Acerbic comedian Dennis Miller once described Dr. Fiorella Terenzi as "a cross between Carl Sagan and Madonna." A clever quip, but it hits the mark with astounding poignancy, for Dr. Terenzi has achieved a significant career popularizing astrophysics while attaining the status of a scientific sex symbol.

Utilizing her intelligence, charm and commanding talents of self-promotion, she has reached beyond the laboratory, using sex appeal to popularize technology and capture the attention of a public bored with the space sciences.

Her academic pedigree is stunning. Armed with a doctorate in physics from the University of Milan, Dr. Terenzi also studied opera and musical composition at Conservatory G. Verdi, then went on to teach mathematics and physics at the Liceo Scientifico in Milan.

However, it was at the Computer Audio Research Laboratory at the University of California, San Diego, that she first applied sound synthesis language to astronomical data to devise the technique she calls "acoustic astronomy."

This experiment involved tapping into the radio emissions from a galaxy (in this case, UGC-6697 in Coma Berenices, between Virgo and Leo, 180 million light-years away) and converting those radio waves into sound in an attempt to discover whether sound could represent the chemical and other physical properties of celestial objects.

In 1991 she made her findings public with "Music from the Galaxies," an album of music on Island Records.

Throughout seven tracks with titles ranging from "Cosmic Time" to "Galactic Beats," she effectively collaborated with the radiation output of a distant galaxy, converting radio emissions into sound and then utilizing those sonics in the composition of 38 minutes of music.

Since then, Dr. Terenzi has produced a CDROM, "Invisible Universe" (released by Voyager), which blends scientific theory with her music and other multimedia presentations to depict a unique view of the cosmos.

Her recent book, Heavenly Knowledge (Avon Books), is far from a dry appraisal of astrophysics, humanizing cosmic phenomena by drawing comparisons between the nature of the universe and the human experience.

From Dr. Terenzi's viewpoint, outer space is a sensual frontier.

Not satisfied with the traditional goal of astronomy -- striving to understand the universe -- she perceives the presence of joy in astrophysics, and wants to share that cosmic beauty with the public.

In her view, the appeal of the mysteries of space has been too cold, too sterile for the masses. Even when space is couched in Star Wars trappings, the public still sees it as a desolate and forbidding place.

To combat this, Terenzi offers an anthropomorphic astronomy, rendering the universe sensual, easier to appreciate. She calls this approach to the material "emotional learning," an interpretation of the cold void that associates empirical data with philosophy, mythology and personal response.

Astrophysicist, musician, author -- few human beings can lay claim to such diverse credentials. Given historical academic patterns, even fewer have done it without any Y chromosomes.

While the gender balance of the scientific scene is changing, Terenzi remains passionately involved with convincing young girls that "science" need not be the male-dominated field that it is generally perceived to be.

This inequality goes beyond the research laboratories or existent textbooks. Did you realize that only four of the 84 constellations in the northern sky are female?

Fiorella Terenzi stands as a shining example that science is no longer an exclusive playground for the boys, and that intellect is capable of transcending sexual bias.

Her website affords the public an intimate perspective of this woman's incredible mind and achievements. She is also involved in several other websites that promote science and philosophy.

Terenzi is currently working on a pop album of space music. There's no stopping this woman .. and I, for one, sleep better knowing this.