Derrick Pitts
Philadelphia PA
Derrick Pitts is Chief Astronomer and Director of the Fels Planetarium at Philadelphia's Franklin Institute Science Museum. He is a NASA Solar System Ambassador and is the first NASA/MIRS Astrobiology Ambassador.
He presents regularly in the media as a science content expert including stunning appearances on the “Colbert Report” and “The Late, Late Show with Craig Ferguson” on CBS. For more than two decades, has hosted award-winning astronomy radio programs for Philadelphia’s two public radio stations. Pitts met President Obama and his family when he was invited to the White House to participate in the first-ever White House Star Party.
Pitts is known as an excellent ‘teacher’ and puts his emphasis on making sure that everyone can appreciate the universe as he sees it – not a watered-down sketch of the universe, but a rich, deep, complex version with human connections that everyone can understand at some level.
He has received numerous awards and currently serves on the Board of Trustees for his alma mater St. Lawrence University and is currently president of the Greater Philadelphia Chapter of Tuskegee Airmen Inc.