administration." In 2008 Alley was elected to the National Academy of Sciences. He was elected a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in 2010. In 2011, he received the 17th Annual Heinz Award with a special focus on the environment. On 28 April 2014 the National Center for Science Education announced that its first annual Friend of the Planet award had been presented to Alley and Michael E. Mann. He was elected a Foreign Member of the Royal Society (ForMemRS) in the same year, his nomination reads: He won the 2014 BBVA Foundation Frontiers of Knowledge Award in Climate Change category for his “pioneering research” into the “mechanics of ice and its implications for abrupt climate change,” in the words of the jury's citation. He is the 2017 recipient of the Wollaston Medal, which is the highest award given by the Geological Society of London. It is reserved for geologists who have made a significant impact on the field through a substantial body of impactful research. In 2018, Alley was named the recipient of the Roy Chapman Andrews Society Distinguished Explorer Award. Alley was chosen primarily because of his discoveries advancing the understanding of rapid climate change and the stability of polar climates. Television series In addition to his research, Alley has made several appearances on television. On Sunday, April 10, 2011, PBS debuted a special program on climate change, entitled EARTH: The Operators’ Manual, hosted by Alley. The program's aim was to present an objective, accessible assessment of the Earth's problems and possible solutions, with the stated intention of leaving viewers informed, energized and optimistic. The series continued through 2012 on PBS and affiliates. The series is accompanied by a book of the same name, also by Richard Alley. It was published on April 18, 2011. He has also appeared in episodes of the History Channel series Mega Disasters. References External links Personal and academic information Award citation for Seligman Crystal Penn State faculty page Richard Alley interviewed on Conversations from Penn State Earth: The Operators' Manual TV Series website PBS Site 1957 births Living people American glaciologists Marie Byrd Land explorers and scientists Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change contributing authors Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change lead authors Pennsylvania State University faculty Fellows of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences Members of the United States National Academy of Sciences Ohio State University alumni University of