Ann Druyan
Encyclopedia
Ann Druyan is an American
author and producer specializing in productions about cosmology
and popular science
. She made substantial contributions to the PBS
documentary
series, Cosmos
, and was the wife of late scientist and educator, Carl Sagan
.
, Druyan was one of the writers for the television series Cosmos
and a producer for the film Contact
.
She is the CEO and co-founder of Cosmos Studios
. In 2007, she was said to be working on an IMAX film on global warming as well as a sequel to Cosmos. In 2009, she released a series of podcasts entitled At Home in the Cosmos with Annie Druyan in which she describes in detail the life of husband Carl Sagan
, her works, and their marriage.
In 2011, it was announced that she would be part of the writing and production teams for a sequel to Cosmos
, Cosmos: A space-time Odyssey, which was expected to air in 2013.
, Shadows of Forgotten Ancestors, and sections of The Demon-Haunted World
. She also wrote the updated introduction to Sagan's The Cosmic Connection, the epilogue to Billions and Billions
, and her solo novel A Famous Broken Heart.
Druyan was responsible for the selection of music on the Voyager Golden Record
for the solar system exploratory missions, Voyager 1
and Voyager 2
. She also sponsored the Cosmos 1
spacecraft, which intended to demonstrate solar sail
propulsion technology as a means of interstellar space travel. Unfortunately, The Cosmos 1 had a sub-orbital launch failure when the modified Soviet submarine missile used as a launch vehicle malfunctioned.
.
In January 2007, she was a juror at the 2007 Sundance Film Festival
, responsible for selecting the winner of the Alfred P. Sloan Prize
for films about science and technology.
is not necessary to a healthy appreciation for life and a sense of unity with the universe
.
In an interview with Joel Achenbach of the Washington Post, Druyan stated that her early interest in science stemmed from a fascination with Karl Marx
. Achenbach commented that "She had, at the time, rather vaporous standards of evidence," a reference to her belief in the ancient astronauts of Erich von Daniken
and the theories of Immanuel Velikovsky
pertaining to the solar system. Druyan freely acknowledged her past views but also asserted that they changed dramatically after marrying Carl Sagan
.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
author and producer specializing in productions about cosmology
Cosmology
Cosmology is the discipline that deals with the nature of the Universe as a whole. Cosmologists seek to understand the origin, evolution, structure, and ultimate fate of the Universe at large, as well as the natural laws that keep it in order...
and popular science
Popular science
Popular science, sometimes called literature of science, is interpretation of science intended for a general audience. While science journalism focuses on recent scientific developments, popular science is broad-ranging, often written by scientists as well as journalists, and is presented in many...
. She made substantial contributions to the PBS
Public Broadcasting Service
The Public Broadcasting Service is an American non-profit public broadcasting television network with 354 member TV stations in the United States which hold collective ownership. Its headquarters is in Arlington, Virginia....
documentary
Documentary film
Documentary films constitute a broad category of nonfictional motion pictures intended to document some aspect of reality, primarily for the purposes of instruction or maintaining a historical record...
series, Cosmos
Cosmos: A Personal Voyage
Cosmos: A Personal Voyage is a thirteen-part television series written by Carl Sagan, Ann Druyan, and Steven Soter, with Sagan as presenter. It was executive-produced by Adrian Malone, produced by David Kennard, Geoffrey Haines-Stiles and Gregory Andorfer, and directed by the producers, David...
, and was the wife of late scientist and educator, Carl Sagan
Carl Sagan
Carl Edward Sagan was an American astronomer, astrophysicist, cosmologist, author, science popularizer and science communicator in astronomy and natural sciences. He published more than 600 scientific papers and articles and was author, co-author or editor of more than 20 books...
.
Film career
Along with Carl Sagan and Steven SoterSteven Soter
Dr. Steven Soter, PhD, is an astrophysicist currently holding the positions of scientist-in-residence for New York University's Environmental Studies Program and of Research Associate for the Department of Astrophysics at the American Museum of Natural History...
, Druyan was one of the writers for the television series Cosmos
Cosmos: A Personal Voyage
Cosmos: A Personal Voyage is a thirteen-part television series written by Carl Sagan, Ann Druyan, and Steven Soter, with Sagan as presenter. It was executive-produced by Adrian Malone, produced by David Kennard, Geoffrey Haines-Stiles and Gregory Andorfer, and directed by the producers, David...
and a producer for the film Contact
Contact (film)
Contact is a 1997 American science fiction drama film adapted from the Carl Sagan novel of the same name and directed by Robert Zemeckis. Both Sagan and wife Ann Druyan wrote the story outline for the film adaptation of Contact....
.
She is the CEO and co-founder of Cosmos Studios
Cosmos Studios
Cosmos Studios former Abbey Road Studios / EMI - studios in Skärmarbrink on the outskirts of Stockholm, Sweden, has been since the early sixties a landmark of Swedish and international music.-External links:* *...
. In 2007, she was said to be working on an IMAX film on global warming as well as a sequel to Cosmos. In 2009, she released a series of podcasts entitled At Home in the Cosmos with Annie Druyan in which she describes in detail the life of husband Carl Sagan
Carl Sagan
Carl Edward Sagan was an American astronomer, astrophysicist, cosmologist, author, science popularizer and science communicator in astronomy and natural sciences. He published more than 600 scientific papers and articles and was author, co-author or editor of more than 20 books...
, her works, and their marriage.
In 2011, it was announced that she would be part of the writing and production teams for a sequel to Cosmos
Cosmos: A Personal Voyage
Cosmos: A Personal Voyage is a thirteen-part television series written by Carl Sagan, Ann Druyan, and Steven Soter, with Sagan as presenter. It was executive-produced by Adrian Malone, produced by David Kennard, Geoffrey Haines-Stiles and Gregory Andorfer, and directed by the producers, David...
, Cosmos: A space-time Odyssey, which was expected to air in 2013.
Career as an author
Druyan and Sagan co-wrote the books CometComet (book)
Comet is a popular-science book by Carl Sagan and Ann Druyan. It describes the scientific nature of comets, as well as their varying roles and perceptions throughout history...
, Shadows of Forgotten Ancestors, and sections of The Demon-Haunted World
The Demon-Haunted World
The Demon-Haunted World: Science as a Candle in the Dark is a book by astrophysicist Carl Sagan, which was first published in 1995.The book is intended to explain the scientific method to laypeople, and to encourage people to learn critical or skeptical thinking...
. She also wrote the updated introduction to Sagan's The Cosmic Connection, the epilogue to Billions and Billions
Billions and Billions: Thoughts on Life and Death at the Brink of the Millennium
Billions and Billions: Thoughts on Life and Death at the Brink of the Millennium, published by Random House in 1997 , is the last book written by renowned American astronomer and science popularizer Carl Sagan before his death in 1996....
, and her solo novel A Famous Broken Heart.
Druyan was responsible for the selection of music on the Voyager Golden Record
Voyager Golden Record
The Voyager Golden Records are phonograph records which were included aboard both Voyager spacecraft, which were launched in 1977. They contain sounds and images selected to portray the diversity of life and culture on Earth, and are intended for any intelligent extraterrestrial life form, or for...
for the solar system exploratory missions, Voyager 1
Voyager 1
The Voyager 1 spacecraft is a 722-kilogram space probe launched by NASA in 1977, to study the outer Solar System and eventually interstellar space. Operating for as of today , the spacecraft receives routine commands and transmits data back to the Deep Space Network. At a distance of as of...
and Voyager 2
Voyager 2
The Voyager 2 spacecraft is a 722-kilogram space probe launched by NASA on August 20, 1977 to study the outer Solar System and eventually interstellar space...
. She also sponsored the Cosmos 1
Cosmos 1
Cosmos 1 was a project by Cosmos Studios and The Planetary Society to test a solar sail in space. As part of the project, an unmanned solar sail spacecraft christened Cosmos 1 was launched into space at 15:46:09 EDT on June 21, 2005 from the submarine Borisoglebsk in the Barents Sea...
spacecraft, which intended to demonstrate solar sail
Solar sail
Solar sails are a form of spacecraft propulsion using the radiation pressure of light from a star or laser to push enormous ultra-thin mirrors to high speeds....
propulsion technology as a means of interstellar space travel. Unfortunately, The Cosmos 1 had a sub-orbital launch failure when the modified Soviet submarine missile used as a launch vehicle malfunctioned.
Activism
Druyan has served on the Board of Directors of the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws (NORML) for over 10 years, and is also the current president of the NORML Foundation Board of Directors.Honors
In November 2006, Druyan was a speaker at Beyond Belief: Science, Religion, Reason and SurvivalBeyond Belief: Science, Religion, Reason and Survival
Beyond Belief: Science, Religion, Reason and Survival, the first of The Science Network's annual Beyond Belief symposia, held from November 5 to November 7, 2006, was described by the New York Times, as "a free-for-all on science and religion," which seemed at times like "the founding convention...
.
In January 2007, she was a juror at the 2007 Sundance Film Festival
2007 Sundance Film Festival
The 2007 Sundance Film Festival ran from January 18 until January 28, 2007 in Park City, Utah with screenings in Salt Lake City, Utah and Ogden, Utah. It was the 23-rd iteration of the Sundance Film Festival...
, responsible for selecting the winner of the Alfred P. Sloan Prize
Alfred P. Sloan Prize
The Alfred P. Sloan Prize is an award given each year, starting in 2003, to a film at the Sundance Film Festival. The prize is given to a feature film that focuses on science or technology as a theme, or depicts a scientist, engineer, or mathematician as a major character.Each winner is presented...
for films about science and technology.
Religious and philosophical views
As an agnostic, Druyan holds that belief in a deityDeity
A deity is a recognized preternatural or supernatural immortal being, who may be thought of as holy, divine, or sacred, held in high regard, and respected by believers....
is not necessary to a healthy appreciation for life and a sense of unity with the universe
Universe
The Universe is commonly defined as the totality of everything that exists, including all matter and energy, the planets, stars, galaxies, and the contents of intergalactic space. Definitions and usage vary and similar terms include the cosmos, the world and nature...
.
In an interview with Joel Achenbach of the Washington Post, Druyan stated that her early interest in science stemmed from a fascination with Karl Marx
Karl Marx
Karl Heinrich Marx was a German philosopher, economist, sociologist, historian, journalist, and revolutionary socialist. His ideas played a significant role in the development of social science and the socialist political movement...
. Achenbach commented that "She had, at the time, rather vaporous standards of evidence," a reference to her belief in the ancient astronauts of Erich von Daniken
Erich von Däniken
Erich Anton Paul von Däniken is a Swiss author best known for his controversial claims about extraterrestrial influences on early human culture, in books such as Chariots of the Gods?, published in 1968...
and the theories of Immanuel Velikovsky
Immanuel Velikovsky
Immanuel Velikovsky was a Russian-born American independent scholar of Jewish origins, best known as the author of a number of controversial books reinterpreting the events of ancient history, in particular the US bestseller Worlds in Collision, published in 1950...
pertaining to the solar system. Druyan freely acknowledged her past views but also asserted that they changed dramatically after marrying Carl Sagan
Carl Sagan
Carl Edward Sagan was an American astronomer, astrophysicist, cosmologist, author, science popularizer and science communicator in astronomy and natural sciences. He published more than 600 scientific papers and articles and was author, co-author or editor of more than 20 books...
.
Notable quotations
External links
- "Carl Sagan And Ann Druyan's Ultimate Mix Tape" NPR interview with Ann Druyan February 12, 2010
- A Speech given by Ann Druyan at the 1997 annual convention of the Freedom From Religion FoundationFreedom From Religion FoundationThe Freedom From Religion Foundation is an American freethought organization based in Madison, Wisconsin. Its purposes, as stated in its bylaws, are to promote the separation of church and state and to educate the public on matters relating to atheism, agnosticism and nontheism. The FFRF publishes...
- A TV news report on Ann Druyan's comments at the dedication of SETI's Carl Sagan Center for the Study of Life in the Universe, October 17, 2006.
- A response to Darren Schreiber at Beyond Belief 2006.
- BusinessWeek Online interview with Ann Druyan from 2001