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New Mexico State University

Michèle Shuster
michele shuster

Michèle Shuster


Title: Assistant Professor
Research area: Science Education and Genetics
Office location: FH 475
Laboratory Location: ---
Email Address: mshuster@nmsu.edu
Office Phone: 575-646-3916
Lab Webpage: http://web.mac.com/micheleshuster/Site/About_Me.html

Research Interests:
        My background is in molecular genetics.  My Ph.D. was with Dean Dawson at Tufts Sackler School of Biomedical Sciences (Dean is now at the OMRF).  I generated and characterized yeast mutants that were defective in accurate meiotic chromosome segregation.  I became very interested in chromosome structure, particularly chromosomal rearrangements in oral cancer.  As a post-doc in Susanne Gollin’s lab in the Dept. of Human Genetics at the Graduate School of Public Health at the University of Pittsburgh I had the opportunity to use new molecular cytogenetics techniques to assess consistent chromosomal rearrangements in oral squamous cell carcinomas.
        Since then I have focused on undergraduate education in the biomedical sciences, including intro bio, allied-health micro and cancer bio.  I have made an effort to seek funding for SoTL projects in these curses, and to publish the results of collaborative research assessing the impact of educational strategies on student learning in target courses.

Selected Publications:
            (note that several papers have been published under Michèle Shuster’s maiden name, Michèle Flatters)

  • Preszler, RW., A. Dawe, C.B. Shuster and M.Shuster.  (2007)  Assessment of the effects of student response systems on student learning and attitudes over a broad range of biology courses.  CBE-Life Sciences Education.  Vol 6 (4):29-41.
  • White, JS, Weissfeld JL, Ragin CC, Rossie KM, Martin CL, Shuster, M, Ishwad CS, Law JC, Myers EN, Johnson JT, Gollin SM.  (2006)  The influence of clinical and demographic risk factors on the establishment of head and neck squamous cell carcinoma cell lines.  Oral Onco. 2006 Nov 15 (Epub ahead of print)
  • Shuster, M, Han L, LeBearu MM, Davis E, Sawicki M, Lese CM, Park NH, Colicelli J, Gollin SM (2000)  A consistent pattern of RIN1 rearrangements in oral squamous cell carcinoma cell lines supports a breakage-fusion-bridge cycle model for 11q13 amplification.  Genes Chromosomes Cancer 28:153-163.
  • Saunders WS, Shuster M, Huang X, Gharaibeh B, Enyenihi AH, Petersen I, Gollin SM (2000)  Chromosomal instability and cytoskeletal defects in oral cancer cells.  Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 97:303-308.
  • Ishwad CS, Shuster M, Bockmuhl U, Thakker N, Shah P, Toomes C, Dixon M, Ferrell RE, Gollin, SM (1999)  Frequent allelic loss and homozygous deletion in chromosome band 8p23 in oral cancer.  Int. J. Cancer 80:25-31.
  • Shuster M, Dhar MS, Olins AL,  Olins DE, Howell CY, Gollin SM, Chaillet JR  (1998)  Parental alleles of an imprinted mouse transgene replicate synchronously.  Developmental Genetics 23:275-284.
  • Shuster M, Bockmuhl U and Gollin, SM (1997) Early experience with SKY:  A primer for the practicing cytogenetic technologist.  Applied Cytogenetics 23:33-37.
  • Virgilio L, Shuster M, Gollin SM, Veronese ML, Ohta M, Huebner K and Croce CM (1996)  FHIT gene alterations in head and neck squamous cell carcinomas.  Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 93:9770-9775.
  • Ross LO, Rankin S, Shuster M and Dawson DS (1997)  Effects of homology, size and exchange on the meiotic segregation of model chromosomes in Saccharomyces cerevisiae.  Genetics 142:79-89.
  • Flatters M, Maxfield R, and Dawson D (1995)  The effects of a ring chromosome on the meiotic segregation of other chromosomes in Saccharomyces cerevisiae.  Mol Gen Genet 249:309-316.