Eric Chaisson

Eric J. Chaisson (pronounced chase-on, born on October 26, 1946, in Lowell, Massachusetts) is an American astrophysicist known for his research, teaching, and writing on the interdisciplinary science of cosmic evolution. He is a member of the Center for Astrophysics | Harvard & Smithsonian, teaches natural science at Harvard University and is an elected Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science.[1]

He has published nearly 200 peer-reviewed articles in science journals on topics including interstellar clouds and nebulae[2][3] as well as the supermassive black hole at the center of the Milky Way Galaxy,[4][5] complexity science utilizing the innovative concept of energy rate density, [6][7] waste heating effects on climate change,[8][9][10] and astrobiology of life in the Universe.[11][12] He also seeks to unify natural science[13][14] and works to improve science education nationally and internationally.[15][16]

  1. ^ Science, p1010, November 30, 2018
  2. ^ "Inside Cool Interstellar Clouds," Nature, p311, October 6, 1972
  3. ^ "Gaseous Nebulas", E. Chaisson, Scientific American, pp164-180, December 1978
  4. ^ ”Black Hole Reportedly Detected at Core of the Milky Way Galaxy,” W. Sullivan, New York Times, p24, March 15, 1979
  5. ^ Harvard Astronomer Announces Find of Possible Black Hole at Milky Way Galaxy's Core," The Harvard Crimson, March 16, 1979
  6. ^ Big History and the Future of Humanity, Spier, F., Wiley-Blackwell, London, 2011
  7. ^ ”Energy Flows in Low-Entropy Complex Systems,” E. Chaisson, Entropy, v 17, pp8007-8018, 2015
  8. ^ ”The Other Global Warming,” B. Venkataraman, Boston Sunday Globe, page 1, January 25, 2009
  9. ^ ”The Heat to come . . .” E. Chaisson, New Scientist, pp24-25, April 4, 2009
  10. ^ ”How clean is green?” A. Ananthaswamy, New Scientist, pp35-38, January 28, 2012
  11. ^ ”The Ascent of Life,” M. Chorost, New Scientist, pp35-37, January 21, 2012
  12. ^ "A Unifying Concept for Astrobiology," E. Chaisson, International Journal of Astrobiology, v 2, p 91, 2003.
  13. ^ ”Unnecessary Complexity,” D. McShea, Science, v 342, pp1319-1320, 2013
  14. ^ "Rhythm of the Cosmos: Finding Unity among the Natural Sciences", E. Chaisson, Tufts Magazine, pp 16-22, Spring, 2001.
  15. ^ The 13th Labor: Improving Science Education: A collection of essays from a workshop at the American Academy of Arts & Sciences, T-C. Kim and E. Chaisson (eds.), Gordon&Breach Publishers, 1999
  16. ^ Astronomy Today, Chaisson, E. and S. McMillan, Pearson, 9 editions, 1993-2018