UW and the community

May 4, 2011

Astrophysicist lecture is full, but you can catch it on the Internet

Neil deGrasse Tyson is one popular astrophysicist.

Within a few hours of registration opening for his free May 12 lecture at the UW, the auditorium where he was to speak was at capacity. When the lecture was moved to the more spacious Meany Hall, it filled up again within minutes.

But Tyson fans shouldnt give up hope. Whereas the UWs Meany Hall can seat 1,200, other fans can watch his talk live from the comfort of their homes, offices, libraries or even coffee shops. The UW Graduate School, which is sponsoring his talk, will stream Tysons talk live over the internet. For the more adventuresome, stand-by seating will also be offered. Just show up and wait in line.

The lecture, which will be streamed live at 6:30 p.m., Thursday, May 12, will not be archived or posted for viewing later. Details on the lecture are available online.

Tyson, director of the Hayden Planetarium in New York City, will reflect on highlights from his scientific career — including being blamed by adults and school children alike for demoting Pluto. Tyson will also share anecdotes from his time as space policy advisor to NASA, to the Bush White House, and to school systems. Tyson will further reflect on the Obama space plan, Mars Rovers, the search for life, Dark Matter, Dark Energy, the Large Hadron Collider and progress on a theory of everything.

Tyson was born and raised in New York City, where he was educated in the public schools clear through his graduation from the Bronx High School of Science. He went on to earn his bachelors 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 our Milky Way. He obtains his data from the Hubble Space Telescope, as well as from telescopes in California, New Mexico and Arizona and in the Andes Mountains of Chile.

In 2001, Tyson was appointed by President 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 once again appointed by President Bush to serve on a nine-member commission on the implementation of the U.S. space exploration policy, dubbed the Moon, Mars and Beyond Commission. This group navigated a path by which the new space vision can become a successful part of the American agenda. And 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.

In addition to dozens of professional publications, Tyson has written, and continues to write, for the public. He was a monthly essayist for Natural History magazine under the title Universe. Among Tyson’s nine 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. Origins is the companion book to the 2004 PBS-NOVA four-part mini-series Origins, in which Tyson serves as on-camera host.

During the summer of 2009 Tyson joined with co-host Lynn Koplitz, a professional standup comedienne, to bring science to commercial radio with the NSF-funded pilot program StarTalk. Combining celebrity guests with informative yet playful banter, StarTalk’s target audience is all those people who never thought they would, or could, like science.

Tyson is the recipient of nine honorary doctorates and the NASA Distinguished Public Service Medal. 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.

Tyson is the first occupant of the Frederick P. Rose Directorship of the Hayden Planetarium.

The lecture is sponsored by the UW Graduate School’s Graduate Opportunities & Minority Achievement Program (GO-MAP) and is being offered through a partnership of the Jessie and John Danz. and Mary Ann and John D. Mangels endowments. The UW Alumni Association is co-sponsoring the lecture.