Science—particularly aeronautics, physics, and space exploration—proved to be a natural fit for Nye, who went on to Cornell University and graduated in 1977 with a degree in mechanical engineering. He recalled that not everyone had a good grasp on what the practice of engineering meant, saying, "We'd go to parties, and a guy would look at my pants and say, 'You're an engineer, aren't you?' I'd say, 'Yeah.' And he'd say, 'Well, can you fix the blender?'"
While at Cornell, Nye enrolled in an astronomy class taught by none other than renowned 20th century astronomer and astrochemist Carl Sagan. Nye has sustained a fervent passion for space exploration and technology bolstered by his time under Sagan's tutelage. Indeed, many of the social and scientific causes Sagan advocated during his lifetime (skeptical inquiry, the scientific method, the valuing of scientific observation over religious dogma) have been echoed in Nye's professional work and media appearances.
Nye, a member of the Committee for Skeptical Inquiry, later went on to join the board of directors and become vice president of The Planetary Society, a nonprofit astronomy research organization of which Sagan was one of the founding members. It should also be noted that it was Nye who came up with the idea to furnish the Mars Exploration Rovers with sundials he had developed, known as MarsDials.
After graduating from Cornell, Nye spent three years in Seattle working for the Boeing Corporation. His primary duties at the time included the design of flight control systems and a hydraulic pressure resonance suppressor still widely used by Boeing 747s. In the early 80s he worked as a consulting engineer for a number of clients, including the U.S. Department of Justice, where he consulted on the design of an A-12 fighter jet and thereafter has maintained a Level 3 security clearance.
Nye left Boeing to work with several technology companies but balked at his career choice when the Challenger shuttle exploded in 1986, killing everyone on board. The more he read about what might have caused the disaster, the more disenchanted he grew with his career.
"I could tell that I was working for people with the same management style as those who had let it happen," Nye said.
Nye's career took a decidedly different turn in 1986 when, having become half-hearted about his engineering day job, he decided to try his hand at entertaining, working as a stand-up comic at night. Fusing his natural wit with his scientific expertise eventually led to the creation of "Bill Nye, the Science Guy." One night, while listening to a local radio disc jockey, Nye called in to the program to correct the DJ's pronunciation of the word "gigawatts," which he had pronounced as "jigawatts." The DJ challenged, "Oh yeah, who are you?" to which Nye replied, "I'm Bill Nye...the science guy!"
"I just blurted it out, and that was it. I really had a vision right then," Nye recounted.
From 1992 to 1998, Bill Nye, the Science Guy aired regularly on PBS, garnering millions of young fans eager to understand the laws of science. The show was also aired on The Disney Channel, helping it earn five Emmys and proving that science need not be the exclusive domain of the classroom. He served as not only host but also writer and producer of this groundbreaking series. By the end of its run, the show had produced 100 educational episodes.
In the decade since his show ended, Nye has only made his presence as a scientist and engineer more influential. He hosted a second series in 2005 aimed at a more mature audience, The Eyes of Nye, and has gone on to become a patented inventor. He has developed a number of innovative devices, among them a magnifying lens made of water, a better ballet shoe, an advanced abacus, and, for the baseball aficionados out there like Nye, a device that analyzes baseball-pitching techniques. From 2001 to 2006, Nye was also the Frank H.T. Rhodes Class of '56 University Professor at Cornell University, where he taught in the same classroom where Carl Sagan had been his professor.
One of his more ardent interests has been the issue of climate change, or as he has dubbed it, "global cooking." In the interest of time, Nye believes that a hyperbolic and emotional label for the most pervasive global issue of our time just might spur the world's population into action. He has also placed himself in the middle of the debate on evolution, citing it as the most important development in science since the heliocentric model of the universe.
"Evolution changed everything, pun intended," Nye said. "The discovery that organisms have changed over enormous spans of time affects how we approach diseases, environmental stewardship, and civil rights."
As for his future plans, Nye is aiming high: galactically high, to be precise. He has applied to be an astronaut with NASA.
"I've always loved airplanes and flight. The space program was really important to me as a kid. I still have a photo of Armstrong and Aldrin on the moon in my living room," he said.
| Q. What's your favorite type of science? A. Was physics, now it's evolutionary biology. Q. What's your personal motto? A. Leave the world better than you found it. (Sometimes you've got to pick up someone else's trash.) Q. Who's your favorite musician? A. Right now, Patti Page. Q. What is your favorite pastime? A. Tinkering, especially with bikes. Q. What is your least favorite pastime? A. Maintaining tax paperwork. Q. How many bow ties do you own? A. Approximately six dozen bow ties. Q. Do you have a nickname? A. Uh, "Bill." People call me "Bill." I don't mind "Dr. Nye," though. |
He's also highly interested in the potential discoveries of the future which may revolutionize our understanding of the universe and our place within it.
"The idea of dark matter, that there is some invisible or nearly undetectable mass holding the universe together, I hope will be understood in my lifetime. Perhaps there are particles akin to protons and neutrons…darkons? We'll see," he said.
Nye added, "The keys to any future discovery are education and what people call 'basic research'—looking for the sake of looking—seeking fundamental knowledge for its own sake. These are worthy uses of the resources of all nations."
For those who share a similar thirst for scientific knowledge and success, Nye reinforced the importance of age-old trial and error in scientific discovery: "Try things; then clean up after yourself. Then try some more things, and clean that up too."
