Production editor Erica Johnson is back on the blog today with some fascinating news to share about Neil deGrasse Tyson. Take it away, Erica!

Science, space, time…these are topics so massive that they can be hard to comprehend. Fortunately, there are great books and television programs to help us!

I’ve been watching the TV series Cosmos: A Spacetime Odyssey, hosted by Neil deGrasse Tyson. It’s a reboot of the 1980 series called Cosmos: A Personal Journey, written and hosted by Carl Sagan. If you haven’t seen either show, it’s a science documentary series that explores a wide range of topics like evolution and the expanse of the universe.

The new Cosmos series made my list of TV to check out back in August. Lerner was about to launch a new series called STEM Trailblazer Bios, and Neil deGrasse Tyson was the subject of the lead title. This series explores the life stories and significant contributions of some of today’s most accomplished figures in STEM fields, such as the founders of YouTube, the creator of Flickr, and the developer of Google Glass.

One of the fun facts I learned is that when Tyson was a teenager, he corresponded with and met Sagan. Tyson was trying to pick a college, and Sagan wanted him to choose Cornell University. Tyson shares details from their meeting in the first episode of Cosmos. He calls it a passing of the torch between teacher and student.  Tyson’s passion for the universe was present at an early age, and through his books, lectures, and TV shows, he is bringing the wonders of science to a new generation. Our biography details aspects of Tyson’s life (like the college he eventually chose) while emphasizing his body of work in astrophysics and space advocacy.

You can learn more about Tyson by reading Astrophysicist and Space Advocate Neil deGrasse Tyson (cover pictured) in the STEM Trailblazer Bios series. It’s perfect for a reader with a passion for space or an interest in becoming a scientist.