The popular astrophysicist vists Elon University on April 2, 2015, for Spring Convocation in Alumni Gym. All tickets to the event have been distributed. A standby line will form at 2:45 p.m. in the Koury Athletic Center concourse for members of the campus community, and a closed-circuit broadcast of the program takes place in the Lakeside Meeting Rooms.
Neil deGrasse Tyson “The Sky is Not the Limit”
Elon University Spring Convocation
Alumni Gym, 3:30 p.m.
All tickets for this convocation have been distributed. A standby line at the event will form at 2:45 p.m. for members of the campus community, and the university has opened overflow space in the Lakeside Meeting Rooms for a closed-circuit broadcast of Tyson’s remarks from Alumni Gym.
Neil deGrasse Tyson, the Frederick P. Rose Directorship of the Hayden Planetarium and host of the 21st century reboot of Carl Sagan’s landmark television series “Cosmos,” was born and raised in New York City where he was educated in the public schools. He went on to earn his bachelor’s degree in physics from Harvard University and his doctorate in astrophysics from Columbia University.
Tyson’s professional research interests are broad, but include star formation, exploding stars, dwarf galaxies, and the structure of the Milky Way.
In 2001 Tyson was appointed by President George W. Bush to serve on a 12-member commission that studied the future of the U.S. aerospace industry. The final report was published in 2002 and contained recommendations (for Congress and for the major agencies of the government) that would promote a thriving future of transportation, space exploration, and national security.
In 2004 Tyson was again appointed by Bush to serve on the nine-member President’s Commission on the Implementation of the United States Space Exploration Policy. This group navigated a path by which the new space vision can become a successful part of the national agenda. In 2006, the head of NASA appointed Tyson to serve on its prestigious Advisory Council, which will help guide NASA through its perennial need to fit its ambitious vision into its restricted budget.
From 1995 to 2005, Tyson was a monthly essayist for Natural History magazine under the title “Universe.” Among Tyson’s books is his memoir “The Sky is Not the Limit: Adventures of an Urban Astrophysicist” and “Origins: Fourteen Billion Years of Cosmic Evolution,” co-written with Donald Goldsmith.
Two of Tyson’s recent books are the playful and informative “Death By Black Hole and Other Cosmic Quandaries,” which was a New York Times bestseller, and “The Pluto Files: The Rise and Fall of America’s Favorite Planet,” chronicling his experience at the center of the controversy over Pluto’s planetary status. The PBS/NOVA documentary “The Pluto Files,” based on the book, premiered in March 2010.
For five seasons, beginning in the fall of 2006, Tyson appeared as the on-camera host of PBS-NOVA’s spinoff program “NOVA ScienceNOW,” which is an accessible look at the frontier of all the science that shapes the understanding of our place in the universe.
During the summer of 2009 Tyson identified a stable of professional standup comedians to assist his effort in bringing science to commercial radio with the NSF-funded pilot program StarTalk. Now also a podcast, StarTalk Radio combines celebrity guests with informative yet playful banter. Its target audience is all those people who never thought they would, or could, like science.
Tyson is the recipient of the NASA Distinguished Public Service Medal, the highest award given by NASA to a non-government citizen. His contributions to the public appreciation of the cosmos have been recognized by the International Astronomical Union in their official naming of asteroid 13123 Tyson. On the lighter side, Tyson was voted Sexiest Astrophysicist Alive by People Magazine in 2000.
In February 2012, Tyson released his 10th book, containing every thought he has ever had on the past, present, and future of space exploration: “Space Chronicles: Facing the Ultimate Frontier.”