| Marcia Bartusiak | |
| Nationality: | American |
| Occupation: | Journalist Academic |
| Known For: | Science writing, Teaching |
| Awards: | American Institute of Physics Science Writing Award (1982, 2001, 2019), History of Science Society Davis Prize (2010), American Institute of Physics Gemant Award (2006), Fellow of the AAAS (2008), Astronomical Society of the Pacific's Klumpke-Roberts Award (2010), NASA Journalist-In-Space Finalist (1987), Sigma Xi Distinguished Lectureship (2022-23) |
Marcia F. Bartusiak is an author, journalist, and Professor of the Practice Emeritus of the Graduate Program in Science Writing at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Trained in both communications (B.A. from American University, 1971) and physics (M.S. from Old Dominion University, 1979), she writes about the fields of astronomy and physics.[1] Bartusiak has been published in National Geographic, Discover, Astronomy, Sky & Telescope, Science, Popular Science, World Book Encyclopedia, Smithsonian, and MIT Technology Review.[2] The author of seven books, she is also a columnist for Natural History magazine.[3]
Bartusiak started her career in 1971 as the first female reporter at WVEC-TV (ABC affiliate) in Norfolk, Virginia. She also served for a period as the station's first female anchor before leaving in 1975 to begin a graduate education in physics. After receiving her master's degree, she became a charter member of the writing staff of Discover magazine, when it first started up in 1980, and then began a freelance science-writing career in 1982. [4] In 2003, she joined the faculty of the MIT Graduate Program in Science Writing, retiring in 2019 as a professor emeritus.
Bartusiak has three times won the American Institute of Physics Science Writing Award: in 2019 for Dispatches from Planet 3, in 2001 for Einstein's Unfinished Symphony and in 1982 for The Ultimate Timepiece in Discover Magazine. In 2010 The Day We Found the Universe won the History of Science Society's Watson Davis and Helen Miles Davis Prize.[5] Bartusiak won the 2006 American Institute of Physics Andrew W. Gemant Award.[6] "The Andrew Gemant Award recognizes the accomplishments of a person who has made significant contributions to the cultural, artistic, or humanistic dimension of physics given annually."[7] In 2008 she was elected a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science for “exceptionally clear communication of the rich history, the intricate nature, and the modern practice of astronomy to the public at large" and was also chosen to be a 2022-23 Distinguished Lecturer for Sigma Xi, the scientific research honor society.[8]
| Year | Title | Publisher | Subject matter | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1986 | Thursday's Universe | Random House | Astronomy and Astrophysics | |
| 1993 | Through a Universe Darkly | HarperCollins | History of Astronomy | |
| 2000 | Joseph Henry Press | Astronomy | ||
| 2004 | Pantheon Books | History of Astronomy | ||
| 2009 | The Day We Found the Universe | Pantheon Books | History of Astronomy | |
| 2015 | Black Hole | Yale University Press | History of Astronomy | |
| 2017 | Einstein's Unfinished Symphony: The Story of a Gamble, Two Black Holes, and a New Age of Astronomy | Yale University Press | Astronomy and Astrophysics | |
| 2018 | Dispatches from Planet 3 | Yale University Press | Astronomy and Astrophysics |