Neil Degrasse Tyson | Video from Vanderbilt Lecture

Scientists and educators do not frequently achieve celebrity status. But shouldn't they? Shouldn't we live in a society where we have more science rock stars like Neil Tyson or the late Carl Sagan. Part of the decline of scientific literacy in America is due to the fact that scientists are not made more visible to the public, that politics trumps facts and smart policy, and that scientists are not valued equally to sports stars or media celebrities.

The media needs to buy into this concept so that science advances as fast as fashion and special effects in our culture. 

Last night, Neil Degrasse Tyson visited Vanderbilt. His visit inspired these brief remarks shared above. I recorded a few snippets of his opening remarks and views on science education. 

Dr. Neil Degrasse Tyson, an American astrophysicist and science communicator, discusses his arrival to Nashville, his talk, twitter, and his books in a very humorous way.

Tyson discusses the difficulties in advancing science education in America, the consequences it has on society, one way in which the fall of American science education can be reversed, and his responsibilities to educating the public, not congress.

Tyson discusses the decreasing trend line of American scientific literacy, the forces that want to change the science curriculum, and the national imperative in science literacy that his new show, COSMOS, will bring to Fox watchers.