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Nye, Bill, 1850-1896We have 3 books for this author.
William Sanford Nye (born November 27, 1955), also known as "Bill Nye the Science Guy," is an American television host, science educator, and mechanical engineer. Early life and educationNye was born in Washington, D.C attended Sidwell Friends School, graduating in 1973, and went to Cornell University. He graduated in 1977 with a Bachelor of Science degree in mechanical engineering. Aeronautics careerNye began his career at Boeing where, among other things, he starred in training films and developed a hydraulic pressure resonance suppressor still used in the Boeing 747. Later Nye worked as a consultant and in the aeronautics industry. At one time, while working on the A-12 stealth attack aircraft, Nye had level-three (top secret) security clearance with the Department of Defense. Nye is also a member and fellow of the Committee for Skeptical Inquiry. Nye told the St. Petersburg Times in 1999 that he applied to be a NASA astronaut every few years but was always rejected.[1] After winning a Steve Martin look-alike contest, Nye began a dual career as an engineer by day, and stand-up comic by night.[2] This eventually transitioned into an exclusive entertainment career. Nye got his television start performing on a Seattle-area sketch comedy show called Almost Live!, and appeared regularly on the show for many seasons. It was on this show that "Bill Nye the Science Guy" was born.[2] He left the show to start producing Bill Nye the Science Guy in 1993. Once famous, Bill returned as a guest-star for an episode that opened with a skit of Nye not being recognized and having trouble entering the King 5 building. Nye was also the assistant of Emmett "Doc" Brown in the live-action segments of Back to the Future: The Animated Series (1991–1993). In one episode, Bill corrected Doc Brown on the correct pronunciation of gigawatt (not jigawatt), only for Doc Brown to fire back with "What are you, Bill Nye the science guy?" The Science GuyNye hosted the educational television program Bill Nye the Science Guy from 1993 to 1997. Each episode (100 in all) aimed to teach a specific topic in science to a preteen audience, yet it garnered a wide adult audience as well. In its day, the show was somewhat popular as a school resource. He has written several books as The Science Guy. In addition to hosting the show, he was also a writer and producer for it. Bill Nye has appeared alongside Ellen DeGeneres, Alex Trebek, and in "Ellen's Energy Adventure," an attraction playing since 1996 in the Universe of Energy pavilion inside Epcot at Walt Disney World. Post-Science Guy careerNye remains interested in science education through entertainment. He created a PBS KCTS-TV 13-episode series about science, called The Eyes of Nye, aimed at older audiences than his previous show. Airing in 2005, it often featured episodes based on politically relevant themes such as genetically modified food, global warming, and race. Nye held the boom microphone during four episodes of Popular Mechanics for Kids, a Canadian-produced show that debuted after his series ended. Nye hosted the attraction "Cyberspace Mountain" at Walt Disney World's interactive arcade theme park DisneyQuest. The attraction allows guests to create their own roller coasterthat they get to ride in simulator form. He also starred in the Disney World attractions DINOSAUR and Ellen's Energy Adventure. Nye played the role of a science teacher in Disney's Principal Takes a Holiday. Though a small role, Nye goes on to make a hovercraft to demonstrate science in an unusual classroom manner. ] In 2005, Bill Nye hosted 100 Greatest Discoveries, an award-winning series produced by THINKFilm for Discovery Channel-spinoff The Science Channel. Nye is a regular in TV Land discussions. He has contributed to "The 100 Most Unexpected Moments in Television," "The 100 Greatest Catchphrases," and several episodes of "TV Land Rumors." He also appears on Fox News Channel as a science contributor. Nye currently writes a column on MSN Encarta called Ask Bill Nye. Life outside televisionIn the early 2000s, Nye assisted in the development of a small sundial that was included in the Mars Exploration Rover missions. Known as MarsDial, it included small colored panels to provide a basis for color calibration in addition to helping keep track of time.[3] Nye is also the vice president of the Planetary Society, an organization that advocates space science research and the exploration of other planets, particularly Mars. He holds several patents, including one for ballet shoes and another for a magnifying glass that uses water. From 2001-06 Nye served as Frank H.T. Rhodes Class of '56 University Professor at Cornell University. He has received two honorary doctorates, one from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and another from Goucher College. Nye was married to his fiancée of five months, Blair Tindall, author of Mozart in the Jungle: Sex, Drugs, and Classical Music, on February 3, 2006. The ceremony was performed by Rick Warren at The Entertainment Gathering, which took place at the Skirball Center for the Performing Arts in Los Angeles. Yo-Yo Ma provided the music. Nye ended the marriage seven weeks later, when their marriage license was returned invalid and unrecorded. When Pluto was reclassified from a planet to a dwarf planet by the International Astronomical Union in 2006, Nye came out in favor of the change.[4] In April 2006, several audience members in Waco, Texas walked out of a lecture Nye was holding when he criticized literal interpretation of the Bible and stated that the Moon reflects the light of the Sun and is not its own light. [5] References
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