|
 From
high school chemistry teacher to renowned
scientist and university professor, Dr.
John Trefry discovered his calling with
a little help from a friend.
After receiving his undergraduate degree
from Syracuse University, Trefry began
teaching high school chemistry in Massachusetts.
A friend and fellow teacher in marine
biology suggested Trefry focus his chemistry
knowledge on oceanography, a field in
its infancy.
“I love chemistry. I just wanted
a bigger beaker to do it in,” says
Trefry.
So he followed his friend’s
advice and pursued graduate studies
in chemical
oceanography at Texas A&M University.
In 1978 he accepted a position at
Florida Tech in the Department of
Oceanography and Ocean Engineering,
a perfect opportunity to combine
his love of chemistry, teaching,
research
and travel.
But which is his greater love, teaching
or research?
“I don’t think I can separate
them,” he
responds. “The thing I
enjoy most is thinking about
data and writing about
data. There’s no doubt
about that. But I do love being
in the field. And
I love being in the classroom.
It’s
a great balance.”
Trefry’s
research focuses on concentrations
and cycling of trace metals in
the oceans, estuaries and rivers.
He studies the
natural state of these metals
as a resource and their potential
as pollutants.
“You’ve got to understand
how the natural system works really,
really,
really well before you can
possibly understand when there’s
pollution, “ says
Trefry. “Something
I try to impress on my students
is to think about what
we do on this whole planet—we
try to understand how Earth
works and we
try to understand how life
works. Those are the two
big things.”
Trefry
is currently investigating
the way Earth works in
the Alaskan Arctic,
where he has been conducting
research two or three times
per year since
1999. With a goal of discovering
the potential
impacts of offshore oil
drilling, Trefry and his team are first
learning how
this pristine ecosystem
works
in its natural
state, studying a variety
of factors including the
pathways
of floodwater
runoff and trace metal
contents in plankton and kelp beds.
In
the classroom, one of Trefry’s
greatest joys is sharing
his love of marine and environmental
science with
young minds. “My
goal, even if they don’t
practice it, is to at
least let students know
this
is a field
that’s alive, vibrant
and important to the
world at large. I think
it’s
really important that
a private university
has
senior faculty who are
still active
in their field, who teach
a lower level, introductory-type
course, that’s
one mark of a great university.”
And
with this kind of enthusiasm
for a profession,
finding
an equally rewarding
hobby can be a challenge.
For
Trefry, it’s family and travel.
His wife Susan is a
clinical psychologist, daughter Caroline
is president of CK
Communications in Melbourne
and son John is an architect in Atlanta.
His grandson
Hunter is his good
buddy.
“I’m a national park freak,” he
admits. “I
go to a new national
park every year
to camp and hike.”
He
and Susan have
also enjoyed
trips to exotic
locations
throughout the
world at the
conclusion of his research
cruises. The
couple’s
travels include
Peru, Russia,
China and throughout
Europe.
Successfully
transforming
a love of chemistry
into a career
encompassing
the ocean,
it’s
safe to say
Dr. John
Trefry found
his beaker.
Christena
Callahan | 
