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Elementary School
 What is Physiology?
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Who is Thomas Pressley?
Ecologist to Physiologist
Thomas A. Pressley was born in Baltimore, Maryland.
For as long as he can remember, he’s enjoyed science. Of course, it
probably helped that he read a lot of science fiction, such as the stories
of Arthur C. Clarke. Tom always knew that he would be some type of college
teacher when he grew up. From an early age he thought that kind of life
where he could do research, teach, and work with students seemed great.
Deciding What to Study
Tom grew up in a small town between Baltimore and Annapolis
in Maryland. When it came time for college, he was lucky that there was a very
good school close to where he lived. He decided to go to Johns Hopkins
University in Baltimore. Even though his friends called him a “townie” (because
he lived in the area), Johns Hopkins University was a great choice. Tom studied
ecology (the study of how plants and animals relate to where they live),
thinking that he wanted to study animals that live in the ocean. In the late
1970s, everybody else wanted to do that too, so when he got his degree and
wanted to go on to learn more, it was hard to find a college that had room for
more students who wanted to study ecology. He also had taken a lot of classes on
cells and how they work (called cell biology), including the chemistry of cells
(called biological chemistry or biochemistry). He found out that there were
schools that would take students who wanted to study cell biology and
biochemistry. He finally decided to go to school at the Medical University of
South Carolina, in Charleston, SC, because they were willing to work with him so
he could do research on both of his interests.
Finding Physiology
When Tom started doing research, he wanted to find out how
animals changed when they were in different environments. This study let him use
his training both in ecology and biochemistry. He looked at how animals, like
crabs, who live in both salt and fresh water deal with all the salt they take
in. As he did his research, he found that more and more of the questions he was
asking were answered best by looking at the how the different systems in the
crabs work together to deal with the problem. Dr. Pressley got his degree in
biochemistry, but he figured out that his work had more in common with that of
other people who do research in physiology.
Once he had his degree, Dr. Pressley went for more training
at Columbia University in New York. There he really felt like a physiologist
because he worked in a lab that was known for doing both biochemistry and
physiology.
How to Find a Job
At the time that Dr. Pressley was doing his final training,
there were two types of job that people like him could have and do research. You
could either work at a college or work for a drug company that looks for new
medicines to cure diseases. Just like when he was a boy, he still only wanted to
work at a college. He was lucky and found a job without too much trouble.
When he was looking for that first job, it helped that he
had worked in a lab that everyone knew. However, it was by going to meetings
that he really was able to find out about jobs. One day he was at a meeting
telling others about his research. The people he was talking to told him about a
job at University of Texas in Houston where they worked. He ended up getting
that job and moving to Texas. A few years later, when he wanted to find a new
job, it was people he knew from meetings that told him about other jobs. He
ended up getting a job at Texas Tech University in Lubbock, TX, which is where
he is now.
Being a Physiologist
Dr. Pressley mainly does research and has a group of people
he works with and who work for him, including students. He studies animal cells
and how chemicals and water move back and forth into and out of the cell.
He also teaches science to students who want to be doctors
and to students who want to be scientists of all different kinds.
For Fun
 Dr. Pressley loves planes and flying. He spends a lot of
his free time flying glider planes, which he learned how to do when he was
living in Houston. Where he lives now is famous all over the world for good
weather for flying. People come from everywhere to fly there.
He is also loves computers and often is asked about what
kind of programs, computers, and printers people should buy.
Each summer, Dr. Pressley goes around the US and uses what
he knows about computers and gliders and helps out at glider meets by keeping
score. He is also the official soaring record keeper for the State of Texas,
which means that pilots who think they’ve set a new State Record have to give
him all of their flight records to look over to make sure they have set a
record.
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