45 Neil deGrasse Tyson

Neil deGrasse Tyson

Time period:

1958 – present

Subject:

Physics, Science Communication

Biography:

Dr. Neil deGrasse Tyson is a renowned American astrophysicist and science communicator. Born and raised in New York City, he attended public schools and graduated from the Bronx High School of Science. He earned a bachelor’s degree in physics from Harvard and later completed a PhD in Astrophysics at Columbia. Throughout his career, Dr. Tyson has contributed to numerous projects and authored several books and television programs. He served on U.S. government committees in 2001 and 2004, focusing on the future of the aerospace industry and the implementation of space exploration policies. In 2006, he was appointed to NASA’s Advisory Council by its administrator. Currently, Dr. Tyson directs the Hayden Planetarium at the American Museum of Natural History in New York City, where he holds the Frederick P. Rose Directorship. Additionally, he is a research associate in the Museum’s Department of Astrophysics.

Summary of their contributions:

Dr. Neil deGrasse Tyson has built an impressive career in science communication. Between 1995 and 2005, he contributed monthly essays to Natural History magazine and, to date, has authored 28 books on astrophysics and the universe. Beyond his writing, Dr. Tyson has been involved in various science-focused television programs. In 2004, he hosted Origins, a four-episode series exploring the beginnings of the universe, stars, planets, and life. From 2006 to 2011, he hosted NOVA scienceNOW, and starting in 2009, he began hosting the weekly radio show StarTalk. In 2014, he hosted the television series Cosmos: A Spacetime Odyssey. Additionally, as the director of the Hayden Planetarium, Dr. Tyson led a $210 million renovation of the facility, which reopened in 2000.

Integration with the BC Secondary Science Curriculum:

As Neil deGrasse Tyson’s career has mainly been within science communication, he has created many resources to teach astronomy and astrophysics to the general population. The BC curriculum for Science 10 teaches about the formation of the universe, the Big Bang theory, and the components of the universe which would fit in perfectly with Dr. Tyson’s work.

In terms of curricular competencies, work can be applied, but not limited to;

• Demonstrate a sustained intellectual curiosity about a scientific topic or problem of personal interest.
• Seek and analyze patterns, trends, and connections in data, including describing relationships between variables (dependent and independent) and identifying inconsistencies.
• Use knowledge of scientific concepts to draw conclusions that are consistent with evidence.
• Formulate physical or mental theoretical models to describe a phenomenon.

Communicate scientific ideas, claims, information, and perhaps a suggested course of action, for a specific purpose and audience, constructing evidence-based arguments and using appropriate scientific language, conventions, and representations.

References:

Building Student Success – B.C. Curriculum. (n.d.). Curriculum.gov.bc.ca. https://curriculum.gov.bc.ca/curriculum/science/10/core

Gregersen, E. (2019). Neil deGrasse Tyson | Biography, Books, TV Shows, & Facts. In Encyclopædia Britannica. https://www.britannica.com/biography/Neil-deGrasse-Tyson

Tyson, N. deGrasse. (n.d.). Neil deGrasse Tyson. Neildegrassetyson.com. https://neildegrassetyson.com/