The Humanist Interview with Neil Degrasse Tyson (Interview‪)‬

Neil deGrasse Tyson is the Frederick P. Rose Director of the Hayden Planetarium at the American Museum of Natural History in New York City, where he was born and raised. He graduated from the Bronx High School of Science, and earned his BA in physics from Harvard and his PhD in astrophysics from Columbia. His research interests include star formation, exploding stars, dwarf galaxies, and the structure of the Milky Way. In 2001 Tyson was appointed by George W. Bush to a commission to study the future of the U.S. aerospace industry, and another on space exploration policy, for which he received the NASA Distinguished Public Service Medal. He is currently the president of the Planetary Society. Tyson regularly contributes to a number of publications, including Natural History magazine, and he is the author of nine books, including Death by Black Hole and Other Cosmic Quandries and The Pluto Files: The Rise and Fall of America's Favorite Planet. In 2004 he hosted a special NOVA miniseries titled "Origins," and he currently hosts the PBS program NOVA scienceNOW, which continues to bring intelligent discussions of cutting-edge scientific and technological advances into millions of homes. Tyson is also a regular on the History Channel and makes occasional appearances on Jeopardy, the Daily Show, and the Colbert Report. 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. And in 2000 People magazine named him the Sexiest Astrophysicist Alive. The Humanist: Dr. deGrasse Tyson, it's great to be with you here at the 68th Annual American Humanist Association Conference in Phoenix, Arizona. Is this your first humanist conference?