Distinguished University Professor, research scientest at the Byrd Polar and Climate Research Center, and Earth Sciences professor Lonnie Thompson has helped co-found a new Third Pole Environment (TPE) Program at Ohio State. This program is the first of its kind in the Western Hemisphere and will focus on studying ice repositories on the Tibetan Plateau, or what is referred to as the third pole (with North and South being the first two). Currently there are two other offices, in Nepal and Beijing. The program's sponsors include the National Science Foundation (NSF), the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), and the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).

For more information, check out the OSU news article detaling this new groundbreaking program at Ohio State.