Alley awarded National Medal of Science, highest honor US bestows on scientists

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Richard Alley, Evan Pugh University Professor of Geosciences at Penn State, was awarded the National Medal of Science at a White House ceremony on Jan. 3.

Alley was one of 23 individuals and two organizations awarded the 2025 National Medals of Science and National Medals of Technology and Innovation, the nation’s highest honors for achievement and leadership in science and technology.

“Dr. Alley is deeply deserving of this most prestigious honor, and it is heartening to know that our nation sees in him what the Penn State community has known for decades,” said Penn State President Neeli Bendapudi. “Dr. Alley is the epitome of an exceptional scientist. His career studying our planet’s ice sheets has shaped Earth science and climate policy throughout the world. He exemplifies the very best of our University, inspiring others through his pursuit of knowledge and his commitment to advancing solutions for a sustainable future. This honor reflects the profound impact of his research on our world and future generations.”

Alley studies the planet’s largest and oldest ice sheets to help predict future changes in climate and sea level. He led a team that discovered Earth experienced abrupt changes in climate in the past — and likely will again. His meticulous study of two miles of ice cores from Greenland and Antarctica revealed key “switches” and “dials” in Earth’s climate that can lead to environmental changes with significant ecological and economic impacts.

“My piece of this story is small, but our community as a whole provides reliable, useful information that can help people, and I’m grateful for the opportunity to contribute to this important effort and to the National Medal of Science for highlighting it,” Alley said. “The discoveries we have brought home, together with an immense amount of information from other scientists and engineers, show clearly that if we effectively use our knowledge on climate and energy, we can build a larger economy with more jobs, improved health and national security, as well as a cleaner environment for all.”

The National Medal of Science was established by the U.S. Congress in 1959 and is administered by the U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF). The medal is the highest recognition the nation can bestow on scientists and engineers. A committee of experts is appointed by the president of the United States to evaluate the nominees for the award, which, according to an NSF statement, is given to “individuals deserving of special recognition by reason of their outstanding contributions to knowledge in the physical, biological, mathematical, engineering, or social and behavioral sciences, in service to the Nation.”

Alley joined the faculty of Penn State in 1988 after graduating from the University of Wisconsin in 1987. He said he views the award as a “testament” to decades of work with colleagues and students at Penn State, including the Penn State Ice and Climate group and more broadly in the University’s Earth and environmental and energy sciences.

“This honor is a richly deserved recognition of Richard’s lifelong work as both a scientist and public educator,” said Andrew Read, senior vice president for research at Penn State. “He has lifted the entire Penn State research enterprise through his enthusiasm and passion for work with global impact. I also must acknowledge his role as a mentor to generations of Penn State students, who come here to learn from leading scholars like Richard. His teaching is not limited to our community; he showed the world that the history of our planet is written in layers of ice, a history that will inform our future.”

For decades, Alley has been an enthusiastic science communicator. He has authored or coauthored over 300 peer-reviewed scientific papers, hosted the PBS special, “Earth: The Operators’ Manual” and wrote its companion book, authored a popular account of climate change and ice cores called “The Two-Mile Time Machine,” and regularly appears in national and international media outlets. In recent years, Alley served as one of the authors on the U.N. Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, whose members shared the 2007 Nobel Peace Prize.

Four other Penn State scientists have been awarded the Medal of Science. Stephen Benkovic, Atherton Professor and Eberly Chair in Chemistry, was awarded the medal in 2010 by President Barack Obama for his research contributions in the field of bioorganic chemistry, which have changed our understanding of how enzymes function and advanced the identification of targets and strategies for drug design.

Nina Fedoroff, emeritus professor of biology, was awarded the medal by President George W. Bush in 2007 for her work on plant molecular biology and being the first to clone and characterize maize transposons, segments of DNA that can change positions within the genome.

Calyampudi Rao, emeritus holder of the Eberly Family Chair in Statistics who died in 2023, was awarded the medal in 2002 by President George W. Bush for his contributions to the foundations of statistical theory and multivariate statistical methodology, and their applications, enriching the physical, biological, mathematical, economic and engineering sciences.

Erwin Müeller, Evan Pugh Research Professor of Physics who died in 1977, was posthumously awarded the medal by President Jimmy Carter in 1977 for his invention of the field-emission microscope, the field-ion microscope and the atom-probe microscope, which helped to resolve the atomic structures of solids and allowed him to “see” an atom for the first time.

“Those who earn these awards embody the promise of America by pushing the boundaries of what is possible,” according to a statement issued by the White House. “These trailblazers have harnessed the power of science and technology to tackle challenging problems and deliver innovative solutions for Americans and for communities around the world. Their accomplishments advance American leadership in science, technology, and innovation, and their work inspires the next generation of American leaders.”