Bill Nye the Science Guy explores the fascinating world of science

Bill Nye will share his infectious enthusiasm for science and explore how the latest scientific advancements relate to social policy and change lives. He will speak at 11 a.m., September 13, in Graham Chapel as part of the Assembly Series.

Bill Nye

Nye has become a household name with his innovative television series, and he has spent his whole career trying to make science fun and accessible. His teaching skills and humor have encouraged a generation of young people and their parents to understand the science that makes the world work.

He is a scientist, an engineer, a comedian, an author, and an inventor. After graduating from Cornell in 1977 with a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering, Nye worked as an engineer for Boeing in Seattle. (He designed a hydraulic resonance suppressor tube that is still flying on Boeing 747s.) It was there that he combined his love for science with his talent for comedy.

While writing and performing for a Seattle comedy ensemble television show, he developed the Bill Nye the Science Guy persona. From 1992 to 1998, he wrote, produced and performed for his Emmy award-winning television series. His current show, The Eyes of Nye, airs on Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) stations. Aimed at adults, it features episodes based on topical subjects such as genetically-modified foods, climate warming, and race.

In 2005, he hosted 100 Greatest Discoveries, an award-winning series for Discovery’s Science Channel. He writes a column on the MSN Encarta Web site called Ask Bill Nye.

Studying under Carl Sagan at Cornell, he developed a love of astronomy. He assisted in the development of a small sundial that was included in the Mars Exploration Rovers mission. The small colored panels in each MarsDial provide a basis for color calibration and help keep track of time.

Nye is vice president of The Planetary Society. He holds several patents, including one for an abacus that does arithmetic like a computer. He has written five science books for children, including Bill Nye’s Great Big Book of Tiny Germs.

Since 2001, he has visited Cornell regularly as a professor as part of the Frank H.T. Rhodes Visiting Professorship.

EnCouncil, the undergraduate student council in the School of Engineering and Applied Science, is sponsoring the event.

The event is free and open to the public. Graham Chapel is located north of Mallinckrodt Center, 6445 Forsyth Blvd., on the Washington University Danforth campus.

For more information, call (314) 935-4620 or visit the Assembly Series Web page (http://assemblyseries.wustl.edu).