Catherine Ann Asaro (born November 6, 1955) is an American

science fiction Science fiction (sometimes shortened to Sci-Fi or SF) is a genre of speculative fiction which typically deals with imaginative and futuristic concepts such as advanced science and technology, space exploration, time travel, parallel uni ...

and

fantasy Fantasy is a genre of speculative fiction involving magical elements, typically set in a fictional universe and sometimes inspired by mythology and folklore. Its roots are in oral traditions, which then became fantasy literature and d ...

author, singer and teacher. She is best known for her books about the Ruby Dynasty, called the

Saga of the Skolian Empire The Saga of the Skolian Empire, informally called the Skolian Saga or Tales of the Ruby Dynasty, is a series of science fiction novels, novellas and novelettes by Catherine Asaro, revolving around characters from an interstellar empire known as ...

Biography

Catherine Asaro was born on November 6, 1955, in

Oakland, California Oakland is the largest city and the county seat of Alameda County, California, United States. A major West Coast of the United States, West Coast port, Oakland is the largest city in the East Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area, the third ...

, and grew up in

El Cerrito, California El Cerrito ( Spanish for "The Little Hill") is a city in Contra Costa County, California, United States, and forms part of the San Francisco Bay Area. It has a population of 25,962 according to the 2020 census. El Cerrito was founded by refugee ...

. She attended Kennedy High School in Richmond, California as part of the Richmond Voluntary Integration Plan. She has a B.S. with highest honors in chemistry from

UCLA The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is a public land-grant research university in Los Angeles, California. UCLA's academic roots were established in 1881 as a teachers college then known as the southern branch of the California ...

, and both a master's in physics and a PhD in chemical physics from

Harvard University Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of high ...

. When not writing and making appearances at conventions and signings, Asaro teaches math, physics, and chemistry. She is the director of the Chesapeake Math Program and has coached various nationally ranked teams with home, private, and public school students, in particular the Chesapeake teams for national tournaments such as the Princeton and Harvard-MIT competitions. She also taught a gifted program in math and science at the Yang Academy in Gaithersburg, Maryland. Her students have placed at the top levels in numerous national competitions, including the

United States of America Mathematical Olympiad The United States of America Mathematical Olympiad (USAMO) is a highly selective high school mathematics competition held annually in the United States. Since its debut in 1972, it has served as the final round of the American Mathematics Compe ...

(USAMO) and the United States of America Mathematical Talent Search (USAMTS). Asaro is a member of SIGMA, a think tank of speculative writers that advises the government as to future trends affecting national security. She is also known for her advocacy of bringing girls and women into

STEM fields Science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) is an umbrella term used to group together the distinct but related technical disciplines of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. The term is typically used in the context of ...

and for increased diversity, and for challenging gender roles and literary expectations in her fiction. She has been an invited speaker or visiting professor for various institutions, including the National Academy of Sciences, Harvard,

Georgetown University Georgetown University is a private university, private research university in the Georgetown (Washington, D.C.), Georgetown neighborhood of Washington, D.C. Founded by Bishop John Carroll (archbishop of Baltimore), John Carroll in 1789 as Georg ...

NASA The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA ) is an independent agencies of the United States government, independent agency of the US federal government responsible for the civil List of government space agencies, space program ...

, The American Association for the Advancement of Science ( AAAS), The Global Competitiveness Forum in Saudi Arabia, the New Zealand National ConText Writer's program, the University of Maryland, the

US Naval Academy The United States Naval Academy (US Naval Academy, USNA, or Navy) is a federal service academy in Annapolis, Maryland. It was established on 10 October 1845 during the tenure of George Bancroft as Secretary of the Navy. The Naval Academy is ...

, and many other institutions. A former ballet and jazz dancer, Catherine Asaro has performed with dance companies and in musicals on both coasts and in Ohio. She founded and served as artistic director and a principal dancer for two dance groups at Harvard: The Mainly Jazz Dance Company and the Harvard University Ballet. After she graduated, her undergraduate students took over Mainly Jazz and made it into a club at the college. She has completed two terms as president of

Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America The Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America, doing business as Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers Association, commonly known as SFWA ( or ) is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization of professional science fiction and fantasy writers. Whil ...

(SFWA) (2003–2005) and during her tenure established the

Andre Norton Award The Andre Norton Nebula Award for Middle Grade and Young Adult Fiction (formerly the Andre Norton Award for Young Adult Science Fiction and Fantasy) is an annual award presented by the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America (SFWA) to the ...

for Young Adult Science Fiction and Fantasy. Her husband was John Kendall Cannizzo (1957–2018), an astrophysicist at

. They have one daughter, a ballet dancer who studied mathematics at the

University of Cambridge The University of Cambridge is a public collegiate research university in Cambridge, England. Founded in 1209 and granted a royal charter by Henry III in 1231, Cambridge is the world's third oldest surviving university and one of its most pr ...

and UC Berkeley. Catherine Asaro is the daughter of

Frank Asaro Frank Asaro (born Francesco Asaro, July 31, 1927 – June 10, 2014) was an Emeritus Senior Scientist at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory associated with the University of California at Berkeley. He is best known as the chemist who discov ...

, the nuclear chemist who discovered the

iridium anomaly The term iridium anomaly commonly refers to an unusual abundance of the chemical element iridium in a layer of rock strata at the Cretaceous–Paleogene (K–Pg) boundary. The unusually high concentration of a rare metal like iridium is often tak ...

that led the team of Luis Alvarez,

Walter Alvarez Walter Alvarez (born October 3, 1940) is a professor in the Earth and Planetary Science department at the University of California, Berkeley. He is most widely known for the theory that dinosaurs were killed by an asteroid impact, developed in ...

, Frank Asaro, and Helen Michel to postulate that an asteroid collided with the Earth 66 million years ago and caused mass extinctions, including the demise of the dinosaurs.

Saga of the Skolian Empire series

The Saga of the Skolian Empire, informally called the Skolian Saga, is a series of science fiction novels, novelettes and novellas revolving around characters from an interstellar empire known as the

Skolian Empire The Saga of the Skolian Empire, informally called the Skolian Saga or Tales of the Ruby Dynasty, is a series of science fiction novels, novellas and novelettes by Catherine Asaro, revolving around characters from an interstellar empire known as ...

and their power struggle with the rival Eubian Concord. The arc of the books unfolds over several generations of characters and revolves around political intrigues, but also contains subplots regarding

romance Romance (from Vulgar Latin , "in the Roman language", i.e., "Latin") may refer to: Common meanings * Romance (love), emotional attraction towards another person and the courtship behaviors undertaken to express the feelings * Romance languages, ...

physics Physics is the natural science that studies matter, its fundamental constituents, its motion and behavior through space and time, and the related entities of energy and force. "Physical science is that department of knowledge which r ...

, bio-enhancements, and virtual

computer networks A computer network is a set of computers sharing resources located on or provided by network nodes. The computers use common communication protocols over digital interconnections to communicate with each other. These interconnections are m ...

Mathematical fiction and hard science fiction

Asaro is known as a

hard science fiction Hard science fiction is a category of science fiction characterized by concern for scientific accuracy and logic. The term was first used in print in 1957 by P. Schuyler Miller in a review of John W. Campbell's ''Islands of Space'' in the Novemb ...

writer for the scientific depth of her work. The amount of science varies from book to book, with novels such as ''

Primary Inversion ''Primary Inversion'' is a science fiction novel in the Saga of the Skolian Empire by Catherine Asaro. As Asaro's debut novel, it first appeared as a hardcover in 1995. It was nominated for the 1996 Compton Crook/Stephen Tall Memorial Award a ...

'', ''

The Radiant Seas ''The Radiant Seas'' is a novel from the Saga of the Skolian Empire series of books by Catherine Asaro. The book continues where Primary Inversion ended and centers on the story of the devastating interstellar Radiance War. It won the HOMer Awa ...

'', and ''

Spherical Harmonic In mathematics and physical science, spherical harmonics are special functions defined on the surface of a sphere. They are often employed in solving partial differential equations in many scientific fields. Since the spherical harmonics form ...

'' on the most scientifically dense end of the spectrum, including elements such as equations and diagrams of

quantum mechanical Quantum mechanics is a fundamental theory in physics that provides a description of the physical properties of nature at the scale of atoms and subatomic particles. It is the foundation of all quantum physics including quantum chemistry, qua ...

wave functions A wave function in quantum physics is a mathematical description of the quantum state of an isolated quantum system. The wave function is a complex-valued probability amplitude, and the probabilities for the possible results of measurements m ...

and

Klein bottles In topology, a branch of mathematics, the Klein bottle () is an example of a non-orientable surface; it is a two-dimensional manifold against which a system for determining a normal vector cannot be consistently defined. Informally, it is a ...

. Stanley Schmidt, the long time editor of ''

Analog Analog or analogue may refer to: Computing and electronics * Analog signal, in which information is encoded in a continuous variable ** Analog device, an apparatus that operates on analog signals *** Analog electronics, circuits which use analog ...

'' magazine, wrote that ''

'' is "an impressive first novel; not just a good story, but the kind of speculation we too seldom see – really new science that just might be possible." Asaro is noted as one of the few female science fiction writers who also has a doctorate in hard science, in Asaro's case a PhD from Harvard in theoretical Chemical Physics. Asaro is also noted for including sophisticated mathematical concepts in her fiction. The method of space travel used in the Skolian Empire books comes from a paper Asaro wrote on complex variables and special relativity that appeared in the ''

American Journal of Physics The ''American Journal of Physics'' is a monthly, peer-reviewed scientific journal published by the American Association of Physics Teachers and the American Institute of Physics. The editor-in-chief is Beth Parks of Colgate University."Current F ...

''. The novel ''

'' involves an imagined universe based on the Hilbert space described by the

spherical harmonic In mathematics and physical science, spherical harmonics are special functions defined on the surface of a sphere. They are often employed in solving partial differential equations in many scientific fields. Since the spherical harmonics form ...

eigenfunction In mathematics, an eigenfunction of a linear operator ''D'' defined on some function space is any non-zero function f in that space that, when acted upon by ''D'', is only multiplied by some scaling factor called an eigenvalue. As an equation, th ...

s that solve the

Laplace Equation In mathematics and physics, Laplace's equation is a second-order partial differential equation named after Pierre-Simon Laplace, who first studied its properties. This is often written as \nabla^2\! f = 0 or \Delta f = 0, where \Delta = \n ...

, and some prose in the book is written in the shape of the sinusoidal waves found in the spherical harmonics. Her novel ''

The Quantum Rose ''The Quantum Rose'' is a science fiction novel by Catherine Asaro which tells the story of Kamoj Argali and Skolian Prince Havyrl Valdoria. The book is set in her Saga of the Skolian Empire. It won the 2001 Nebula Award for Best Novel and the 2 ...

'' is an allegory to quantum scattering theory and is dedicated to her doctoral advisors and mentors in the subject,

Alex Dalgarno Alexander Dalgarno Fellow of the Royal Society, FRS (5 January 1928 – 9 April 2015) was a UK, British physicist who was a Phillips Professor of Astronomy at Harvard University. Biography Alexander Dalgarno was born in London in 1928, and spen ...

Kate Kirby Kate Page Kirby is an American physicist. From February 2015 to December 2020, Kirby was the chief executive officer of the American Physical Society (APS) and sits on the board of directors of the American Institute of Physics. Kate Kirby was e ...

, and Eric J. Heller. The novella "Aurora in Four Voices" includes topics ranging from Fourier series to integration problems in

calculus Calculus, originally called infinitesimal calculus or "the calculus of infinitesimals", is the mathematical study of continuous change, in the same way that geometry is the study of shape, and algebra is the study of generalizations of arithm ...

. In essays in the back of some of her novels, Asaro explains the mathematical and physics basis of the ideas used in the books, in particular ''Spherical Harmonic,'' ''

,'' and ''The Moon's Shadow.'' In the anthology ''Aurora in Four Voices'' (which includes the novella of the same name), Asaro describes the mathematical basis of several stories in the anthology, including the use of Fourier transforms, Riemann sheets, and complex numbers in "The SpaceTime Pool."

Musical collaborations

The Diamond Star Project

The Diamond Star Project is a collaboration between Catherine Asaro and the rock musicians Point Valid. The project resulted in a CD, ''Diamond Star'' (Starflight Music, April 2009), which is a "soundtrack" for the book, ''Diamond Star'' (

Baen Books Baen Books () is an American publishing house for science fiction and fantasy. In science fiction, it emphasizes space opera, hard science fiction, and military science fiction. The company was established in 1983 by science fiction publisher an ...

). The novel tells the story of Del-Kurj, a Ruby Dynasty prince who would rather be a rock singer than sit on the throne. The lyrics to the songs appear in the novel ''Diamond Star'' and were the inspiration for the CD. PointValidWithCatherineAsaro2008

Point Valid is an alternative band originating in

Baltimore, Maryland Baltimore ( , locally: or ) is the List of municipalities in Maryland, most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland, fourth most populous city in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, and List of United States cities by popula ...

, with Hayim Ani on vocals and guitar, Adam Leve on drums and Max Vidaver on guitar. Ani wrote most of the music for the CD, and Asaro wrote most of the lyrics, as well as music for three songs. Ani also contributed three original compositions, both music and lyrics. Most of the vocals are by Ani, with a few by Asaro. The CD has twelve songs, eleven originals and a cover of " Sound of Silence". Asaro, who did not know how to sing, took voice lessons in preparation for the recordings, and continues to train and perform. Asaro has described how the collaboration inspired her work, as exemplified by the song "Emeralds", which she was not able to finish until she and Ani were in the studio recording his vocals. During 2009, the Diamond Star Project expanded to include Donald Wolcott, a jazz pianist who accompanied Asaro in concerts. In 2010, Starflight Music released the EP ''Goodbye Note'' by Asaro and Wolcott, which includes the song "No Answers with in Paradisum" from the ''Diamond Star'' soundtrack, rewritten and sung by Asaro. In 2010, Marty Pell joined the Diamond Star Project as an additional pianist, and in 2011, Greg Adams replaced Wolcott as Asaro's primary accompanist.

Arlan Andrews

In 2018, Asaro teamed up with author and songwriter Arlan Andrews to do the Celtic rock song "Ancient Ages".

Bibliography

Awards

* ''Primary Inversion'', nominee,

Locus Award The Locus Awards are an annual set of literary awards voted on by readers of the science fiction and fantasy magazine ''Locus'', a monthly magazine based in Oakland, California. The awards are presented at an annual banquet. In addition to the pl ...

, first novel, 1996 * ''Primary Inversion'', finalist,

Compton Crook Award The Compton Crook Award is presented to the best English language first novel of the year in the field of science fiction, fantasy, or horror by the members of the Baltimore Science Fiction Society at their annual science fiction convention, Baltic ...

1996 * ''Catch the Lightning'', winner, Sapphire Award, best novel, 1997 * ''Catch the Lightning'', winner, UTC Readers Choice Award, best novel, 1997 * ''Catch the Lightning'', finalist, Audies, Science Fiction, 2003 * ''

The Last Hawk ''The Last Hawk'' is a 1997 science fiction novel by Catherine Asaro. The novel is an installment in the Saga of the Skolian Empire series and details the life of Kelricson Garlin Valdoria Skolia during his eighteen years of imprisonment on the pl ...

'', nominee, Nebula Award, Best Novel, 1999 * ''The Radiant Seas'', winner, RT Book Club Reviewer's Choice Award, Best Science Fiction Novel 1999 * ''The Radiant Seas'', nominee, HOMer Award, Best Novel 2000 * "Aurora in Four Voices", winner, AnLab (Analog Reader's Poll), 1999 * "Aurora in Four Voices", nominee, Hugo Award, best novella, 1999 * "Aurora in Four Voices", nominee, Nebula Award, best novella, 1999 * "Aurora in Four Voices", winner, HOMer Award, best novella, 1999 * "Aurora in Four Voices", winner Sapphire Award, best novella, 2000 * "Aurora in Four Voices", nominee, Seiun Awards, overseas short fiction, 2000 * "Aurora in Four Voices", Sixth Place,

, novella, 1999 * ''The Veiled Web'', winner, HOMer Award, best novel, 2000 * ''The Veiled Web'', winner, Prism Award, best novel, 2000 * ''The Veiled Web'', winner, National Reader's Choice Award, 2000 * ''The Veiled Web'', Second Place, Sapphire Award, 2001 * ''The Quantum Rose'', winner, Nebula Award for Best Novel 2001 * ''The Quantum Rose,'' winner, Affaire de Coeur Award, Best Science Fiction (2001) * ''The Quantum Rose'', Third place, Sapphire Award, Best Novel 2000 * ''The Quantum Rose'', nominee, Audies, Novel 2005 * "A Roll of the Dice", winner, AnLab (Analog Reader's Poll), 2001 * "A Roll of the Dice", winner, HOMer Award, 2001 * "A Roll of the Dice", nominee, Hugo Award, best novella, 2001 * "A Roll of the Dice", nominee, Nebula Award, best novella, 2001 * "A Roll of the Dice", Second Place tie, Sapphire Award, best novella, 2001 * ''Spherical Harmonic'', winner, Affaire de Coeur Reader/Writer Poll for Best Futuristic, 2002 * "Ave de Paso", Eleventh Place,

, novella, 2002 * "Ave de Paso", nominee, Sapphire Award, Short Fiction, 2002 * "Soul of Light", nominee, short fiction,

Gaylactic Spectrum Awards The Gaylactic Spectrum Awards are given to works of science fiction, fantasy and horror that explore LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender) topics in a positive way. Established in 1998, the awards were initially presented by the Gaylacti ...

, 2002 * ''Ascendant Sun'', winner, RT Book Club Reviewer's Choice Award, Best Science Fiction Novel 2003 * ''Skyfall'', winner, RT Book Club Reviewer's Choice Award, Best Science Fiction Novel 2003 * ''Skyfall'', finalist, Rita Award, Futuristic/Fantasy/Paranormal, 2004 * ''Skyfall'', Third Place, Sapphire Award, Best Novel, 2004 * "Moonglow," winner, RRA Award, Best Novella, 2004 * "Moonglow," winner, Sapphire Award, Best Novella, 2004 * "Walk in Silence", winner, AnLab (Analog Reader's Poll), 2004 * "Walk in Silence", winner, Prism Award, best novella, 2004 * "Walk in Silence", nominee, Hugo Award, best novella, 2004 * "Walk in Silence", nominee, Nebula Award, best novella, 2004 * Outstanding Achievement Award, WRW, Washington D.C., 2005 * "Stained Glass Heart", nominee, Sapphire Award, Best Novella, 2005 * "The City of Cries", winner, Prism Award, Best Novella, 2006 * "The City of Cries", winner, Prism Award, The Best of the Best, 2006 * "The City of Cries", winner, Book Buyers Best, novella, 2006 * "The City of Cries", Second Place, Sapphire Award, Best Novella, 2006 * "The Misted Cliffs,", finalist, Rita Award, Paranormal, 2006 * "The Spacetime Pool," winner, Nebula Award for Best Novella 2008 * "The Spacetime Pool," second place, AnLab (Analog Reader's Poll), 2008 * ''Sunrise Alley'', finalist, Audies, Science Fiction, 2009 * "Deep Snows," Nominee, Best R&B Music Video, World Music and Independent Film Festival, 2012 * "The Pyre of New Day," nominee, Nebula Award, best novelette, 2012 * The Wallace S. North, Jr., PE Award for Contributions to the Maryland State

Mathcounts Mathcounts, stylized as MATHCOUNTS, is a nationwide middle school mathematics competition held in various places in the United States. Its current lead sponsors are Raytheon Technologies and the U.S. Department of Defense STEM. Topics covered inc ...

Program, 2017 * "Ancient Ages," The Blast-FM top 100, radio selection, 2020