Faculty and Staff Support the U: Chemist Makes a Difference on the Oceans and on Campus

In his 48 years at the Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science (RSMAS), Frank Millero, professor of marine physical chemistry, has made significant scientific contributions to understanding the chemistry of seawater. He also has made generous philanthropic contributions to support RSMAS, athletics, the arts, and other areas close to his heart at the University of Miami.

“I think giving through the United Way is a great way to support your favorite UM school or program,” he says. “Our financial contributions really do make a difference.”

Frank Millero

Early in his career, Millero developed equations that are still used today to measure properties like density and salinity at varying ocean temperatures and pressures. After publishing more than 500 works with his colleagues—and several generations of graduate, undergraduate, and high school students—Millero is focusing on the role that oceans play in global climate change.

“About 40 percent of the carbon dioxide (CO2) we generate goes into the ocean, where it affects the world’s climate,” he says.  To gather more data, his research teams have traveled across the world measuring CO2 levels at different ocean depths in a project the National Science Foundation has funded for the past 20 years.

Millero grew up in Ohio and earned his undergraduate degree at The Ohio State University. Deciding to pursue a career in science, he earned a doctorate in chemistry at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, where he tended bar for spending money and met his wife, Judith. They have three children: Marta Millero-Quincoses, B.B.A. ’95, a South Florida accountant; Frank III, who teaches at Pratt Institute in New York; and Anthony, who works in merchandising in New York.

“After taking a job with Esso in New Jersey, I decided to get back into academics,” he recalls. “I saw an article in Chemistry Engineering News about the University of Miami’s marine lab, flew down for the interview, and told my wife to pack up because we were moving to Miami.”

Soon after joining the UM faculty, Millero bought season tickets for Hurricanes football games and has renewed them every year. He also has remained active in sports. “I’ve run marathons, played football and volleyball, and still try to swim every day,” he notes.

He is just as committed to advancing the University, and has been a steady donor to the football team, the Lowe Art Museum and other arts programs, and the annual United Way campaign. “I think giving through the United Way is a great way to support your favorite UM school or program,” he says. “Our financial contributions really do make a difference.”