Richard Alley, Ph.D., Evan Pugh Professor
in the Department of Geosciences at Penn
State University and one of the world’s top
experts on climate change, is keynote
speaker at the third annual Water Research
Symposium at Kent State University that will
take place from Oct. 14-15.

The third annual Water Research Symposium at Kent State University will be held Oct. 14-15 at the Kent State University Hotel and Conference Center. This year, the symposium is co-sponsored by the National Academy of Science with additional support from the Cleveland Water Alliance. The event is free and open to the public. Online registration for the event closes Oct. 7.

The theme of this year’s symposium is “Water in a Changing Climate: Regional to Global Issues” and will feature keynote speaker Richard Alley, Ph.D., Evan Pugh Professor in the Department of Geosciences at Penn State University and one of the world’s top experts on climate change. He has studied ice sheets to help predict future changes in climate and sea level.

Alley has been awarded several times for his research, and has been elected to the National Academy of Sciences and the Royal Society. He has been honored for his teaching at Penn State and his service with various groups, such as the American Association for the Advancement of Science Public Engagement. Alley also has served on many advisory panels, including the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, which was the co-recipient of the 2007 Nobel Peace Prize.

“This year’s keynote speaker, Richard Alley, is a world-renowned expert who has testified before Congress, shared his knowledge with the public through books and television, and contributed to the scientific literature,” says Laura Leff, Ph.D., professor and chair of Kent State’s Department of Biological Sciences.

Kent State faculty members V. Kelly Turner, Ph.D., assistant professor in the Department of Geography, and Xiaozhen (Jen) Mou, Ph.D., associate professor in the Department of Biological Sciences, will both present at the symposium.

Other presenters include Emily M. Elliott, Ph.D., University of Pittsburgh; Allison Steiner, Ph.D., University of Michigan; and Gena Wirth, SCAPE Landscape Architecture PLLC.

With more than 30 researchers working across multiple colleges and departments, Kent State has considerable strength in a broad range of the aquatic sciences and related disciplines.

For more information about this year’s Water Symposium or to register, visit www.kent.edu/water.