About a month ago, I was browsing Penn State's upcoming events my eyes fell on Bill Nye speaking about sustainable resources for the future. This made me very excited.
This past summer, I saw/rode Disney's "Ellen's Energy Adventure," which featured Ellen DeGeneres and, of course, Bill Nye. Much like the talk he gave us last night, the ride was about where energy comes from, and how we as humans can better use it in the future.
So I arrived at Rec Hall at about 7pm expecting only a few people to be squandering about. Instead, I waited in a line that wrapped around the whole building, which was spectacular to see a 'spokesperson for science' still receiving this much attention!
The crowd was a typical Penn State crowd. To begin the show, they had seven student groups make presentations on the need for more sustainable energy resources and conservation, which I personally found pretty cool. Few people realize that much of what we have now, the recycled food for mulch and the recycled 'mess' from Paternoville, is mostly, if not all, the result of student initiatives. Penn State really is at the forefront of major cultural change. However, the majority of the crowd was only there to see the Bill Nye they remembered, so these poor student groups got quite a few boos and jeers and the people in the mixing booth kept cutting into their presentations with fight songs and Bill Nye's old theme song. Not one of Penn State's better nights as a collective society.
And for the most part, Bill Nye received the respect he deserved (minus a few dumb instances throughout the rest of the night). Trust me, the guy is a tome, and while he isn't on top of everything, he offered evidence that was easily approached and dove straight down into the science. I approached his speech skeptical of global warming and dwindling resources. I certainly didn't leave that way.
Overall, a great night, and a very imformative lecture. Penn State has been known to bring in some amazing speakers, and Bill Nye certainly lived up to the hype, pushing his agenda of environmental protection and discovering new energy resources in a way that we, as college students, could relate to. And his viewpoints were actually quite realistic. I'm a bigger fan of him now than I ever was as a kid, and I'm highly anticipating whoever PSU will bring in next.
This past summer, I saw/rode Disney's "Ellen's Energy Adventure," which featured Ellen DeGeneres and, of course, Bill Nye. Much like the talk he gave us last night, the ride was about where energy comes from, and how we as humans can better use it in the future.
So I arrived at Rec Hall at about 7pm expecting only a few people to be squandering about. Instead, I waited in a line that wrapped around the whole building, which was spectacular to see a 'spokesperson for science' still receiving this much attention!
The crowd was a typical Penn State crowd. To begin the show, they had seven student groups make presentations on the need for more sustainable energy resources and conservation, which I personally found pretty cool. Few people realize that much of what we have now, the recycled food for mulch and the recycled 'mess' from Paternoville, is mostly, if not all, the result of student initiatives. Penn State really is at the forefront of major cultural change. However, the majority of the crowd was only there to see the Bill Nye they remembered, so these poor student groups got quite a few boos and jeers and the people in the mixing booth kept cutting into their presentations with fight songs and Bill Nye's old theme song. Not one of Penn State's better nights as a collective society.
And for the most part, Bill Nye received the respect he deserved (minus a few dumb instances throughout the rest of the night). Trust me, the guy is a tome, and while he isn't on top of everything, he offered evidence that was easily approached and dove straight down into the science. I approached his speech skeptical of global warming and dwindling resources. I certainly didn't leave that way.
Overall, a great night, and a very imformative lecture. Penn State has been known to bring in some amazing speakers, and Bill Nye certainly lived up to the hype, pushing his agenda of environmental protection and discovering new energy resources in a way that we, as college students, could relate to. And his viewpoints were actually quite realistic. I'm a bigger fan of him now than I ever was as a kid, and I'm highly anticipating whoever PSU will bring in next.
I had hoped to take my daughter but there was just too big a crowd. I am glad it was so well attended and eye-opening!