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Draft:Moiya McTier

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Dr. Moiya McTier (born 1995) is an American astrophysicist, folklorist and science communicator. She is the co-host of several podcasts related to astronomy and folklore. In 2022 her book The Milky Way was published by Grand Central Publishing. The book is marketed as an autobiography told from the perspective of the Milky Way galaxy.

Early Life

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McTier was born in 1995 in rural Pennsylvania..[1] At a young age she was involved in a variety of hobbies including music and theater.[1] Her mother was a professor of English and McTier has said that her mother's financial struggles inspired her to pursue the sciences instead of the humanities.[2][3] Her mother encouraged McTier's interest in STEM by buying scientific equipment for her and quizzing her with math problems[2]

Education

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McTier graduated high school in 2012 and began attending Harvard University.[1] McTier began her studies as a physics major, but her plans changed when she did not enjoy her first physics class.[4] During this time she developed a strong interest in folklore and astronomy.[4] After debating which of these topics to chose as a major, she decided to study both as a double major, becoming the first student in Harvard's history to study these topics together.[3] McTier faced difficulty getting Harvard to recognize this nontraditional dual degree and has said she had to approach the heads of the Astronomy And Folklore department directly to have the degree approved.[5]

McTier continued her studies at Columbia University where she obtained a PhD in Astronomy.[3] Her doctoral thesis explored methods of determining the habitability of planets outside our solar system. Her thesis also included a discussion of her work as a science communicator.[6]

Science Communication

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McTier began her interest in science communication as a third-year grad student in 2018.[3] She attributes her success in this field to her "year of yes" in which she said yes to every science communication opportunity she received.[3] Since this time she has been involved in a variety of science communication projects including podcasts, books and speaking arrangements.[1]

McTier is currently represented by Worldwide Speakers Group for her speaking arrangements.[7] In her career, she has given hundreds of talks on topics including folklore, physics, world building and her personal experiences.[8]

She has also acted as a consultant for creative projects such as the 2023 Disney film, Wish.[3]

Podcasts

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Exolore

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Exolore is a podcast in which McTier discusses topics related to world building with guests.[9] The first episode of the podcast was published on 27 April 2020.[10] The podcast is part of the Multitude productions.[11]

Pale Blue Pod

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Pale Blue Pod is an ongoing astronomy podcast that began in November 2022.[12] It is described as being "for people who are overwhelmed by the universe but want to be its friend."[12] McTier hosts the podcast alongside comedian Corinne Caputo who is known for works such as her book How To Success! A Writer’s Guide To Fame and Fortune and a game show titled Astronaut Training.[13]

The title of the podcast is a reference to the famous photo of earth taken from space, titled Pale Blue Dot.

Fate and Fabled

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Fate and Fabled is a series of short videos produced by PBS. In each episode, McTier and her co-host, Emily Zarka, discuss a topic related to folklore.The show is currently on its third season.[14]

Publications

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The Milky Way

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The Milky Way: An Autobiography of Our Galaxy is Moiya McTier's debut novel.[1] It was published on 16 August 2022 by Grand Central Publishing.[15] The book covers the history of the Milky Way as told from the galaxy's perspective.[16] It has been named a best book of 2022 by Publishers Weekly and a best audiobook of 2022 by BookPage.[15]

Lying Hordes

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Lying Hordes is a self-published science fiction novel written by McTier and made available through her website.[1]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d e f "About | Dr. Moiya". Dr. Moiya McTier. Retrieved 2024-02-07.
  2. ^ a b Sagynbayeva, Sabina (2021-03-19). "#BlackInAstro Experiences: Moiya McTier". Astrobites. Retrieved 2024-02-07.
  3. ^ a b c d e f "Moiya McTier: from scientist to science communicator". Physics World. 2023-11-07. Retrieved 2024-02-07.
  4. ^ a b "She followed her star". Harvard Gazette. 2016-04-29. Retrieved 2024-02-07.
  5. ^ "'Why are we here?' and other questions for an astrophysicist-folklorist". CBC. Retrieved 2024-02-07.
  6. ^ McTier, Moiya (2021). Why Are We Here?: Constraining the Milky Way's Galactic Habitable Zone (Thesis). Columbia University. doi:10.7916/d8-60np-j341.
  7. ^ "Moiya McTier - Public & Keynote Speaker - WWSG". 2023-03-24. Retrieved 2024-02-09.
  8. ^ "Speaking | Dr. Moiya". Media Moiya. Retrieved 2024-02-09.
  9. ^ "Exolore Podcast". Media Moiya. Retrieved 2024-02-09.
  10. ^ McTier, Moiya (2020-04-27). "Exolore: facts-based fictional worldbuilding: Intro to Exolore". sites.libsyn.com. Retrieved 2024-02-09.
  11. ^ "Our Podcasts — Multitude". Multitude. Retrieved 2024-02-09.
  12. ^ a b "Pale Blue Pod". Spotify. Retrieved 2024-02-09.
  13. ^ Sarachan, Risa. "'Pale Blue Pod' New Podcast Explores Space In An Approachable Way". Forbes. Retrieved 2024-02-09.
  14. ^ Fate & Fabled | PBS, retrieved 2024-02-09
  15. ^ a b McTier, Moiya (2021-12-06). The Milky Way. Grand Central. ISBN 978-1-5387-5415-3.
  16. ^ "A new book lets the Milky Way speak for itself — and it's kind of a jerk". CBC Radio. 2022-09-23. Retrieved 2024-02-09.
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