Neil deGrasse Tyson October 14, 2004 (Thursday) 4:15 p.m. Informal Seminar Standish Room, New Library UAlbany, Uptown Campus 8:00 p.m. Reading Page Hall, 135 Western Ave UAlbany, Downtown Campus

Neil deGrasse Tyson, astrophysicist, science writer, and Director of the Hayden Planetarium at the Museum of Natural History, is the author of the new book, "Origins: Fourteen Billion Years of Cosmic Evolution" (with Donald Goldsmith, 2004), which is the companion volume to the new PBS television series, "NOVA: Origins," a four-part special edition of the world's most-watched science program. Renowned for his ability to explain his complex field to the general public, Tyson also serves as the host and narrator of the series, which is scheduled to air on PBS stations nationwide in late September 2004, and in more than 100 countries around the globe.

Both the book and the series draw upon biology and geology, as well as astrophysics, to explain our current understanding of the Universe. Both address such topics as dark energy, the Big Bang, antimatter, the recent discovery of planets outside the Solar System, the size of the Universe, the origins of life on earth, the search for extraterrestrial life, and the riddles of space-time.

Tyson is a public scientist in the tradition of Carl Sagan, an astronomer who is frequently called upon by the American media to explain new discoveries and developments. He appears often on network television programs, including NBC's "Nightly News," ABC's "World News Tonight" and ABC's "Nightline." He has also been interviewed six times on "Charlie Rose."

In his recent autobiography, "The Sky is Not the Limit: Adventures of an Urban Astrophysicist" (2000), Tyson traces the arc of his remarkable life, from his beginnings as an eccentric African-American kid who loved to study the night sky from the roof of his Bronx apartment building, to his role as one of the most influential scientists in his field.

["The Sky is Not the Limit" is] "as much a captivating biography of the universe and an insight into how scientists think as it is a chronicle of his career. It's also tempered with the cold reality of the struggle black scientists face in pursuing their careers in a racially stereotyped society." - "Christian Science Monitor"

Since 1995, Tyson has authored the monthly "Universe" column in "Natural History" magazine. He is also a longtime author of the "Ask Merlin" feature in "Star Date" magazine, a publication of the NPR radio show. Some of Tyson's "Ask Merlin" essays have been collected in the books, "Just Visiting This Planet" (1998) and "Merlin's Tour of the Universe" (1989).

As an advisor to the Bush administration, Tyson is one of the leading shapers of America's current space policies. In 2001, he was appointed to a 12-member commission on the Future of the U. S. Aerospace Industry. This year, he was appointed to a 9-member commission (known informally as the "Moon to Mars Commission") that will reformulate space exploration policies, and implement a manned mission to Mars by the year 2015. To honor Tyson's contributions to the profession, the International Astronomical Union has named an asteroid for him, "13123 Tyson." In November 2000, "People Magazine" voted him the "Sexiest Astrophysicist Alive."