Senator John Heinz

RELATED NEWS

  • Mason Bates to premiere his new work, "Garden of Eden," with the Richmond Symphony Orchestra go >>
  • Jane Lubchenco receives 2018 Vannevar Bush Award go >>
  • John Luther Adams writes in the New York Times what it is like to hear the desert in music go >>
  • John Luther Adams and his new compositition, Become Desert, are profiled by the Seattle Times go >>
  • Elizabeth Kolbert explores our misunderstandings about race and our genetic heritage for National Geographic go >>
  • John Luther Adams writes about Alaska and his new work, Become Desert, for Slate go >>
  • Leroy Hood reflects on almost two decades with the Institute for Systems Biology go >>
  • James Nachtwey's series on opioid addiction is TIME's first issue devoted entirely to one photographer's work go >>
  • Jacques d'Amboise and an event on 'Balanchine's Guys' is profiled by New York Times go >>
  • Nadine Burke Harris is interviewed about her work on childhood trauma by The New York Times go >>
  • The Los Angeles Times reviews Dave Egger's new book, The Monk of Mokha go >>
  • Nadine Burke Harris is profiled on NPR about her work and new book, The Deepest Well go >>
  • Paul Farmer is awarded the National Academy of Sciences' 2018 Public Welfare Award go >>
  • A 2014 stage adaptation of Natasha Trethewey’s poetry collection, Native Guard, is performed at the Atlanta History Center go >>
  • Sal Khan is named 2018 Visionary of the Year by the San Francisco Chronicle go >>
  • The New York Times looks at how some U.S. prisons have restricted prisoner access to Michelle Alexander's book, The New Jim Crow go >>
  • Freeman Hrabowski talks to The Baltimore Sun about being inspired to march as a teenager by Martin Luther King Jr. go >>
  • Bruce Katz co-authors a new book, The New Localism, on the evolving importance of metropolitan areas go >>
  • The Flux podcast talks in depth with Dean Kamen about inventing go >>
  • Politico profiles Dean Kamen’s work on the ARMI Initiative for regenerative organ medicine go >>
  • Mona Hanna-Attisha's work in Flint, MI, highlights a rising focus on environmental health impacts in medicine go >>
  • Sangeeta Bhatia is profiled in Brown University's alumni magazine go >>
  • John Holdren to receive the 2018 Moynihan Prize from The American Academy of Political and Social Science go >>
  • The Wall Street Journal profiles Joseph DeSimone's 3D printing company, Carbon, and its partnership with Adidas go >>
  • Mason Bates is named Musical America's 2018 Composer of the Year go >>
  • Steve Wozniak to launch Woz U, an education program to help people enter into the tech workforce go >>
  • Jacques d'Amboise is interviewed on the Leonard Lopate Show go >>
  • Roz Chast's relationship to NYC is profiled in The New York Times go >>
  • Jerry Franklin and his ideas for new forestry practices are profiled in Science go >>
  • Greg Asner is interviewed by NPR's Living On Earth go >>
  • Mona Hanna-Attisha is interviewed by WESA public radio in Pittsburgh go >>
  • Rita Dove is profiled as one of TIME Firsts: Women Leaders Who Are Changing the World go >>
  • Hugh Herr is profiled in-depth by Outside Magazine go >>
  • The Los Angeles Times explores John Luther Adams’ new art installation at UC San Diego go >>
  • Bruce Katz co-authors new research on how cities can deliver better outcomes for children and youth go >>
  • The New York Times Travel Section explores August Wilson's Pittsburgh go >>
  • John Holdren receives the Huntington Environmental Prize from Woods Hole Research Center go >>
  • Dean Kamen launches BioFabUSA to aggregate technologies for creating human tissue and organs go >>
  • John Harbison is profiled by the Wisconsin Gazette go >>
  • Janine Benyus and her work is profiled on the 20th anniversary of her book, “Biomimicry: Innovation Inspired by Nature” go >>
  • NPR explores the creation of Mason Bates' first opera, The (R)evolution Of Steve Jobs go >>
  • Herbert Needleman, 2nd Heinz Award recipient for the Environment, who exposed developmental dangers of lead exposure, dies at 89 go >>
  • John Luther Adams' music gets a five-day festival courtesy of SFJAZZ go >>
  • Hugh Herr and his work is profiled in a BBC News article on prosthetics go >>
  • Aaron Wolf is interviewed by The Texas Tribune go >>
  • 'Bending the Arc,' a documentary about Paul Farmer's organization, Partners In Health, is reviewed in Nature go >>
  • Gretchen Daily is 2017 recipient of the Asahi Blue Planet Prize go >>
  • Roz Chast is profiled in The Daily Beast go >>
  • August Wilson's 'Jitney' captures best play revival at 2017 Tony Awards go >>
  • Frederica Perera writes OpEd piece on prenatal environmental risks for The New York Times go >>
  • Bernice Johnson Reagon and Sweet Honey in the Rock is profiled by PBS' American Masters go >>
  • Herb Needleman and his pioneering work on lead poisoning is profiled by NOVA Next go >>
  • Rick Lowe is named as a 2017 Graham Foundation recipient go >>
  • John Luther Adams' work with bird song is explored by the New York TImes go >>
  • John Harbison is profiled on NPR's Nashville Symphony Broadcasts go >>
  • Freeman Hrabowski is profiled in The New York Times' Corner Office series go >>
  • Leila Janah is profiled in The New York Times' Corner Office series go >>
  • John Holdren speaks out on the need to defend the role of science go >>
  • Nancy Knowlton writes Op-Ed for Nature magazine on encouraging conservation through celebrating our successes go >>
  • Elizabeth Kolbert receives the 2017 Blake-Dodd Prize from the American Academy of Arts and Letters go >>
  • Dorothy Height is honored with a United States Black Heritage postage stamp go >>
  • Sanjeev Arora's Project ECHO receives $10 million grant for patients living in rural and underserved areas in the U.S. and Africa go >>
  • Millie Dresselhaus, pioneering scientist and 11th Heinz Award recipient for Technology and the Economy, dies at 86 go >>
  • Jane Lubchenco is awarded the National Academy of Sciences' 2017 Public Welfare Award go >>
  • The Austin Chronicle reviews Ann Hamilton’s latest iteration of O N E E V E R Y O N E at the University of Austin go >>
  • Leroy Hood is the 2017 recipient of National Academy of Sciences Award for Chemistry in Service to Society go >>
  • 'True South: Henry Hampton and "Eyes on the Prize"' is reviewed by The New York Times go >>
  • The New York Times reviews the new Broadway production of August Wilson's "Jitney" go >>
  • TIME publishes James Nachtwey's photographs showing The Philippine's brutal war on illegal drugs go >>
  • The New York Times' critics discuss the lasting power of August Wilson's plays go >>
  • James Hansen honored with the BBVA Foundation Frontiers of Knowledge Award in Climate Change for his contributions to climate science go >>
  • Actors discuss being exposed to August Wilson's plays for The New York Times go >>
  • Nadine Burke Harris is one of The Huffington Post's "7 visionaries" for 2017 go >>
  • Sidney Drell, 11th Heinz Awards recipient for Public Policy and leading thinker on arms control, dies at 90 go >>
  • Dean Kamen to lead $294M effort to grow human organs on industrial scale go >>
  • Denzel Washington's film of August Wilson's "Fences" is reviewed by the New York Times go >>
  • Jane Lubchenco, as a 2016 Oregon History Maker medal recipient, is profiled by KGW in Portland go >>
  • U.S. Senate approves the ECHO Act to integrate Sanjeev Arora's Project ECHO across the country go >>
  • Civil rights leader Dorothy Height to be honored by the U.S. Post Office with a postage stamp go >>
  • Sanjeev Arora and Project ECHO are featured in the Harvard Business Review go >>
  • Robert Langer talks about his career as part of MIT's “Failures in Graduate School” series go >>
  • John Luther Adams' "Canticles of the Holy Wind" is reviewed by The New York Times go >>
  • Mark di Suvero's studio complex in Queens is profiled in the New York Times Style Magazine go >>
  • Richard Jackson discusses the built environment and the need to put people first on The Tavis Smiley show go >>
  • The Wall Street Journal talks to Roz Chast about living in Manhattan in her 20s go >>
  • The Guardian profiles the work of Robert Langer go >>
  • Wired writes about Dean Kamen speaking at the White House Frontiers Conference in Pittsburgh go >>
  • Ann Hamilton's "habitus" is installed on Phildelphia's Pier 9 go >>
  • Nadine Burke Harris and her work is profiled by The Washington Post go >>
  • Joseph DeRisi interviewed by Chronicle of Higher Education about co-leading new Chan Zuckerberg Biohub go >>

The Heinz Awards

2011

Richard Alley

A longtime professor at The Pennsylvania State University, Dr. Richard Alley has been a game changer in the global warming arena. He revolutionized our understanding of the environment when he discovered that the last Ice Age came to an abrupt end in just three years, breaking open the field of "abrupt climate change."

Dr. Alley's revelation debunks the myth that all of climate change happens slowly and suggests that the impacts from human-induced activities, particularly the burning of fossil fuels, may happen more rapidly than we've come to expect.

Dr. Alley and his team had removed two-mile long polar ice core samples in Greenland and in Antarctica to study climate history and elements that lead to environmental changes. He introduced the important concept that the Earth's climate contains "switches" and "dials" that are interconnected and dependent upon each other. His research found that some switches could be "flipped" by the continued release of greenhouse gas emissions into the atmosphere. For these important discoveries, the Alley Glacier in the West Antarctic was named in his honor.

He has proven to be one of the most active and powerful communicators on climate science in America today. Recently he hosted the PBS special, Earth: The Operators' Manual and wrote its companion book, both targeted to everyday Americans.

Even non-science majors flock to Dr. Alley's classes on campus. He has won teaching awards for incorporating music and other creative strategies to bring climate science and ice physics to life for his students. His dedication to both the research of environmental change and to inspiring the next generation of scientists will have widespread implications for years to come. 

Note: This profile is excerpted from the commemorative brochure published at the time of the awards' presentation.



UPDATES SINCE RECEIVING THE HEINZ AWARD

February 2015 - The 2014 BBVA Foundation Frontiers of Knowledge Award in the Climate Change category goes in this seventh edition to U.S. glaciologist Richard Alley for his "pioneering research" into the "mechanics of ice and its implications for abrupt climate change," in the words of the jury’s citation. - BBVA Foundation

Richard Alley
Richard Alley