Catherine Ann Asaro (born November 6, 1955) is an American science fiction and fantasy author, singer and teacher. She is best known for her books about the Ruby Dynasty, called the Saga of the Skolian Empire.

Biography

Catherine Asaro was born on November 6, 1955, in Oakland, California, and grew up in El Cerrito, California. 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, and both a master's in physics and a PhD in chemical physics from Harvard University. 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 (USAMO) and the

United States of America Mathematical Talent Search The United States of America Mathematical Talent Search (USAMTS) is a mathematics competition open to all United States students in or below high school. History Professor George Berzsenyi initiated the contest in 1989 under the KöMaL model an ...

(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 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 The National Academy of Sciences (NAS) is a United States nonprofit, non-governmental organization. NAS is part of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, along with the National Academy of Engineering (NAE) and the Nati ...

Harvard 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 higher le ...

, Georgetown University, NASA, The American Association for the Advancement of Science (

AAAS AAAS may refer to: * American Academy of Arts and Sciences, a learned society and center for policy research; the publisher of the journal ''Dædalus'' * American Association for the Advancement of Science, an organization that supports scientifi ...

), The Global Competitiveness Forum in Saudi Arabia, the New Zealand National ConText Writer's program, the University of Maryland, the US Naval Academy, 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 (SFWA) (2003–2005) and during her tenure established the Andre Norton Award for Young Adult Science Fiction and Fantasy. Her husband was John Kendall Cannizzo (1957–2018), an astrophysicist at NASA. They have one daughter, a ballet dancer who studied mathematics at the University of Cambridge and UC Berkeley. Catherine Asaro is the daughter of Frank Asaro, the nuclear chemist who discovered the iridium anomaly that led the team of Luis Alvarez, Walter Alvarez, Frank Asaro, and

Helen Michel Helen Vaughn Michel (born 1932) is an American chemist best known for her efforts in fields including analytical chemistry and archaeological science, and specific processes such as neutron activation analysis and radiocarbon dating. Her work ...

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,

novelette Novelette may also refer to: * ''Novelette'' (ballet), a solo modern dance work choreographed by Martha Graham * Novelette (music), a short piece of lyrical music * Novelette (literature), a work of narrative prose fiction that is longer than a ...

s and novellas revolving around characters from an interstellar empire known as the Skolian Empire and their power struggle with the rival

Eubian Concord The Eubians (also called Traders) refers to the fictional people of the Eubian Concord in the Saga of the Skolian Empire by Catherine Asaro. They are often portrayed as antagonists in those novels, enemy to the rivaling Skolian Empire. Eubian ...

. The arc of the books unfolds over several generations of characters and revolves around political intrigues, but also contains subplots regarding romance, physics, bio-enhancements, and virtual computer networks.

Mathematical fiction and hard science fiction

Asaro is known as a hard science fiction writer for the scientific depth of her work. The amount of science varies from book to book, with novels such as '' Primary Inversion'', '' The Radiant Seas'', and '' Spherical Harmonic'' on the most scientifically dense end of the spectrum, including elements such as equations and diagrams of quantum mechanical wave functions and Klein bottles.

Stanley Schmidt Stanley Albert Schmidt (born March 7, 1944) is an American science fiction author and editor. Between 1978 and 2012 he served as editor of ''Analog Science Fiction and Fact'' magazine. Biography Schmidt was born in Cincinnati, Ohio and graduate ...

, 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 analo ...

'' magazine, wrote that '' Primary Inversion'' 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 novel '' Spherical Harmonic'' involves an imagined universe based on the

Hilbert space In mathematics, Hilbert spaces (named after David Hilbert) allow generalizing the methods of linear algebra and calculus from (finite-dimensional) Euclidean vector spaces to spaces that may be infinite-dimensional. Hilbert spaces arise natural ...

described by the spherical harmonic eigenfunctions that solve the Laplace Equation, and some prose in the book is written in the shape of the

sinusoidal A sine wave, sinusoidal wave, or just sinusoid is a mathematical curve defined in terms of the '' sine'' trigonometric function, of which it is the graph. It is a type of continuous wave and also a smooth periodic function. It occurs often in m ...

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 In physics, a quantum (plural quanta) is the minimum amount of any physical entity (physical property) involved in an interaction. The fundamental notion that a physical property can be "quantized" is referred to as "the hypothesis of quantizati ...

scattering theory In mathematics and physics, scattering theory is a framework for studying and understanding the scattering of waves and particles. Wave scattering corresponds to the collision and scattering of a wave with some material object, for instance sunli ...

and is dedicated to her doctoral advisors and mentors in the subject,

Alex Dalgarno Alexander Dalgarno FRS (5 January 1928 – 9 April 2015) was a British physicist who was a Phillips Professor of Astronomy at Harvard University. Biography Alexander Dalgarno was born in London in 1928, and spent his childhood there. He was ed ...

, Kate Kirby, and

Eric J. Heller Eric Johnson "Rick" Heller (born January 10, 1946) is the Abbott and James Lawrence Professor of Chemistry and Professor of Physics at Harvard University. Heller is known for his work on time-dependent quantum mechanics, and also for producin ...

. The novella "Aurora in Four Voices" includes topics ranging from

Fourier series A Fourier series () is a summation of harmonically related sinusoidal functions, also known as components or harmonics. The result of the summation is a periodic function whose functional form is determined by the choices of cycle length (or ''p ...

to integration problems in calculus. 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 Collaboration (from Latin ''com-'' "with" + ''laborare'' "to labor", "to work") is the process of two or more people, entities or organizations working together to complete a task or achieve a goal. Collaboration is similar to cooperation. Most ...

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). 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 most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland, fourth most populous city in the Mid-Atlantic, and the 30th most populous city in the United States with a population of 585,708 in 2020. Baltimore was ...

, 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 Donald is a masculine given name derived from the Goidelic languages, Gaelic name ''Dòmhnall''.. This comes from the Proto-Celtic language, Proto-Celtic *''Dumno-ualos'' ("world-ruler" or "world-wielder"). The final -''d'' in ''Donald'' is part ...

, 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 Arlan Keith Andrews, Sr. (born 1940) is an American engineer and writer of science fiction and non-fiction. He attended New Mexico State University, where he earned bachelor, master, and doctorate degrees in mechanical engineering. Since 1971, he ...

to do the Celtic rock song "Ancient Ages".

Bibliography

Awards

* ''Primary Inversion'', nominee, Locus Award, 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'', nominee,

Nebula Award The Nebula Awards annually recognize the best works of science fiction or fantasy published in the United States. The awards are organized and awarded by the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America (SFWA), a nonprofit association of profe ...

, 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 The Hugo Award is an annual literary award for the best science fiction or fantasy works and achievements of the previous year, given at the World Science Fiction Convention and chosen by its members. The Hugo is widely considered the premier a ...

, best novella, 1999 * "Aurora in Four Voices", nominee,

, 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, Locus Award, 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,

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,

, best novella, 2001 * "A Roll of the Dice", nominee,

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

, best novella, 2004 * "Walk in Silence", nominee,

, 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,

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,

, 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 ...

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