I am a glaciologist and geophysicist who is interested in the response of the ice sheets of Antarctica and Greenland to climate change. Making progress in this field depends on a better understanding of subglacial geological and geophysical conditions. The distribution of sedimentary basins, crustal heat flow, bed-forms and -roughness, and hydrology are all poorly understood subglacial parameters of the great Polar ice sheets, which can have significant societal impacts through sea level change.

My background is in Geophysics, Glaciology, and Electrical Engineering. I’m happy to welcome new students. Both undergraduates who want to take my classes, do a senior thesis, a project, and graduate students who wish to pursue a Master’s or Ph.D. in glaciology.

Charles J. Ammon earned a B.S. in Physics from Penn State, an M.A. in Geology (Concentration in Geophysics) from SUNY Binghamton, and a Ph.D. in Geophysics from Penn State. He specializes in earthquake seismology and among other topics, has developed methods used in seismic imaging of the lithosphere, large- and giant-earthquake rupture processes, and approaches to locating earthquakes along remote mid-ocean ridges. He has been a member of the geoscience faculty since 2001, and Associate Head for Undergraduate Programs since July, 2022. He teaches courses on earthquake science to students spanning the spectrum from non-science majors to advanced geophysics graduate students. He has served two terms on the Board of Directors of the Incorporated Institute of Seismology (IRIS, now part of the EarthScope Consortium), served as chair of the IRIS Global Seismographic Network Standing Committee, and serves on a seismic-monitoring advisory committee for the US Air Force. He is a Fellow of the American Geophysical Union.

Dr. Richard Alley (Ph.D. 1987, Geology, Wisconsin) is Evan Pugh University Professor of Geosciences at Penn State. He studies the great ice sheets to help predict future changes in climate and sea level, and has made four trips to Antarctica, nine to Greenland, and more to Alaska and elsewhere. He has been honored for research (including election to the US National Academy of Sciences and Foreign Membership in the Royal Society), teaching, and service. Dr. Alley participated in the UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (co-recipient of the 2007 Nobel Peace Prize), and has provided requested advice to numerous government officials in multiple administrations from both major political parties including a US Vice President, multiple Presidental Science Advisors, and committees and individual members of the US Senate and House of Representatives. He has authored or coauthored over 300 refereed scientific papers. He was presenter for the PBS TV miniseries on climate and energy Earth: The Operators’ Manual, and author of the book. His popular account of climate change and ice cores, The Two-Mile Time Machine, was Phi Beta Kappa’s science book of the year. Dr. Alley is happily married with two grown daughters, one stay-at-home cat, a bicycle, and a pair of soccer cleats.