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Neil deGrasse Tyson

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Neil deGrasse Tyson
Tyson at the NASA Advisory Council in Washington, D.C., November 2005
Born (1958-10-05) October 5, 1958 (age 66)
The Bronx, New York City, New York, United States
Alma materHarvard University (BA)
University of Texas at Austin (MA)
Columbia University (MPhil, PhD)
AwardsNASA Distinguished Public Service Medal
Scientific career
FieldsAstrophysics, physical cosmology, science communication
InstitutionsHayden Planetarium, PBS, Planetary Society

Neil deGrasse Tyson (born October 5, 1958) is an American astrophysicist, a science communicator, the Frederick P. Rose Director of the Hayden Planetarium at the Rose Center for Earth and Space, and a Research Associate in the Department of Astrophysics at the American Museum of Natural History. Since 2006 he has hosted the educational science television show NOVA scienceNOW on PBS, and has been a frequent guest on The Daily Show, The Colbert Report, Real Time with Bill Maher, and Jeopardy!. It was announced on August 5, 2011 that Tyson will be hosting a new sequel to Carl Sagan's Cosmos: A Personal Voyage TV series.[1]

Early life

Tyson was born in New York City as the second of three children. His father, Cyril deGrasse Tyson, was a sociologist and human resource commissioner for New York City mayor John Lindsay. His mother, Sunchita Feliciano Tyson, was a gerontologist.[2][3] Tyson attended the Bronx High School of Science (1972–1976) where he was captain of the wrestling team and was editor-in-chief of the school's Physical Science Journal. Tyson had an abiding interest in astronomy from a young age—and obsessively studied it in his teens—eventually even gaining some fame in the astronomy community by giving lectures on the subject at the age of 15.

Astronomer Carl Sagan, who was a faculty member at Cornell University, tried to recruit Tyson to Cornell for undergraduate studies.[4] During an interview with writer Daniel Simone [5], Tyson said, "Interestingly, when I applied to Cornell, my application dripped of my passion for the study and research of the Universe. Somehow the admissions office brought my application to the attention of the late Dr. Sagan, and he actually took the initiative and care to contact me. He was very inspirational and a most powerful influence. Dr. Sagan was as great as the universe, an effective mentor." But Tyson chose to attend Harvard University, where he majored in physics. He was a member of the crew team in his freshman year, but returned to wrestling, eventually lettering in his senior year. Tyson earned a Bachelors of Arts in physics from Harvard in 1980 and began his graduate work at the University of Texas at Austin, where he earned a Master of Arts in astronomy in 1983. In addition to wrestling and rowing in college, he was also active in dancing in styles including jazz, ballet, Afro-Caribbean, and Latin Ballroom. In 1985, he won a gold medal with the University of Texas dance team at a national tournament in the International Latin Ballroom style. He started to work towards a doctorate at UT, but transferred to Columbia University in 1988 after they dissolved his committee.[6] At Columbia University, in 1989, he received a Master of Philosophy in astrophysics and, in 1991, he earned a Doctor of Philosophy in astrophysics. (See the biographical summary provided by the International Astronautical Federation.[7] Tyson also featured on the NASA Academy Sharing Knowledge.[8])

Career

Tyson with students at the 2007 American Astronomical Society conference

Tyson's research has focused on observations in stellar formation and evolution as well as cosmology and galactic astronomy. He has held numerous positions at institutions including University of Maryland, Princeton University, the American Museum of Natural History and Hayden Planetarium.

Tyson has written a number of popular books on astronomy. In 1995, he began to write the "Universe" column for Natural History magazine. In a column for the magazine he authored in 2002, Tyson coined the term "Manhattanhenge" to describe the two days annually on which the evening sun aligns with the cross streets of the street grid in Manhattan, making the sunset visible along unobstructed side streets.

In 2004, he hosted the four-part "Origins" miniseries of PBS's Nova,[9] and co-authored with Donald Goldsmith the companion volume for this series, Origins: Fourteen Billion Years Of Cosmic Evolution.[10] He again collaborated with Goldsmith as the narrator on the documentary 400 Years of the Telescope which premiered on PBS in April 2009.

In 2001, President George W. Bush appointed Tyson to serve on the Commission on the Future of the United States Aerospace Industry and in 2004 to serve on the President's Commission on Implementation of United States Space Exploration Policy, the latter better known as the "Moon, Mars and Beyond" commission. He was soon afterward awarded the NASA Distinguished Public Service Medal, the highest civilian honor bestowed by NASA.[11]

As director of the Hayden Planetarium, Tyson bucked traditional thinking to keep Pluto from being referred to as the ninth planet in exhibits at the center. Tyson has explained that he wanted to look at commonalities between objects, grouping the terrestrial planets together, the gas giants together, and Pluto with like objects and to get away from simply counting the planets. He has stated on The Colbert Report, The Daily Show, and BBC Horizon that this decision has resulted in large amounts of hate mail, much of it from children.[12] In 2006, the I.A.U. confirmed this assessment by changing Pluto to the "dwarf planet" classification. Daniel Simone wrote of the interview with Tyson describing his frustration. "For a while, we were not very popular here at the Hayden Planetarium."

Tyson has been Vice-President, President, and Chairman of the board of the Planetary Society. He is also the host of the PBS program NOVA scienceNOW.[13] He attended and was a speaker at the Beyond Belief symposium on November 2006. In 2007, Tyson, who is known for his vibrant character, cheerful demeanor, and awe of the vastness of the universe itself, was chosen to be a regular on The History Channel's popular series The Universe.

In May 2009, he launched a one-hour radio talk show called StarTalk in which he co-hosted the show with comedienne Lynne Koplitz. The show was syndicated on Sunday afternoons on KTLK AM in Los Angeles and WHFS in Washington DC. The show lasted for 13 weeks, but was resurrected in December 2010 co-hosted with comedians Chuck Nice and Leighann Lord instead of Koplitz. The show is also available via the internet through a live stream or in the form of a podcast.[14]

In April 2011, Tyson was the keynote speaker at the 93rd International Convention of Phi Theta Kappa International Honor Society of the Two-year School. He and James Randi delivered a lecture entitled "Skepticism" which related directly with the convention's theme of "The Democratization of Information: Power, Peril and Promise".

Views

Tyson has argued that intelligent design thwarts the advance of scientific knowledge.[15][16][17] In an interview on podcast "Point of Inquiry", Tyson defines himself as an agnostic.[18] He has written and broadcast extensively about his views of religion, spirituality and the spirituality of science itself including the essays "The Perimeter of Ignorance"[19] and "Holy Wars"[17] both appearing in Natural History magazine and the 2006 Beyond Belief workshop.[20][21]

Tyson lived next to the World Trade Center and was an eyewitness to the September 11, 2001 attacks. He wrote a widely circulated letter on what he saw.[22] On June 6, 2008, after the conclusion of the Democratic presidential primaries, Tyson wrote an op-ed in The New York Times in which he presented a statistical analysis of recent polling data. From this analysis, Tyson concluded that in a hypothetical election held on the day of publication of his article, Barack Obama would lose to John McCain, whereas Hillary Clinton would beat McCain.[23]

Tyson has collaborated with evolutionary biologist Richard Dawkins and presented talks with him on religion and science.[24] When asked if he personally believed in a higher power, Tyson responded: "Every account of a higher power that I've seen described, of all religions that I've seen include many statements with regard to the benevolence of that power. When I look at the universe and all the ways the universe wants to kill us, I find it hard to reconcile that with statements of beneficence."[25]

Tyson collaborated with PETA on a PSA that stated, "You don't have to be a rocket scientist to know that kindness is a virtue."[26] He also granted PETA an interview, in which he discussed the concept of intelligence (both of human and other animals), the failure of humans to heretofore communicate meaningfully with other animals, and the need of humans to be empathetic.[27]

Media appearances

Tyson was the keynote speaker during the dedication ceremony of Deerfield Academy's new science center, the Koch Center in 2007. He emphasized the impact science will have on the 21st century, as well as explaining that investments into science may be costly, but their returns in the form of knowledge gained, and perking interest is invaluable. Tyson also appeared as the Keynote speaker at The Amazing Meeting 6, a science and skepticism conference hosted by the James Randi Educational Foundation, in June 2008.

Tyson appeared a record eight times on The Colbert Report between October 26, 2005 and January 6, 2011. Colbert refers to him in his book I Am America (And So Can You!) in his chapter on scientists. Remarking that most scientists are "decent, well-intentioned people," a sidebar includes the exception, "However, Neil DeGrasse Tyson is an absolute monster."[28]

He also appeared five times on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart between January 2007 and January 2011, once to discuss black holes and his new book Death by Black Hole: And Other Cosmic Quandaries. Two days after his first appearance on The Daily Show, the book ranked as the fourth best selling book on Amazon. He has also made appearances on Late Night with Conan O'Brien (2007).[29] He served as one of the central interviewees on the various episodes of the History Channel science program, The Universe, and was featured as a guest interviewee on episode #156 of The Skeptics' Guide to the Universe (2008). Tyson participated on the NPR radio quiz program Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me! in 2007.[30] On October 25, 2008 he appeared on the series premiere of D.L. Hughley Breaks the News, a CNN comedic news show. In 2009 he appeared as a guest on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, talking about his book The Pluto Files. On June 25, 2009 he appeared as a guest on Late Night With Jimmy Fallon to promote his book, The Pluto Files and talk about his PBS show, Nova scienceNOW. He has been in two of the Symphony of Science videos, We Are All Connected and The Poetry of Reality. In 2010 he appeared on "The Rachel Maddow Show" to discuss Pluto's reclassification, during a recurring segment called "Moment of Geek." He also featured on an episode of Who Wants To Be A Millionaire? as the ask the expert lifeline.[31][32][33] On November 21, 2008, Tyson made a guest appearance as himself in the episode "Brain Storm" of Stargate Atlantis.[34] and on November 6, 2010 in the episode "The Apology Insufficiency" of The Big Bang Theory.[35] On February 4, 2011, Tyson participated as guest at the 201 episode and again at the 223 episode of Real Time with Bill Maher.[36] On November 13, 2011 he answered an AMA (Ask Me Anything) on reddit.[37].

Personal life

Signing a copy of his book Origins. Portrait taken at JREF's The Amazing Meeting 6.

Tyson lives in Lower Manhattan with his wife and two children.[38][39]

Tyson is a fine wine enthusiast whose collection was featured in the May 2000 issue of the Wine Spectator and the Spring 2005 issue The World of Fine Wine. He is a self-declared omnivore.[40]

Selected awards and honors

Awards

Selected honorary doctorates

Honors

  • 2000 Sexiest Astrophysicist Alive, People Magazine
  • 2001 Asteroid named: 13123 Tyson, renamed from Asteroid 1994KA by the International Astronomical Union.
  • 2001 The Tech 100, voted by editors of Crain's Magazine to be among the 100 most influential technology leaders in New York.
  • 2004 50 Most Important African-Americans in Research Science.[42]
  • 2007 Harvard 100: Most Influential Harvard Alumni Magazine, Cambridge. Massachusetts
  • 2007 The Time 100, voted by the Editors of Time Magazine as one of the 100 most influential people in the world.[43]
  • 2008 Discover Magazine selected him one of the '50 Best Brains in Science'.[44]

Selected books by Tyson

List of books by Tyson [45]

  • Space Chronicles (2012) ISBN 0393082104
  • The Pluto Files: The Rise and Fall of America's Favorite Planet (2009) ISBN 0393065200
  • Death by Black Hole: And Other Cosmic Quandaries (2007) ISBN 0393330168
  • The Sky Is Not the Limit: Adventures of an Urban Astrophysicist (1st ed. 2000 / 2nd ed. 2004) ISBN 9781591021889
  • Origins: Fourteen Billion Years of Cosmic Evolution (co-authored with Donald Goldsmith) (2004) ISBN 0393327582
  • My Favorite Universe (A twelve part lecture series) (2003) ISBN 1565856635
  • City of Stars: A New Yorker's Guide to the Cosmos (2002)
  • Cosmic Horizons: Astronomy at the Cutting Edge (2000) ISBN 1565846029
  • One Universe: At Home in the Cosmos (2000) ISBN 0309064880
  • Just Visiting This Planet (1998) ISBN 0385488378
  • Universe Down to Earth (1994)
  • Merlin's Tour of the Universe (1989)

References

  1. ^ Blum, Matt (5 August 2011). "Cosmos Will Get a Sequel Hosted by Neil deGrasse Tyson". Wired. Retrieved 5 August 2011.
  2. ^ Whitaker, Charles (August 2000). "Super Stargazer". Ebony 55 (10): 60. ISSN 0012-9011.
  3. ^ Advance Reading for Keynote address. Cornerstone. Accessed September 4, 2009.
  4. ^ Whitaker, Charles (2000). "Super Stargazer – astrophysicist Neil De Grasse Tyson – brief article". Ebony. Johnson Publishing. Retrieved 2008-06-24. {{cite news}}: Unknown parameter |month= ignored (help)
  5. ^ "A Conversation With Neil deGrasse Tyson". PBS.org. July 2004. Retrieved October 25, 2009.
  6. ^ Adventures of an Urban Astrophysicist. December 12, 2008. Event occurs at 45:43. Retrieved May 01, 2010. {{cite AV media}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help)
  7. ^ "Neil deGrasse Tyson". International Astronautical Federation. Retrieved October 25, 2009.
  8. ^ Cohen, Dan. "Interview with Neil deGrasse Tyson" (PDF). NASA.gov. Retrieved October 25, 2009.
  9. ^ WGBH Educational Foundation (2004). "NOVA – Origins – PBS". Public Broadcasting Service (PBS). Retrieved 2009-06-07.
  10. ^ Tyson, Neil deGrasse; Goldsmith, Donald (2004). Origins: Fourteen Billion Years of Cosmic Evolution. New York: W.W. Norton & Co. ISBN 9780393059922.
  11. ^ a b "Symposium Awards". National Space Symposium. Retrieved October 25, 2010.
  12. ^ The Colbert Report, 2006-08-17
  13. ^ "NOVA – scienceNOW – PBS". Public Broadcasting Service (PBS). Retrieved 2009-06-07.
  14. ^ "StarTalk Radio Show". Retrieved 2011-05-30.
  15. ^ YouTube – Neil deGrasse Tyson on "Intelligent Design" at "Beyond Belief", Youtube
  16. ^ Neil deGrasse Tyson : "The Perimeter of Ignorance"
  17. ^ a b Holy Wars from PBS
  18. ^ Chris Mooney (February 28, 2011). "Neil deGrasse Tyson – Communicating Science". Point of Inquiry (Podcast). Center for Inquiry. Retrieved March 3, 2011.
  19. ^ The Perimeter of Ignorance from Tyson's website
  20. ^ Beyond Belief 2006: Science, Religion, Reason and Survival from The Science Network
  21. ^ Beyond Belief '06 – Neil deGrasse Tyson (Monday, November 5) from YouTube
  22. ^ "The Horror, The Horror" from Tyson's website
  23. ^ Neil deGrasse Tyson (2008-06-06). "Vote by Numbers". The New York Times. Retrieved 2009-06-07.
  24. ^ Richard Dawkins website
  25. ^ YouTube video
  26. ^ "Dr. Neil deGrasse Tyson's Interview With PETA". Retrieved 6 August 2011.
  27. ^ "Dr. Neil deGrasse Tyson's Exclusive PETA Interview". Retrieved 6 August 2011.
  28. ^ Colbert, Stephen (2007). I Am America (And So Can You!). New York: Grand Central Publishing Hachette Book Group USA. ISBN 0446580503.
  29. ^ http://www.haydenplanetarium.org/tyson/watch
  30. ^ Wait Wait...Don't Tell Me! from NPR
  31. ^ http://www.haydenplanetarium.org/tyson/cv/profiles
  32. ^ http://www.podcastdirectory.com/podshows/626200
  33. ^ http://www.podcastdirectory.com/podshows/648292
  34. ^ ""Stargate: Atlantis" Brain Storm (2008)" at IMDb
  35. ^ ""The Big Bang Theory" The Apology Insufficiency (2010)" at IMDb
  36. ^ "Episode 201 guest stars". HBO. Retrieved February 9, 2011 & August 5th, 2011. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help)
  37. ^ http://www.reddit.com/r/IAmA/comments/mateq/i_am_neil_degrasse_tyson_ama/
  38. ^ Profile on Official Tyson website
  39. ^ "Dr Neil DeGrasse Tyson – TAM6", 2008, Vimeo, 38:33 mark, accessed March 4, 2011.
  40. ^ Eric Cutler (201-07-29). "Interview with Neil deGrasse Tyson". SanDiego.com. Retrieved 2011-07-29. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  41. ^ Tyson's website. Honors listing.
  42. ^ "50 Of the Most Inspiring African Americans", Edited by Patricia Hinds, 2002, Essence Books (New York), p. 145.
  43. ^ Michael D. Lemonick (May 3, 2007). "Neil deGrasse Tyson". Time – The Time 100. Retrieved 2009-06-07.
  44. ^ Powell, Corey (November 19, 2008). "The 50 Most Important, Influential, and Promising People in Science". Discover Magazine. Retrieved October 25, 2009.
  45. ^ "Books by Neil deGrasse Tyson". haydenplanetarium.org. Retrieved October 25, 2009.
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