Derrick Pitts '78
Geology Major

Vice-President/Chief Astronomer of the Franklin Institute Science Museum/Fels Planetarium in Philadelphia; host of the WHYY-FM public radio programs "SkyTour" and "SkyTalk"; University Trustee

The alignment of the stars and planets has an even greater impact on Derrick Pitts' life than it does on most people's – as the chief astronomer of the Fels Planetarium, it's the subject of his daily work. He had an extraordinarily busy summer of 2003, for example, giving interviews to the news media and making presentations about the proximity of Mars to the Earth.

In addition to studying geology, Pitts was a member of the Laurentian Singers vocal ensemble. In 1991, he was awarded an Alumni Citation by the University for his career in astronomy and encouragement of education.

The first African-American to be chief astronomer for the Franklin Institute, Pitts has placed a priority on increasing opportunities for children to expand their interest in science, through educational programming offered at the museum and planetarium. He has received several awards for his educational work in the community. Pitts' outreach efforts include appearing regularly on the CBS News, "The Today Show," "Good Morning America" and local television news programs; he also has contributed astronomy columns in the Philadelphia Inquirer and New Jersey Courier-Post newspapers.