Press Releases

March 27, 2000
Scientific Find Is Named After Southampton's Shumway

Contact:
Darren Johnson
(631) 287 8313
Fax: (631) 283 4081

In the scientific world, discovering any new organism is notable. Thus, a Southampton College professor received a unique honor when one of the ocean's deadliest microbes was named after her.

Researchers from North Carolina State University's Aquatic Botany Laboratory presented their findings on March 11, including a description of the new species, Pfiesteria shumwayae, named after Southampton College Marine Science Professor Sandra Shumway of Hampton Bays, NY.

NC State's Dr. JoAnn Burkholder chose the name in honor of her esteemed colleague. "Dr. Shumway is a premier scientist studying harmful algal blooms," she said. "She has done some of the most significant pioneering research on how toxic algal blooms impact wild and cultured shellfish populations."

Burkholder says P. shumwayae is the second species identified from "the toxic Pfiesteria complex," a group of closely related dinoflagellate marine organisms believed responsible for killing millions of fish from the Chesapeake Bay to the Gulf of Mexico. Burkholder co-discovered the first Pfiesteria species, Pfiesteria piscicida, in 1989. "Piscicida" in Latin means "fish killer."

"Having a toxic organism named for you is a dubious honor, but an honor nonetheless!" Shumway said. "Such recognition by one's peers is daunting and gratifying. I am both thrilled and humbled."

Shumway received her BS degree from Southampton College of Long Island University in 1974, then studied as a Marshall Scholar at University College of North Wales where she received her Ph.D. and D.Sc. degrees. A distinguished research scientist and internationally recognized authority on shellfish biology and harmful algal blooms, she joined Southampton's faculty in 1992 and is coordinator of the College's top-flight Marine Science program.

Research under Burkholder's direction at NC State found that P. shumwayae -- pronounced "shum-way-eye" -- is genetically and structurally different from its better-known cousin, P. piscicida. Additionally, the two species appear to respond somewhat differently to the enrichment of nutrients that are often overabundant in coastal waters: P. shumwayae appears to thrive best in waters with high levels of nitrogen, while P. piscicida seems to prefer increased phosphorus levels, although both nitrogen and phosphorus can stimulate it to grow.

Scientists first detected P. shumwayae during a 1995 fish kill in North Carolina's New River estuary, following a major spill of effluent from a hog-waste lagoon. During two years of testing by Burkholder and associate Howard Glasgow Jr.'s lab, as well as by an independent lab for careful corroboration, all the tests confirmed that the organism is toxic. Thus far, P. shumwayae has been found to overlap the geographic distribution of P. piscicida: The single-celled organisms inhabit the brackish waters of estuaries from the Chesapeake Bay and Pamlico Sound south to the Gulf Coast of Florida and Alabama.

The Marine Science Program at Southampton College is nationally recognized for its excellence and has graduated more than 1000 women and men who have gone on to leading graduate schools and distinguished careers. The program has also produced 31 Fulbright Scholars, a Marshall Scholar and a Udall Scholar.