Two Penn State faculty were honored with the first ever Friend of the Planet award from the National Center for Science Education (NCSE). The new award was created to honor a select few whose efforts to support NCSE and advance its goal of defending the teaching of climate science have been truly exceptional. Receiving the award were Michael Mann, distinguished professor of meteorology, and Richard Alley, Evan Pugh Professor of Geosciences.
Mann was described as a hero by Bill McKibben, a member of NCSE's advisory council, who added, "Very few people have sounded more important alarms about our climate future and ... have paid a higher price for doing so."
And Ben Santer, a member of NCSE's board of directors, said of Alley, "His research — and his engaging, crystal-clear writing about climate change — have definitely earned him this award."
Mann and Alley received their awards on April 26, at a special ceremony held at the Academy of Natural Sciences of Drexel University in Philadelphia.
NCSE is a not-for-profit, membership organization that educates the press and public about the scientific and educational aspects of controversies surrounding the teaching of evolution and climate change. For more information about NCSE see http://ncse.com/ online.