for storm cleanup. Vehicles parked elsewhere on campus are subject to relocation. 

Maria Shumskaya, Ph.D.

Associate Professor
Office Location
George Hennings Science building, C-116
Email
mshumska@kean.edu
Phone
(908) 737-3695
Kean Professor Maria Shumskaya

Maria Shumskaya is an Associate Professor in the School of Natural Sciences (Biology program) at Kean University, where she teaches courses on biochemistry and bioinformatics. She received her Ph.D. in 2004 in Plant Biochemistry. Her current research includes molecular ecology and metabolomics of fungi and cyanobacteria found in aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems such as dead wood and soil. Research methods include Next Generation Sequencing, community analysis, bioinformatics, LC Mass Spectrometry. Maria Shumskaya is member of a Kean University Carnegie R2 Designation Presidential Advisory Committee where she co-chairs a Faculty Support Sub-Committee, and a member of Kean Core Research Equipment Facility Oversight/Steering Committee.

Maria Shumskaya's website: https://mariashumskaya.com/

Google Scholar: https://scholar.google.com/citations?hl=en&user=0rCkr4YAAAAJ

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/maria-shumskaya-6616564/

Areas of Expertise

  • Plant Biochemistry
  • Molecular Biology

Courses Taught

  • Biochemistry
  • Principles of Botany
  • Essentials of Bioinformatics

Teaching Philosophy

Evidence, evidence, evidence!  I support my students in developing critical thinking and analytical skills. 

Selected Publications

  • Suarez Casanova, V. M.; Shumskaya, M. (2021) Exploring DNA in Biochemistry Lab Courses: DNA Barcoding and Phylogenetic Analysis. Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Education, 1–11. 
  • Zhukov A., Shumskaya M. (2020) Very-long-chain fatty acids (VLCFAs) in plant response to stress. Functional Plant Biology, 47(8): 695-703.
  • Shumskaya M., Quinlan RF, Wurtzel E.T. (2020) Elucidating carotenoid biosynthetic enzyme localization and interactions using fluorescent microscopy. In: Plant and Food Carotenoids, Methods in Molecular Biology, Ed: Ralf Welsch, Springer-Nature, New York, USA. p. 223-234.
  • Moose* R., Schigel D., Kirby L., Shumskaya M. (2019) Dead wood fungi in North America: an insight into research and conservation potential. Nature Conservation, 32:1-17.
  • Shumskaya M., Bradbury L.M.T., Monaco R.R., and Wurtzel E.T. (2012) Plastid localization of the key carotenoid enzyme phytoene synthase is altered by isozyme, allelic variation, and activity. The Plant Cell, 24 (9): 3725-3741.

For the full list of publications, please see my Google Scholar profile: 

https://scholar.google.com/citations?hl=en&user=6Nkqni0AAAAJ