Is this a real PHD??

...... he returned to college and earned his Masters, then began work on his Doctorate. It has been 35 years since "he left his studies".

I admit I've never even heard of the gentleman. So I don't know how long his stardom lasted, or if he is still performing.

I can't make a comment about the subject for his thesis because I know nothing about astrophysics.

Angeline
Speakeasy Moderator

"Radial Velocities in the Zodiacal Dust Cloud"
has to do with the astronomer's zodiac, not the astrologer's. It's a sort of shorthand for everything we see up there with the naked eye; our "local" galactic neighborhood. There is a dust cloud, and it spins, like everything else, but with its own local vectors. Our guy says he learned more about the speeds of rotation, and now has to convince a jury of Ph.D.'s that he did so. If he does, he gets a Doctorate also, as well as a mantra, a secret handshake, and a key to the faculty washroom.

Maybe he'll come to NM for his post-Doc studies at the Very Large Array near Socorro.
The plural "velocities" means that different parts have different speeds (which I think is true). That sort of thing intrigues these guys.

Laugh all you want; he's doing better than Freddy is.

...Baccalaureate and a Masters degree to qualify. You have those?

I seem to sense a degree of bias, and even more misunderstanding in this thread.

First, there is no disconnect between music ? even rock ? and science. As a matter of fact, a number of the nuclear scientists on the Manhattan Project were also very accomplished musicians. In the 1940?s, and especially for the Europeans, it was mainly classical, with a sprinkling of Big Band and Jazz; but in today?s world, Rock is a legitimate art form. Also, no scientist in the 40?s would have quit to pursue a music career, even if it did pay more ? there was a war on. Later, at least one person did change ? Tom Lehrer became well known for his music/comedy/political satire routines.

Some who do not understand the title of a scientific work, or immediately identify with it, seem to assume it must be fake or junk. Wrong ? it must be judged in context, and in particular, where it was published. Something in the New York Times might well be suspect. However, Brian May has co-authored two scientific papers; one published in Nature ? one of the most prestigious scientific journals in the world ? and one published in the Monthly Notations of the Royal Astronomy Society. These alone establish a standing in the scientific community. The results of his Doctoral work will, no doubt, be published in an equally prestigious journal.

Angelina supposed that Brian went back to school and got a Masters and PhD. In fact, he was already in the doctoral program at the Imperial C0llege of London when he dropped out (temporarily, but a long temporarily) to make his millions. He then went back to complete what he had already started. Also, both Angelina and Jack assume that a Masters degree is a prerequisite to a PhD. Not so. I have a BA and PhD, but no Masters. Why? Because I could shave six months to a year off of graduate school if I did not take time to write and defend a Master?s thesis. Some schools automatically grant an MS or MA degree if a student completes so many additional hours of graduate study, whether or not they eventually qualify for a PhD. Not so for my school in the 50?s ? no thesis, no Masters. But I had enough self-confidence to go for broke; to go directly for the PhD. Had I failed, I would have had only my original BA ? but I did not fail. Whether or not Brian has a Masters degree, or even a Baccalaureate for that matter, is of no real concern now; he has a PhD from a highly respected school, and that is all that counts. If you think this is a meaningless degree, then you probably also think the Silver Star or the Navy Cross is little different than the Good Conduct Medal.

I doff my hat (mortarboard?) to Brian for successfully returning to science after about 30 years. My hiatus, due to WWII and my commitment to remain for a while as a civilian with the AEC after Truman dissolved the Manhattan Project, was only six years, and I was working in science during that period. Still, it took some effort to get back into the academic life. During Brian?s hiatus, astrophysical data, ideas, and theories changed drastically. For him to return and continue his work means that he kept up with the science through reading the scientific journals all those years. This I consider a tremendous achievement on his part.

I just learned that General Petraeus has one.