UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — The Penn State Institute of Energy and the Environment has named Kenneth Davis as Person of the Year for 2024. Davis, a professor of atmospheric and climate science in the College of Earth and Mineral Sciences and an IEE faculty member, was selected from nominations submitted by the Penn State community. As the 2024 Person of the Year, Davis will also become an IEE Fellow. 

“It is a true honor to recognize Ken as our Person of the Year,” said Bruce Logan, director of the Institute of Energy and the Environment. “His collaborative spirit, visionary leadership and unwavering scientific dedication to environmental topics have not only propelled advancements in atmospheric science but also strengthened Penn State’s standing as a leading research institution. Ken consistently addresses critical global challenges, providing vital insights and innovative solutions that drive progress at the University and across the world.” 

Lee Kump, the John Leone Dean in the College of Earth and Mineral Sciences, said Davis being named the IEE Person of the Year is a well-deserved honor.  

“Ken is a leader in all University mission areas related to climate change and the carbon cycle, and a prominent figure in the national effort to mitigate the effects of climate change and fossil-fuel extraction on air quality in urban and rural areas,” Kump said. 

Davis said this award should be credited to his entire research group, the Earth-Atmosphere Interactions Lab, past and present.  

“My work is a team effort,” he said. “I have strengths and weaknesses. Alone, I would accomplish very little.” 

Making tomorrow better 

Davis has spent more than three decades studying the Earth. During this time, he has seen and continues to see it change rapidly due to human activity. 

“These changes will harm those who are the least adaptable and the most vulnerable,” he said. “We need to direct our research and resources to aid those who are most threatened by the rapid changes in the Earth’s environment.” 

Because Davis studies the portion of the Earth where human life thrives, the interface between the land and the atmosphere, his skills can often contribute to understanding pressing societal concerns including climate and air quality.  

“This has led me to direct my work increasingly to focus on the portions of the environment where most people live — in cities,” he said. 

Davis said he sees two urgent climate-related needs for society: Stop using the atmosphere as a dumping ground for greenhouse gases and other pollutants and increase our focus on helping vulnerable populations adapt to the climate changes already underway.    

“Our ability to work as scientists is a great gift and a great responsibility,” he said. “We work to serve others. We should take nothing for granted.”

Early influences 

Davis’s research focuses on air quality and the climate to better understand how people can live in harmony with the planet. This passion for atmospheric and climate science started at a young age. Davis said some of his favorite time as a child was spent outdoors, visiting parks, camping and running in many beautiful natural spaces.  

“I spent hours hunting for fossils, watching planets and stars, collecting minerals, skipping stones and enjoying forests,” he said. 

In the 1960s and 70s, the environmental movement was just starting. Davis said he recalls environmental issues becoming common in the news and rising concerns about global energy systems, which at that time were mostly around their safety and abundance. It was when he started college at Princeton University in the early 80s that climate change became an increasing concern.  

Davis said his faith also significantly contributed to his desire to be a good steward of the Earth and to serve others.  

“I took to heart the message that it is our responsibility to devote our lives, as best we can, to the service of others,” he said. “All these factors moved me toward a career in environmental sciences — a field where my interests in nature and the physical world could be directed to address challenges facing society.” 

Motivating mentors 

Davis said when he was in college and in graduate school, students were often encouraged to stick to science driven solely by curiosity, not by societal needs.  

“This conflicted with my motivations and made me question whether I could find a career in academia,” he said. “I was encouraged when I found mentors who shared my motivations.” 

During his time at the University of Colorado, he was introduced to Don Lenschow, a scientist at the National Center for Atmospheric Research whose work focused on observations of earth-atmosphere interactions.  

“Don encouraged my interests and became my primary research adviser for my graduate studies,” Davis said. 

Soon after finishing his dissertation, while still working in Boulder, Davis met an early-career scientist from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Peter Bakwin.  

“Peter and I worked together, with help from Don, on my first research proposal,” Davis said. “It was funded, and that project led to a broad, interdisciplinary research effort studying the carbon cycle of the forests of northern Wisconsin. That project launched collaborations and research connections that have carried through my career to today.” 

A team effort 

“We have many colleagues at Penn State and across the world who help to move our work forward,” Davis said. “Everyone has an important role. If we were musicians, we would be an orchestra.” 

Davis said he thinks of himself as an Earth system scientist who specializes in the atmosphere, but he must collaborate across all of the Earth and environmental sciences — including the human component of the environment — to fully understand the Earth system. 

“Working with students and early career researchers has emphasized to me the great benefit of working in teams,” he said. “Every person brings different strengths and weaknesses to our work to understand the Earth. We are most effective when we can share both our strengths and our weaknesses and work together. Building effective teams is a way to celebrate diversity.” 

Davis said IEE has served as a great forum for meeting colleagues across disciplines.  

“Because IEE has put a sustained effort into building a community of scientists, it has reliably enabled us to respond as a team to new research challenges,” he said.  

Davis cited connections and work done in the two of IEE’s research themes, Water Sustainability and Health and the Environment, as having assisted in building coalitions of faculty from across colleges that enabled Davis and his team to respond to interdisciplinary challenges in climate science, including Penn State’s part of a $66 million dollar U.S. Department of Energy Urban Integrated Field program designed to study the impacts of climate change on American cities.  

“I hope that our work together will help to preserve and improve the quality and richness of life on Earth,” Davis said. “That’s a big wish. No one can do that alone. I hope that my work contributes toward that broad goal.”