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Astrophysicist and author Neil deGrasse Tyson speaks in Syracuse in 2009 as part of the Rosamond Gifford Lecture Series. Tyson will be back in the Syracuse area later this month.

(Gloria Wright | The Post-Standard)

SALINA, N.Y. - There may have been a time when Neil deGrasse Tyson, who will visit the Syracuse area this month, was known as just a scientist.

That time is gone.

He's crossed over firmly into the realm of pop culture. USA Today even called him a rock star in September.

He's been on The Daily Show and The Colbert Report. He's done Conan, Leno and Fallon and had cameos in The Big Bang Theory and Stargate Atlantis.

Tyson is one of the keynote speakers at NEXT, a local conference focused on manufacturing, innovation and technology. The event takes place Nov. 19 at the Holiday Inn on Electronics Parkway.

Tyson is an astrophysicist and director of the Hayden Planetarium at the American Museum of Natural History in New York City. He's written books, essays and done major scientific research as well.

Tyson was in Syracuse in 2009 when he spoke as part of the Rosamond Gifford Lecture Series and he was at Colgate University in Hamilton earlier this year. But if you've never heard of him, here are a few good intros.

He doesn't shy away from the big questions, like does the universe have a purpose?

And he doesn't mind a little intellectual combat. Here's a well-known critique of Bill O'Reilly that's been viewed on YouTube more than 2.6 million times:



Tyson was also one of the figures at the center of the controversy over Pluto's demotion to "minor planet." He wrote about the experience in one of his latest books, The Pluto Files: The Rise and Fall of America's Favorite Planet, and talks about it here:

Tyson has a big audience on Twitter too, with more than 1.5 million followers. Some gems from the past few weeks:

More information on NEXT is available online.

Contact Kevin Tampone at ktampone@syracuse.com or (315) 454-2112. Follow him on Twitter @ktampone.