Barry Lefer is an assistant professor in the Department of Geosciences at the University of Houston in Texas. He earned an M.S. and Ph.D. from the University of New Hampshire and worked at the National Center for Atmospheric Research in Colorado before moving to Houston. His research has included several aspects of air quality and climate change. He worked with PolarTREC teacher Jo Dodds at Summit in 2007 and believes that there is nothing better than first hand personal experience to get students involved and excited about science.