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Bill Nye-The Science Guy
By Vivian Harber
Bill Nye was born and raised in
Washington D.C. Both of his parents,
Jacqueline and Edwin Nye, were World
War II veterans. Bill received a
relatively average education until he
was accepted into the private Sidwell
Friends School, which he graduated
from in 1973. Subsequently, he studied
Mechanical Engineering at Cornell
University. He graduated with a
Bachelor of Science in Mechanical
Engineering in 1977.
William Sanford Nye
aka Bill Nye The Science Guy
Born November 27, 1955
The more you find out about the world,
the more opportunities there are to laugh
at it.
The main reason Bill Nye is a known name is because of his popular television show, Bill Nye, The Science Guy,
which describes science to a younger audience. In his T.V. series there are 100 episodes of many different scientific
topics that range from Ocean Exploration to Forensics. In this program, he mixes the seriousness of science with action
and humor to teach children all about science. Through his show, Bill explained specific scientific topics in a kidfriendly way. He made and still makes science easier to understand for thousands of children. Even though the show
ended 16 years ago, teachers and educators still use the episodes to introduce new topics to their classes. Bill also had
another T.V. series called Eyes of Nye. This program was just like his previous show but was aimed towards an older
audience of teenagers and adults. Also, this show focused on more advanced topics such as Astrobiology, Cloning, and
GMOs. But, Bill was involved in more than just television shows. Before his fame on T.V., Bill worked in Seattle at
Boeing, an Aircraft Manufacturing company. There he developed a hydraulic pressure resonance suppressor, that is still
used in an airplane now. Later, he worked in the aeronautics industry as a consultant. He also tried to become a NASA
astronaut a few times, but was rejected. Bill Nye made several appearances on Larry King Live to spread awareness of
global warming, which is a topic he pursues. In addition to his T.V. show, hes written five books about science, all
directed towards children.
Bill Nye has addressed two major problems; the unawareness
of global warming and the neglect of children learning science.
The majority of children and young teens dont like science,
arent interested by it, and dont know much about it. Bill Nye,
The Science Guy makes science interesting. The show features
humor, action, and special effects while all educating kids. This
makes kids want to watch it. In all my experiences, when a
teacher says that well be watching an episode of Bill Nye, The
Science Guy all of my peers and I are overjoyed. The show
makes children want to learn more about a science overall.
Science can be used to solve many problems. Recently,
scientists have been working to solve the problem of
terrorism and war. But is this moral and ethical? The
U.S. has had lots of problems with aircraft highjacking
and terrorism in specific and special buildings. A very
well known and tragic example of this is on September
11, 2001 when American Airlines Flight 11, United
Airlines Flight 175, American Airlines Flight 77,
United Airlines Flight 93, were hijacked by Al-Qaedaaffiliated extremists. Scientists are working on a
device that could scan bags before being put onto an
airplane or before walking into a building and tell the
security guards the exact chemical composition of its
contents and warn of biological or chemical agents or
incendiary devices in seconds. A MSE professor is
trying to make that kind of machine for the government
to use. This professor has taken on a very hard task
because there are so many implications. Currently, we
dont have the technology to scan an item in seconds
and find the exact chemical composition. He will also
face the problem of if this is moral and ethical? When
our bags are scanned this precisely, does it interfere
with our freedom and rights or is it for our protection?
This is a very debatable topic. Some think that strangers
shouldnt be able to look through and see all of our
personal belongings. But others think that it is for our
protection and they are perfectly fine with it. I wouldnt
mind this new device because I would rather be
protected than not.
Honestly, Bill Nye hasnt contributed much to our
current understanding of science. But he has taken
what we currently know about science and he has made
it a fun and exciting journey for countless children. My
generation has grown up watching Bill Nye on PBS.
He has been teaching me different topics of science
since I was younger. I specifically remember learning
about Volcanoes, Earthquakes, Probability, Climate,
Atoms, and Molecules from Bill Nye. While most
scientists focus on whats next and new scientific
advances, Bill has dedicated his time to teaching a
younger audience. By doing this, he has set the world
up for a bright future full of new discoveries.
