Ian Howat, professor of Earth Sciences and director of Ohio State’s Byrd Polar and Climate Research Center, has been chosen to receive the 2020 Ohio State Distinguished Scholar Award! The Distinguished Scholar Award (DSA) program annually recognizes and honors six faculty members who demonstrate scholarly activity, research or creative works which represent exceptional achievements in their fields and who have brought distinction to themselves and The Ohio State University.

Professor Howat is recognized as a world leader in the study of glaciers and ice sheets, using a wide range of observations from remote sensing and field studies to understand the dynamics and  behavior of large ice sheets and how they respond to climate warming. He has led and participated in numerous science expeditions to Antarctica, Iceland and Greenland, which focused attention on the threats of ice melting due to global warming. In addition to his highly regarded and productive glaciological research, Howat has helped develop state-of-the-art digital elevation maps for both Polar Regions which will aid in the study of polar change and help to better manage these regions in the future.

Distinguished Scholars receive an honorarium and a research grant to be used over the next three years, and will also be led onto the field at Ohio Stadium this upcoming fall at halftime of a game for a ceremony honoring the 2020 DSA recipients.

Congratulations Ian!