Accomplishments of Dr. Neil deGrasse Tyson I chose to research Dr. Neil deGrasse Tyson because he has been an extraordinary role model for many people, both young and older. He has helped make learning about astronomy appeal to a much bigger audience than most have previously been able to do. He is a very intelligent man and has made many contributions to this world in his lifetime thus far.
Dr. Neil deGrasse Tyson was born October 5, 1958 in New York City, New York. He graduated from the Bronx High School of Science and went on to earn his BA in Physics from Harvard University, his MA in Astronomy from the University of Texas at Austin and his PhD in Astrophysics from Columbia University. Dr. Tyson is the recipient of eighteen honorary doctorates and 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”. He was a postdoctoral research associate at Princeton University from 1991 to 1994, when he joined the Hayden Planetarium as a staff scientist. His research dealt with problems relating to galactic structure and evolution. He became acting director of the Hayden Planetarium in 1995 and director in 1996. From 1995 to 2005 he wrote monthly essays for Natural History magazine, some of which were collected in Death by Black Hole: And Other Cosmic Quandaries (2007), and in 2000 he wrote an autobiography, The Sky Is Not the Limit: Adventures of an Urban Astrophysicist (Encyclopedia Britannica). In addition to dozens of professional publications, Dr. Tyson has written, and continues to write for the public, he wrote Origins: Fourteen Billion Years of Cosmic Evolution, co-written with Donald Goldsmith. Origins is the companion book to the PBS-NOVA 4-part mini-series Origins, in which Dr. Tyson served as on-camera host. The program premiered on September 28 and 29, 2004. According to Dr. Tyson’s profile at Haydenplanetarium.org, in 2001, Dr. Tyson was appointed by President Bush to serve on a 12-member commission that studied the Future of the US Aerospace Industry and again in 2004 to a 9-member commission on the Implementation of the United States Space Exploration Policy. In 2006, the head of NASA appointed Dr. Tyson to serve on its prestigious Advisory Council. 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.
As director of the Hayden Planetarium, Dr. Tyson strayed away from traditional thinking in order to keep Pluto from being referred to as the ninth planet in exhibits at the center. Dr. 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. In 2006, the International Astronomical Union (IAU) confirmed this assessment by changing Pluto to the dwarf planet classification (Hayden Planetarium).
Dr. Tyson is one of the most in-demand science experts. He gives talks across the country and is a media favorite whenever there is an important science issue making news. Dr. Tyson is known for his ability to make difficult concepts accessible to every audience, his oratory skills and his sense of humor, which has led to appearances on such shows as Real Time with Bill Maher, The Colbert Report and The Daily Show. He also hosts his own podcast StarTalk Radio, a science-based talk show that features comedic co-hosts. StarTalk Radio bridges the intersection between Pop Culture and Science with clarity, humor and passion. Subjects such as space travel, extra-terrestrial life, the Big Bang, the future of our Earth and the environment are all discussed on StarTalk Radio.
Dr. Tyson is vigilant about correcting misrepresentations of science in popular culture. Just a couple of years ago he hit the news big time when he issued a series of lighthearted tweets pointing out errors made by the director of the movie “Gravity.” Then news anchor, Brian Williams included them on the “NBC Nightly News,” and the “Saturday Night Live” team created spoofs of his tweets.
In 2014, Dr. Tyson hosted and was the executive editor of a 13-episode television series entitled COSMOS: A Space-Time Odyssey. The series is a new version of the classic science documentary, Cosmos. The original version provided a general audience with a greater understanding of the origin of life and our universe. Cosmos has been nominated for 13 Emmy Awards, including Outstanding Documentary. In addition to his work at the planetarium, Dr. Tyson has found other ways of improving the nation's scientific literacy with his ongoing additions to his writing collections and speaking engagements. "One of my goals is to bring the universe down to Earth in a way that further excites the audience to want more," he once said (A&E). In addition to breaking down barriers between scientists and the general public, Dr. Tyson has brought diversity to astrophysics. He is one of very few African Americans in his field. As an African-American woman myself, I must say that I am very proud of him and all of his many accomplishments. I thank him for being a wonderful role model to all of the people of the world but especially to the African-American community in our dire time of need. I appreciate his contributions toward portraying a different image than that which is displayed constantly by the American media.
Dr. Tyson lives in New York City with his wife of 27 years, Alice Young a former IT Manager with Bloomberg Financial Markets, and their two children.

Works Cited
"Neil deGrasse Tyson". Encyclopedia Britannica. Encyclopedia Britannica Online.
Encyclopedia Britannica Inc., 2015. Web. 30 May. 2015

"About Neil deGrasse Tyson". Bio. Hayden Planetarium, 2015. Web. 28 May. 2015

"Neil deGrasse Tyson." Bio. A&E Television Networks, 2015. Web. 31 May 2015.