Hayden Planetarium Director, Essayist and PBS Host to Speak at Duke

Neil deGrasse Tyson, an astrophysicist who directs the American Museum of Natural History's Hayden Planetarium in New York City, will speak on "America's Future in Space" at a Dec. 1 colloquium at Duke University's Department of Physics.

His talk, which is free and open to the public, begins at 3:30 p.m. in Room 114 of the Physics Building, near the end of Science Drive on Duke's West Campus. Tea and coffee will be available before his address, and refreshments will be served afterwards in the adjoining lobby.

Tyson's research interests include star formation, exploding stars, dwarf galaxies and the structure of our Milky Way galaxy. President Bush recently appointed him to a commission on the implementation of the United States' space exploration policy after previously naming him to a commission on the future of the U.S. aerospace industry.

He also writes the monthly "Universe" essay column in his museum's Natural History magazine and hosted the four-part 2004 PBS-NOVA miniseries "Origins" that traces 14 billion years of cosmic evolution.

The International Astronomical Union recently named the asteroid "13123 Tyson" as recognition for his contributions to the public appreciation of the cosmos.

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