Astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson lectures to a packed house at the College of the Holy Cross last night, where more than 2500 people were in attendance. The talk, titled “Science as a Way of Knowing,” was part of the Colleges annual Hanify-Howland Memorial Lecture series.
According to the Telegram & Gazette “Tyson is a brilliant astrophysicist with that rare ability to help everyday people understand the bewildering vastness of the universe, but, as was evidenced Thursday night at the College of the Holy Cross, he's also hilarious.”
Reporter Steve Foskett continues: “From his taunting of long-suffering believers that Pluto is still a planet ("Get over it"), to a riff on Russian dash cams and the amazing calmness of citizens as an asteroid plowed through the atmosphere last year at 40,000 miles per hour ("If I was in the car I would have screamed. Those were some cool Russians"), Mr. Tyson was careful most of the time not too take himself or his subject matter too seriously.”
Earlier in the evening Tyson received a key to the city of Worcester from Mayor Joseph Petty. Mayor Petty noted the key was special because it was made by Worcester Technical High School students and a similar one was presented to President Obama during his Commencement address at the local high school earlier this year. Tyson was humbled by the key and proudly displayed it to the audience last night.
Tyson is the head of the world-renowned Hayden Planetarium in New York City and the first occupant of its Frederick P. Rose Directorship.
Since 1965, the Hanify-Howland lecture series has brought to the Holy Cross campus a series of distinguished speakers who have speakers who have exemplified in their own work the spirit of public service that the series was established to encourage.
A video and photo gallery of Tyson's visit to campus is forthcoming.
Media Coverage
- WBUR's "Radio Boston," Nov. 14: Neil deGrasse Tyson On The Joy of Science
- Telegram & Gazette, Nov. 14: Astrophysicist Tyson sells spirit of science
- Worcester News Tonight, Nov. 13: Astrophysicist Tyson talks at Holy Cross (starts at 7 mins.)
This "Holy Cross in the News" item by Cristal Steuer.
