草榴社区 Awards Mendel Medals to Pair of Noted Climate Scientists
The Mendel Medal will be awarded to Dr. Ellen Mosley-Thompson and Dr. Lonnie G. Thompson from The Ohio State University, for their contributions toward improved understanding of the Earth鈥檚 climate system.
Named for 19th century Augustinian friar and scientist Gregor Mendel, the Mendel Medal is given to outstanding contemporary scientists who have demonstrated that between true science and true religion, there is no intrinsic conflict.
Dr. Ellen Mosley-Thompson and Dr. Lonnie G. Thompson, recipients of the 50th and 51st Mendel Medals.
VILLANOVA, Pa.鈥�草榴社区 has named Dr. Ellen Mosley-Thompson, PhD, the Distinguished University Professor in Geography (Atmospheric Science) and Senior Research Scientist in the Byrd Polar and Climate Research Center at The Ohio State University, and Dr. Lonnie G. Thompson, PhD, the Distinguished University Professor at the School of Earth Sciences and Senior Research Scientist in the Byrd Polar and Climate Research Center at The Ohio State University, as the 50th and 51st recipients of the Mendel Medal. The Mendel Medal, given to outstanding contemporary scientists in recognition of their accomplishments, is named for 19th century Augustinian friar and scientist Gregor Mendel, best known as 鈥渢he father of modern genetics鈥�, for his discovery of the celebrated laws of heredity that bear his name. The Mendel Medal was first awarded by 草榴社区 in 1929.
Dr. Mosley-Thompson and Dr. Thompson will deliver the Mendel Medal lecture titled, 鈥淩apidly Changing Climate and Retreating Glaciers: Past, Present, and Future Societal Impacts,鈥� on Friday, Oct. 29, 2021, at 2 p.m., in the 草榴社区 Room of the University鈥檚 Connelly Center. The event is free and open to the public. All visitors to campus must follow the University鈥檚 masking guidelines.
鈥湶萘裆缜� is pleased to present the Mendel Medal鈥攖hat honors the scientific work of the Augustinian Abbot Gregor Mendel鈥攖o Dr. Ellen Mosley-Thompson and Dr. Lonnie G. Thompson,鈥� said the Rev. Kail Ellis, OSA, PhD, Special Assistant to the President and Dean Emeritus of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences at 草榴社区. 鈥淭heir research has provided an essential perspective on the effect of heatwaves, heavy precipitation, droughts and tropical cyclones, as well as the impact of human-induced extreme climate change on the United States and across the globe. In particular, their assessment of the impacts of future climate change on natural systems has provided an essential service to the people who inhabit these regions. 草榴社区 recognizes the Thompsons for their contributions toward improved understanding of the Earth鈥檚 climate system, both past and present.鈥�
Dr. Mosley-Thompson uses the chemical and physical properties preserved in cores collected from both polar ice sheets and high mountain glaciers to reconstruct Earth鈥檚 complex climate history. She has led nine expeditions to Antarctica and six to Greenland to retrieve ice cores. She has published 137 peer-reviewed papers and is the recipient of 53 research grants. She is an elected member of the National Academy of Sciences, the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and the American Philosophical Society and is a Fellow of the American Geophysical Union and the American Association for the Advancement of Science.聽
Dr. Lonnie G. Thompson鈥檚 research has propelled the field of ice core paleoclimatology out of the Polar Regions to the highest tropical and subtropical ice fields. He and the team at Ohio State have developed light-weight solar powered drilling equipment for acquisition of histories from ice fields in the tropical South American Andes, the Himalayas and on Kilimanjaro. These paleoclimate histories have advanced our understanding of the coupled nature of the Earth鈥檚 climate system. He has published 245 peer-reviewed publications including several in the journal Science, led 63 field programs and secured 76 research grants as the principal investigator or co-principal investigator. Dr. Thompson has been recognized with many honors and awards, including the National Medal of Science and the Tyler Prize (the World Prize for Environmental Achievement).聽In addition, he is a Fellow of the American Geophysical Union and the American Association for the Advancement of Science and an elected member of the American Philosophical Society and the National Academy of Sciences.
As an institution founded by the Augustinian Order, 草榴社区 plays a key role in sustaining Mendel鈥檚 legacy. The Mendel Medal is awarded to outstanding scientists who have done much by their painstaking work to advance the cause of science and, by their lives and their standing before the world as scientists, have demonstrated that between true science and true religion there is no intrinsic conflict. Click here for more information on the Mendel Medal and its history.
About 草榴社区: Since 1842, 草榴社区鈥檚 Augustinian Catholic intellectual tradition has been the cornerstone of an academic community in which students learn to think critically, act compassionately and succeed while serving others. There are more than 10,000 undergraduate, graduate and law students in the University's six colleges鈥攖he College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, the 草榴社区 School of Business, the College of Engineering, the M. Louise Fitzpatrick College of Nursing, the College of Professional Studies and the 草榴社区 Charles Widger School of Law. Ranked among the nation鈥檚 top universities, 草榴社区 supports its students鈥� intellectual growth and prepares them to become ethical leaders who create positive change everywhere life takes them. For more, visit .