Charles Seife is an American author and journalist, and a professor at

New York University New York University (NYU) is a private research university in New York City. Chartered in 1831 by the New York State Legislature, NYU was founded by a group of New Yorkers led by then- Secretary of the Treasury Albert Gallatin. In 1832, th ...

. He has written extensively on scientific and mathematical topics.

Career

Seife holds a mathematics degree from

Princeton University Princeton University is a private research university in Princeton, New Jersey. Founded in 1746 in Elizabeth as the College of New Jersey, Princeton is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and one of the ...

(1993),Greenwood, Katherine Federici (13 October 2010)
Numbers can mislead - Charles Seife ’93 reveals mischief behind data
''

Princeton Alumni Weekly The ''Princeton Alumni Weekly'' (''PAW'') is a magazine published for the alumni of Princeton University Princeton University is a private research university in Princeton, New Jersey. Founded in 1746 in Elizabeth as the College of New ...

'' an M.S. in mathematics from

Yale University Yale University is a private research university in New Haven, Connecticut. Established in 1701 as the Collegiate School, it is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and among the most prestigious in the w ...

and a M.S. in journalism from

Columbia University Columbia University (also known as Columbia, and officially as Columbia University in the City of New York) is a private research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Church in Manhatt ...

.Journalism at NYU - Faculty
Seife wrote for ''Science'' magazine and ''

New Scientist ''New Scientist'' is a magazine covering all aspects of science and technology. Based in London, it publishes weekly English-language editions in the United Kingdom, the United States and Australia. An editorially separate organisation publish ...

'' before joining the Department of Journalism at New York University where he became a professor.

Books

His first and best-known published book is '' Zero: The Biography of a Dangerous Idea''. One review of this book described it as "one of the best-written popular science books ... for quite a while". Another review, however, said he gave contradictory information within the book as well as belittling the subject of the book as a whole. Another well-known book from Seife is ''Proofiness: How You're Being Fooled By the Numbers''. Here, Seife focuses on how much propaganda uses numbers worded in such a way that they confuse people and can be misinterpreted. Other books by Seife are: *'' Alpha & Omega: The Search for the Beginning and End of the Universe'', Penguin Putnam, 2003. *'' Decoding the Universe'', Penguin, 2007. *''Sun in a Bottle: The Strange History of Fusion and the Science of Wishful Thinking'', Viking, 2008. *''Virtual Unreality: Just Because the Internet Told You, How Do You Know It's True?'', Penguin Putnam, 2014.

Other writing

His freelance work has appeared in ''

The Philadelphia Inquirer ''The Philadelphia Inquirer'' is a daily newspaper headquartered in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The newspaper's circulation is the largest in both the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the Delaware Valley metropolitan region of Southeastern Pen ...

'', ''

The Washington Post ''The Washington Post'' (also known as the ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'') is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C. It is the most widely circulated newspaper within the Washington metropolitan area and has a large n ...

'', ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

'', ''

Scientific American ''Scientific American'', informally abbreviated ''SciAm'' or sometimes ''SA'', is an American popular science magazine. Many famous scientists, including Albert Einstein and Nikola Tesla, have contributed articles to it. In print since 1845, it ...

'', and ''

The Economist ''The Economist'' is a British weekly newspaper printed in demitab format and published digitally. It focuses on current affairs, international business, politics, technology, and culture. Based in London, the newspaper is owned by The Eco ...

'', among others. Throughout his career, Seife has written many book reviews, especially of books which focus on mathematics.

Professional associations

He is a member of

PEN A pen is a common writing instrument that applies ink to a surface, usually paper, for writing or drawing. Early pens such as reed pens, quill pens, dip pens and ruling pens held a small amount of ink on a nib or in a small void or cavity wh ...

, the

National Association of Science Writers The National Association of Science Writers (NASW) was created in 1934 by a dozen science journalists and reporters in New York City.

, and the D.C. Science Writers Association.

Awards

*2001

/Martha Albrand Award for First Nonfiction for ''Zero: The Biography of a Dangerous Idea''

References

External links

Article on edge.orgDC Science Writers Association websiteHomepageLeonard Lopate interview with Charles Seife
{{DEFAULTSORT:Seife, Charles American science writers Mathematics writers Mathematics popularizers Year of birth missing (living people) Living people Princeton University alumni Yale University alumni Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism alumni New York University faculty American journalism academics