Attend and Draw Nye (drawing by station manager Gene Turnbow)

Dr. William S. Nye was born November 27, 1955, making November 27, 2017, his sixty-second birthday.  Happy Birthday to Bill Nye, the Science Guy!

Without science, there would be no science fiction.  Without science fiction, there would be no SCIFI.radio.  Without Bill Nye, far fewer people would understand or be interested in science.  So here at SCIFI.radio, “Sci-fi for your Wi-fi”, we think Bill Nye the Science Guy is an important fellow.

Bill Nye is an engineer, an inventor, an actor, a writer, a comedian, and most important of all, a science educator.  One could even call him a science proselytizer.  He has spent much of his adult life trying to make science accessible to the general public.

Bill Nye was trained as an engineer.  He graduated from Cornell University with a B.S. in mechanical engineering in 1977.  From 1977 to 1986, he worked as an engineer for Boeing.  While working for Boeing, he invented a hydraulic resonance suppressor tube for the 747 and appeared in training films.  He moonlighted as a stand-up comedian, and quit his job as an engineer to focus on his show business career. online slots aus

Nye was an actor and writer for the TV show Almost Live!, where he played Speed Walker, a speedwalking superhero.  In 1989 he hosted Fabulous Wetlands, explaining the danger of pollution to our estuaries.  From 1991 to 1993 he appeared in the live-action segments of the Saturday morning cartoon Back to the Future: The Animated Series performing science demonstrations whilst Christopher Lloyd explained.  He was also the technical advisor for the show.  In 1993 came the show that made him famous:  Bill Nye the Science Guy.  From 1993 to 1998, he starred in the show, teaching scientific principles to children (and often the parents watching with them).

Bill Nye guest starred as himself on “Stargate: Atlantis.” Left to right, David Hewlett as Dr. Rodney McKay, Jewel Staite as Dr. Jennifer Keller, Bill Nye, Neil deGrasse Tyson. {image via MGM}

As a science advocate, Bill Nye has been award six honorary doctorates.  He was one of three honorary co-chairs of the March for Science on Earth Day, April 22, 2017 in his hometown of Washington, DC.  He is executive director of The Planetary Society.  In addition to other educational shows such as The Eyes of Nye and Bill Nye Saves the World, he has appeared on several television shows (Big Bang Theory, Stargate: Atlantis, The Neighbors) as himself.  He’s a welcome presence on Planetary Radio Sundays here on SCIFI.radio.  He is also the voice of Professor Rubicon on the Disney cartoon Miles from Tomorrowland.  He has several patents for various types of dancing shoes (an avid swing dancer, he performed on Dancing with the Stars) as well as a digital abacus.  He is a fellow of the Committee for Skeptical Inquiry.

Our country is the only country in the world that has some people that don’t believe in evolution. America is still the leader in scientific advancement, and yet we have adults who want to ignore the evidence of millions and millions of years to believe something much more complicated and complex with zero proof. It’s important that our children are raised to be educated, well-rounded tax paying citizens that understand the importance of technology and science. If you’re an adult and you choose not to believe in science, fine, but please don’t prevent your children from learning about it and letting them draw their own conclusions. I think in 30-40 years this won’t even be an issue, but right now it’s a major concern for a country that has a significant amount of adults raising children to ignore the facts and the evidence surrounding them about our universe, our creation and our well-being.

Happy Birthday, Dr. Nye.  Thanks for the many years of inspiration and education, and for fighting against scientific illiteracy.

-30-

Susan Macdonald

Susan Macdonald is the author of the children's book "R is for Renaissance Faire", as well as 26 short stories, mostly fantasy in "Alternative Truths", "Swords and Sorceress #30", Swords &Sorceries Vols. 1, 2, & 5, "Cat Tails" "Under Western Stars", and "Knee-High Drummond and the Durango Kid". Her articles have appeared on SCIFI.radio's web site, in The Inquisitr, and in The Millington Star. She enjoys Renaissance Faires (see book above), science fiction conventions,  Highland Games, and Native American pow-wows.