The dynamics of glaciers and ice sheets influence rates of sea-level rise, freshwater supplies, and landscape evolution. Decades of research has highlighted key processes and connections between terrestrial ice, the climate, and the solid earth, but limited observations have allowed fundamental questions in glaciers dynamics to remain open. In this talk, we will explore some related questions: What is the viscosity of glacier ice and how does it depend on stress? Why does ice fracture? Building on these fundamental questions, we will highlight new efforts to support polar science and accelerate improvements in our ability to observe and model ice sheets.