Neil deGrasse Tyson - America's Top Astrophysicist

Neil deGrasse Tyson (born October 5, 1958) is an American astrophysicist and science communicator. He is currently the Frederick P. Rose Director of the Hayden Planetarium at the Rose Center for Earth and Space, and a Research Associate in the Department of Astrophysics at the American Museum of Natural History. Since 2006 he has hosted the educational science television show NOVA scienceNOW on PBS, and has been a frequent guest on The Daily Show, The Colbert Report, Real Time with Bill Maher, and Jeopardy!.

Tyson was born as the second of three children in the borough of Manhattan in New York City, but was raised in The Bronx. His father, Cyril deGrasse Tyson, was a sociologist, and his mother, Sunchita Feliciano Tyson, was a gerontologist.  Tyson attended the Bronx High School of Science (1972–1976, astrophysics emphasis) where he was captain of the wrestling team and was editor-in-chief of the school's Physical Science Journal. Tyson had an abiding interest in astronomy from the age of 11, following his visit to the Hayden Planetarium at age 9, Tyson recalls "that so strong was that imprint [of the night sky] that I'm certain that I had no choice in the matter, that in fact, the universe chose me." —and obsessively studied it in his teens—eventually even gaining some fame in the astronomy community by giving lectures on the subject at the age of 15.

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Astronomer Carl Sagan, who was a faculty member at Cornell University, tried to recruit Tyson to Cornell for undergraduate studies.  But Tyson chose to attend Harvard University, where he earned a Bachelors of Arts in physics in 1980.  He earned a Master of Arts in astronomy in 1983 from University of Texas at Austin.  In 1989, he received a Master of Philosophy in astrophysics and, in 1991, he earned a Doctor of Philosophy in astrophysics from Columbia University.

He has held numerous positions at institutions including University of Maryland, Princeton University, the American Museum of Natural History and Hayden Planetarium.  In 2001, President George W. Bush appointed Tyson to serve on the Commission on the Future of the United States Aerospace Industry and in 2004 to serve on the President's Commission on Implementation of United States Space Exploration Policy, the latter better known as the "Moon, Mars and Beyond" commission. He was soon afterward awarded the NASA Distinguished Public Service Medal, the highest civilian honor bestowed by NASA.  In 2007 he was voted to Harvard's 100 Most Influential Harvard Alumni.  He was voted by the Editors of Time Magazine as one of the 100 most influential people in the world.  In 2008 Discover Magazine selected him one of the '50 Best Brains in Science.