2017 Lincoln Leadership Prize Recipient

Neil deGrasse Tyson

Neil deGrasse Tyson, Ph.D. is a world-renowned astrophysicist at the American Museum of Natural History and the first occupant of the Frederick P. Rose Directorship at the Hayden Planetarium. Tyson has served as Executive Science Editor, Host and Narrator for Cosmos: A Space Time Odyssey, which won four Emmy Awards, a Peabody Award and two Critics Choice Awards. Tyson also served on two presidential commissions under George W. Bush – one studied the future of the U.S. aerospace industry and the other studied the future of NASA. In 2000, Asteroid 1994 KA was named 13123 Tyson in his honor. The recipient of the prestigious NASA Distinguished Public Service Medal and the National Academy of Sciences Public Welfare Medal, Tyson earned his Ph.D. in astrophysics (1991) from Columbia University, and a bachelor’s degree in physics (1980) from Harvard University. He also is a graduate of the prestigious The Bronx High School of Science. He is the recipient of 19 honorary degrees and author or editor of 13 books, including the New York Times bestseller The Pluto Files: The Rise and Fall of America’s Favorite Planet and most recently, Astrophysics for People in a Hurry. In 2000 he was voted “Sexiest Astrophysicist Alive” by People Magazine. Dr. Tyson is a frequent television guest on shows such as, Charlie Rose, The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, Real Time with Bill Maher, and The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon among others as he continues to advance Abraham Lincoln’s vision for a scientifically enlightened citizenry.

 

 

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