This volume comprises select papers from a symposium in honor of Pro­fessor Dagley for his contributions to the understanding of microbial me­tabolism. Many of the authors were students and colleagues of Professor Dagley, whose motivation, guidance, and influence is reflected in their essays. Their work focuses on the diversity of microbial metabolic proc­esses and the genetic control of these processes. Topics covered include biodegradation, microbial genetics and anaerobic metabolism. A new area of study is expanded with a section on potential applications of microbial process for the production of commercial products.