Neil deGrasse Tyson Coming to Benedum Center, 5/7

The Pittsburgh Cultural Trust announces an evening with American astrophysicist, author and science communicator Neil deGrasse Tyson on Thursday, May 7, 2015, at 7:30 p.m., at the Benedum Center. This event is presented by Bill Blumenreich Presents.

Tickets ($34.25-$77.25)are available at www.TrustArts.org, by calling (412) 456-6666, or in person at Theater Square Box Office, 655 Penn Avenue.

Neil deGrasse Tyson was born and raised in New York City where he was educated in public schools through his graduation from the Bronx High School of Science. Tyson continued on to earn his BA in Physics from Harvard and his PhD in Astrophysics from Columbia. Dr. Tyson's professional research interests are broad, but include star formation, exploding stars, dwarf galaxies, and the structure of our Milky Way.

In addition to dozens of professional publications, Dr. Tyson has written, and continues to write for the public. Tyson was a monthly essayist for Natural History magazine under the title Universe. Also, among Tyson's ten books, is his memoir The Sky is Not the Limit: Adventures of an Urban Astrophysicist; and Origins: Fourteen Billion Years of Cosmic Evolution, co-written with Donald Goldsmith. Origins is the companion book to the PBS-NOVA 4-part mini-series Origins, in which Tyson served as on-camera host.

In March 2014, Tyson served as Executive Editor and on camera Host & Narrator for Cosmos: A SpaceTime Odyssey, the 21st century reboot of Carl Sagan's landmark television series. Cosmos was nominated for 13 Emmy Awards, including Outstanding Documentary.

Dr. Tyson is the recipient of eighteen honorary doctorates and the NASA Distinguished Public Service Medal, the highest award given by NASA to a non-government citizen. 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."

Dr. Tyson is the fifth head of the world-renowned Hayden Planetarium in New York City and the first occupant of its Frederick P. Rose Directorship. He is also a research associate of the Department of Astrophysics at the American Museum of Natural History. For more information, visit www.haydenplanetarium.org/tyson.