Tyson, Neil DeGrasse 1958-

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TYSON, Neil DeGrasse 1958-

PERSONAL: Born October 5, 1958, in New York, NY; son of Cyril De Grasse (a sociologist) and Sunchita (a gerontologist; maiden name Feliciano) Tyson; married Alice Mae Young (a computer programmer), 1988; children: two. Education: Harvard University, B.A., 1980; University of Texas, Austin, M.A., 1983; Columbia University, Ph.D., 1991.

ADDRESSES: Home—New York, NY. Office—Department of Astrophysics, American Museum of Natural History, Central Park W. at 79th St., New York, NY 10024. E-mail—[email protected].

CAREER: Princeton University, Princeton, NJ, visiting research scientist and lecturer, 1994–2003; American Museum of Natural History Department of Astrophysics, member of science staff, 1994–95, acting director of Hayden Planetarium, 1995–96, astrophysicist and Frederick P. Rose director of Hayden Planetarium, 1996–, research associate, 2003–. Served on two special commissions under President George W. Bush regarding U.S. aerospace industry and space program. Astronauts Memorial Foundation, member of board of directors.

MEMBER: American Astronomical Society, New York Academy of Sciences, American Physical Society, Astronomical Society of the Pacific, International Planetarium Society.

WRITINGS:

Merlin's Tour of the Universe, Columbia University Press (New York, NY), 1989, published as Merlin's Tour of the Universe: A Skywatcher's Guide to Everything from Mars and Quasars to Comets, Planets, Blue Moons, and Werewolves, Doubleday (New York, NY), 1997.

Universe down to Earth, Columbia University Press (New York, NY), 1994.

Just Visiting This Planet: Merlin Answers More Questions about Everything under the Sun, Moon, and Stars, illustrations by Stephen J. Tyson, Doubleday (New York, NY), 1998.

(With Charles Liu and Robert Irion) One Universe: At Home in the Cosmos, Joseph Henry Press (Washington, DC), 2000.

The Sky Is Not the Limit: Adventures of an Urban Astrophysicist, Doubleday (New York, NY), 2000.

(Editor with Steven Soter) Cosmic Horizons: Astronomy at the Cutting Edge, New Press (New York, NY), 2001.

(With Donald Goldsmith) Origins: Fourteen Billion Years of Cosmic Evolution, W. W. Norton (New York, NY), 2004.

Contributor to numerous scholarly publications, including Natural History and Highlights for Children.

SIDELIGHTS: Neil DeGrasse Tyson was born and raised in New York City, where an early fascination with the Hayden Planetarium was instrumental in his decision to study astrophysics and astronomy. After graduating from college, Tyson took a position as staff scientist at the Hayden Planetarium, and in 1996 became Frederick P. Rose director of the planetarium. Through his writings, Tyson endeavors to translate the more technical aspects of his work into language more suited to the average reader.

Tyson records many of his career experiences in his memoir, The Sky Is Not the Limit: Adventures of an Urban Astrophysicist. The book follows him from his early years as a student at the Bronx High School of Science, through his academic career, and on to his earning the position of director of the Hayden Planetarium. Constance Johnson, in an article for Black Issues in Higher Education, commented that "studying the universe, researching it and sharing the fruits of that research with the public has always been one of Tyson's life goals. It also was a unique path for a Black male to take and in his case, one devoid of the usual selection of supporters and admirers." Beatrice M. Hoggs, writing for Black Issues Book Review, commented that the book "gives insight on the thought processes of an astrophysicist, and what it means to be African American in such an exclusive field." While Hoggs concludes that "the greatest promise of The Sky Is Not The Limit is in its ability to encourage other African Americans to consider a career in the sciences," Library Journal contributor Michael D. Cramer wrote that Tyson's book is "infectious in that his enthusiasm for the universe rubs off on the reader." Astronomy contributor Beth Livermore lamented the lack of attention to Tyson's research, but concluded that, "told in simple parlance and at a casual pace, this book makes a valuable and enjoyable read for budding scientists, their parents, and their teachers."

One Universe: At Home in the Cosmos, which Tyson coauthored with Charles Liu and Robert Irion, describes what a trip to the edge of the universe would be like in a text geared for lay readers. In a review for Astronomy, a contributor remarked that the volume "manages to shed the reputation of most coffee-table books by being more than just a pretty face." Bobbi Thomas Skaggs, in School Library Journal, observed that "this neatly organized oversized book packs information on the three fundamental aspects of nature: motion,… matter,… and energy."

Origins: Fourteen Billion Years of Cosmic Evolution, coauthored with Donald Goldsmith, examines what scientists have determined about the origins of the universe, paying close attention to the ways in which different scientific specialties such as geology, biology, and astrophysics combine to complete the picture. In a review for Library Journal, Denise Hamilton called the book a "terrific historical perspective on humanity's pursuit of answers."

One Universe serves as a companion piece for a segment of the Public Broadcasting System (PBS) program Nova that was hosted by Tyson and that looks at what scientists have learned about the origins of the universe. In an interview for the PBS Web site, Tyson explained the fascination with trying to determine how the universe got its start: "One thing that distinguishes us today from the discoveries of the past is the extent to which the exploration of the universe has become multidisciplinary. It was unthinkable not long ago that a biologist or paleontologist would be at the same conference as an astrophysicist. Now we have accumulated so much data in each of these branches of science as it relates to origins that we have learned that no one discipline can answer questions of origins alone. It requires the additional insights that one gets by merging not only the questions, but the answers, among scientific disciplines."

Regarding his own goals and wishes regarding astronomical achievement—things he hopes to see uncovered during his lifetime—Tyson remarked in his PBS online interview that he aspires to learn about "the discovery of life somewhere other than on Earth. That is an unimpeachable first goal in our exploration of the cosmos. And what's fascinating is the question of whether that life has DNA … because either DNA is inevitable as the foundation for the coding of life, or life started with DNA in only one place in the solar system and then spread among the livable habitats." Throughout his work, Tyson keeps in mind the enormity of the universe, despite the human mind's inability to truly fathom its actual size. "You have to keep telling yourself how much bigger a billion is than a million, how much bigger a million is than a thousand, and how much bigger a thousand is than a few."

BIOGRAPHICAL AND CRITICAL SOURCES:

BOOKS

Tyson, Neil DeGrasse The Sky Is Not the Limit: Adventures of an Urban Astrophysicist, Doubleday (New York, NY), 2000.

PERIODICALS

Astronomy, July, 2000, Beth Livermore, review of The Sky Is Not the Limit, p. 108; review of One Universe: At Home in the Cosmos, p. 110.

Black Issues Book Review, September, 2000, Beatrice M. Hogg, review of The Sky Is Not the Limit, p. 61.

Black Issues in Higher Education, February 17, 2000, Constance Johnson, "New Star Rising," p. 18.

Discover, April, 2000, Polly Shulman, "Beyond the Star Show," p. 83.

Jet, July 10, 2000, "Noted Black Astrophysicist Cites Importance of Space Exploration during White House Program," p. 46.

Library Journal, March 15, 2000, Michael D. Cramer, review of The Sky Is Not the Limit, p. 123; September 1, 2004, Denise Hamilton, review of Origins: Fourteen Billion Years of Cosmic Evolution, p. 185.

Natural History, February, 2000, p. 22; May, 2001, review of Cosmic Horizons: Astronomy at the Cutting Edge, p. 86.

People, February 28, 2000, Patrick Rogers, "Night Vision: When the Lights Went out, the Universe Clicked on for the Director of New York City's Dazzling New Hayden Planetarium," p. 77; November 13, 2000, "Neil DeGrasse Tyson: Sexiest Astrophysicist," p. 92.

Publishers Weekly, January 31, 2000, review of One Universe, p. 95; review of The Sky Is Not the Limit, p. 95; May 28, 2001, "Witness to Nature," p. 80; March 29, 2004, review of The Sky Is Not the Limit, p. 49.

School Library Journal, August, 2000, Bobbi Thomas Skaggs, review of One Universe, p. 214.

Science News, August 7, 2004, review of The Sky Is Not the Limit, p. 95.

Skeptical Inquirer, September, 2000, Kendrick Frazier, review of The Sky Is Not the Limit, p. 61.

Sky and Telescope, July, 2000, review of One Universe, p. 72.