Evan Pugh Scholars Richard B. Alley , professor of geosciences, and Kenneth M. Weiss , distinguished professor of anthropology, have been named Evan Pugh Professors, the highest distinction that Penn State can bestow upon a faculty member. Named after Penn State's first President, this prestigious award has been conferred on only fifty-three professors since its inception in 1960. Evan Pugh professorships are awarded to faculty members whose research publications and creative work or both are of the highest quality over a period of time, are acknowledged national and international leaders in their fields, as documented by pioneering research or creative accomplishments, are recipients of prestigious awards, and demonstrate excellent teaching skills with undergraduate and graduate students. He is internationally renowned for his contributions to geology, hydrology, ice physics, paleoenvironmental sciences, and climate change. In particular, Alley's research has focused on the role of ice in the Earth's climate.
Ice cores taken from large ice sheets provide information on changes in the climate.
His studies have significant implications for understanding the magnitude, timing, and causes of global climate change. Alley is now part of a team extending this research to Antarctic ice cores. Alley has also made important contributions to our understanding of the mechanics of ice sheets and ice streams. Just 18,000 years ago during the most recent ice age, ice sheets covered more than thirty percent of the Earth's modern land surface. Subsequent warming has melted two-thirds of that ice and raised sea levels by 400 feet.