Steven J. Dick

Infobox Scientist
name = Steven J. Dick
box_width =


image_width =200px
caption =NASA publications photo
birth_date =
birth_place =
death_date =
death_place =
residence =
citizenship =
nationality = American
ethnicity =
field = Astrobiology History of Science
work_institutions = U.S. Naval Observatory NASA
alma_mater = University of Indiana
doctoral_advisor =
doctoral_students =
known_for =
author_abbrev_bot =
author_abbrev_zoo =
influences =
influenced =
prizes =
religion =
footnotes =

Steven J. Dick is an American astronomer, author and science historian most noted for his work in the field of astrobiology. Dick is the Chief Historian for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. He is a member of the International Academy of Astronautics and its SETI Permanent Study Group. [NASA, [http://www.spaceref.com/news/viewpr.html?pid=12753 "NASA Names Dr. Steven J. Dick to be New Historian"] NASA HQ press release, Oct. 10, 2003]

Career

Steven J. Dick received a Bachelor of Science in astrophysics from the University of Indiana in 1971. In 1977, he obtained a Master of Arts and a Ph.D. in history and philosophy of science. For 24 years, Dick worked as an astronomer and science historian for United States Naval Observatory in Washington D.C., including three years at the Naval Observatory's Southern Hemisphere station in New Zealand. In 2003, he was named the Chief Historian for National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). [Harv|NASA|2003]

Dick received the NASA Group Achievement Award as a member of a panel which examined the societal implications of possible life on Mars rock. The award was given "for initiating the new NASA multidisciplinary program in astrobiology, including the definition of the field of astrobiology, the formulation and initial establishment of the NASA Astrobiology Institute, and the development of a Roadmap to guide future NASA investments in astrobiology." [Harv|NASA|2003] Dick's published work in the field of astrobiology include "Plurality of Worlds: The Origins of the Extraterrestrial Life Debate from Democritus to Kant" (Cambridge University Press, 1982); "The Biological Universe: The Twentieth Century Extraterrestrial Life Debate and the Limits of Science" (Cambridge University Press, 1996); "Life on Other Worlds: The 20th Century Extraterrestrial Life Debate" (1998), and, with James Strick, "The Living Universe: NASA and the Development of Astrobiology" (2005).

Dick served as Chairman of the Historical Astronomy Division of the American Astronomical Society (1993-1994), as President of the History of Astronomy Commission of the International Astronomical Union (1997-200) and as President of the Philosophical Society of Washington. [Brashear, Ronald [http://www.aas.org/had/doggett/2006doggett2dick.html "Steven J. Dick Awarded the 2006 LeRoy E. Doggett Prize"] , American Astronomical Society, 2006] [cite web |url=http://philsoc.org/Presidents.html |title=PSW List of Presidents |format= |work= |accessdate=2008-09-11] He is on the editorial board for the Journal for the History of Astronomy, and is an associate editor of the International Journal of Astrobiology.

In 2006, Dick received the LeRoy E. Doggett Prize from the American Astronomical Society for a career that "has significantly influenced the field of the history of astronomy." [Harv|Brashear|2006]

Selected publications

*"Plurality of Worlds: The Origins of the Extraterrestrial Life Debate from Democritus to Kant" (Cambridge University Press, 1982) ISBN 0521319854
*"The Biological Universe: The Twentieth Century Extraterrestrial Life Debate and the Limits of Science" (Cambridge University Press, 1996) ASIN B000UUKKY6
*"Life on Other Worlds: The 20th Century Extraterrestrial Life Debate" (Cambridge University Press, 2001) ISBN-10: 0521799120
*"Many Worlds: The New Universe, Extraterrestrial Life and the Theological Implications" (Templeton Foundation Press, 2000) ISBN 1890151424
*"The Living Universe: NASA and the Development of Astrobiology" (Rutgers University Press, 2005) (co-authored with James Strick) ISBN 0813537339
*"Sky and Ocean Joined – The U.S. Naval Observatory 1830-2000" (Cambridge University Press, 2007) ISBN 0-521-81599-1

References

External links

* [http://history.nasa.gov/series95.html NASA History Division]