In his new book The New Celebrity Scientists: Out of the Lab and into the Limelight, Professor Declan Fahy profiles eight eloquent, controversial, and compelling sellers of science to investigate how they achieved celebrity in the United States and internationally—and explores how their ideas influence our understanding of the world.
As the book jacket explains, “A new cultural icon strode the world stage at the turn of the twenty-first century: the celebrity scientist, as comfortable in Vanity Fair and Vogue as Smithsonian. Declan Fahy profiles eight of these eloquent, controversial, and compelling sellers of science to investigate how they achieved celebrity in the United States and internationally—and explores how their ideas influence our understanding of the world.”
As one reviewer summarized: In The New Celebrity Scientists, Declan Fahy delves into the complex, captivating world of science by profiling the people who have helped popularize it. His vivid account follows the rise of several key scientific figures of the 20th and 21st centuries—and the consequences of their fame within the scientific community and society at large. Clear, organized, and rich in narrative detail, this book is well-suited for audiences both inside and outside the classroom.
In a recent interview with SOC graduate Student Domanique Jordan, Fahy said: “When scientists are celebrities, science has a cultural force. Figures like Neil deGrasse Tyson and Brian Greene and Richard Dawkins circulate scientific ideas and concepts through popular culture. In the process, they shape public discussion around science-based controversies, such as evolution and intelligent design.”
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