Bill Nye the Science Guy!

I remember the highlight of my days when I was nine years old was coming home and watching my favorite show: Bill Nye The Science Guy.  Bill Nye, along with Ms. Frizzle and the Magic School Bus, presented the world of science in a compelling and interesting way and was one of the primary reasons why I wanted to be a scientist when I grew up.  So, when I heard that he was visiting campus and in all places of campus, he would be talking in my favorite building, Rec Hall, I was already there.

Bill Nye came to speak about maintaining sustainability and the "green" movement.  He entered Rec Hall in the typical Bill Nye fashion on a Segway in a tuxedo, and he was wearing a helmet.  He started off his lecture with a little joke.  A kid once asked him if Bill Nye was his actual name.  The Science Guy said that his name was actually William Nye.  The kid then wanted to know why the Science Guy had changed his name.  Nye then talked about Mars and told a complicated but interesting story about sundials.  His father was a POW during World War II in a Japanese prisoner camp and would keep track of time using make shift sundials.  When Nye's father was released, he became very interested in sun dials and even published a book on sundials.  Bill Nye the Science Guy later incorporated his father's passion of sundials into once of the devices used on the Mars Rover to determine the color of the Martian sky. 

Nye then dived into the sustainability talk, which I found pretty interesting.  I have always heard about the impending doom of global warming, but it really hasn't ever been explained to me.  Just like when I was nine, Bill Nye explained the situation in a way that I could understand it.  The aspect of Nye's talk that I enjoyed the most was his focus on solutions and his positive attitude.  Too often, it seems as though the green movement is more about guilt trips than solutions.

My favorite quote from Bill Nye was in his conclusion when he was told a story about how his third grade teacher told him that there are more stars in the sky than grains of sand on all the beaches in the world.  The young Science Guy thought that this teacher was crazy until he went to the Delaware Beach and noticed how much sand there was.  He left feeling very insignificant at the time and said, "I'm a speck, on a speck, orbiting a speck in the middle of specklessness.  I stink!"  The point was that no one is going to help the human race in this issue.  It is our responsiblity to "leave the world a better place than you left it.  Sometimes you have to pick up someone else's trash."

Overall, I thought Bill Nye's presentation was awesome.  Nye's ability to make science come alive and understandable is very unique.  After all, there were college students in the audience who had "Science Rules!" painted on their chests.  During my career, I hope that I can make a fraction of the difference Nye has made in the lives of millions of children.