Neil deGrasse Tyson wants others to see the world like an astrophysicist.
In his talk Wednesday night at the Phillips Center for the Performing Arts, Tyson explored science’s place in modern culture with more than 1,600 students.
He addressed killer asteroids, pre-Euro coinage and the flaws of today’s American science as the audience giggled along with the famed scientist and public speaker.
In the talk, Tyson showed how the United States is declining as a scientific power and plead for a revival of a futuristic “dream for tomorrow.”
“We want to be a country that values the things that move us into the future that was imagined 20 or 30 years ago,” he said.
In addition to being the Director of the Hayden Planetarium in New York City, Tyson is a prolific writer and speaker who reduces complex scientific ideas in a way that resonates with average people.
One interjector called for him to run for president.
Tyson declined, saying the relative shortness of politicians’ terms wouldn’t fix the problem.
“I want to compel the electorate to vote for politicians who dream of the tomorrow,” he said.
He emphasized the power that science gives people in everyday life, and the ways the U.S. fails to take advantage of them.
“The laws of physics allow us to predict the future,” Tyson said. “It gives us control of things you’d otherwise run from.”
In a Q-and-A session following his presentation, Tyson was asked about his inspirations, the meaning of happiness and ideas on religion versus scientific knowledge.
“I’m pretty sure the universe called me,” he said.
Kurtis Lee loves to watch Tyson’s interviews on YouTube and was excited to see him speak in person.
“My favorite part was when he talked about America’s scientific decline,” the 20-year-old math sophomore said. “But I think with the teens in America, it’s not fixable.”
Brittany Natale, a 19-year-old business freshman, and Madalynn Dare, an 18-year-old statistics freshman, were just two of about 300 who sat on the Phillips Center lawn and watched Tyson on a projection.
“Everyone was so excited to get the tickets. We didn’t get them in the 30 minutes before they ran out,” Dare said. “But I learned a lot of new stuff.”
Astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson talks about space and science before a full house at the Phillips Center for the Performing Arts on Wednesday night.
