Mars and more: Upcoming Arts and Lectures line-up at USU
The Associated Students of Utah State University Arts and Lecture series is starting the year off with one of the biggest names in educational television, giving many Utah State University students the chance to meet one of their childhood memories in person.
At 3 p.m., Thursday, William S. Nye, otherwise known as Bill Nye the Science Guy, will speak to students in the Kent Concert Hall.
According to the Arts and Lectures pamphlet distributed by ASUSU, “Bill Nye, with his hit TV show, ‘Bill Nye the Science Guy’ has enthralled TV audiences with his wacky science experiments and fast paced anecdotes.”
The show first aired in 1993 and ran until October of 2002. It was designed to get kids interested in everyday science.
“The show was so intriguing, it helped me so much with science,” said Michelle Castillo, a sophomore majoring in early childhood education.
Owing to his popularity, many students are getting excited for their chance to listen and see Nye in person.
Cynthia Parke, a junior majoring in accounting and finance said, “I used to watch Bill all the time when I was a youngster and I can’t wait to see him in real life.”
Although the show has ended, Nye continues to teach as he lectures around the United States. Nye’s lecture on Thursday will focus on the national and world interest in Mars.
Nye decided to come lecture at USU in part because he was impressed by the university’s space program and a few other factors such as scheduling and pricing, said Brittany Duke, ASUSU Arts and Lectures vice president. “Bill Nye has been the apple of Utah State’s eye for a couple of years now,” Duke said. “This year it just fell into place.”
In addition to Nye’s lecture, the Arts and Lecture series line-up includes 10 other speakers and performers, each with their own speciality.
“If students knew more about what was going on they would be really excited,” Duke said, “If you go to another university you don’t get this kind of opportunity.”
One of the performances will be Nebellen, a hip hop dance company coming in November. The company is bringing a live disc jockey and will have plenty of audience participation. According to the ASUSU pamphlet, “Nebellen dancers [combine] cutting edge dance styles like house, poppin’, lockin’, hip-hop, liquid, and b-boy with the control of more established dance disciplines.”
“The group will be a perfect way to unwind after elections,” Duke said.
In February, another guest lecturer, Victor DeNoble, will talk about his experience working with the tobacco industry and his studies with nicotine. DeNoble was the first person to uncover the secrecy behind the tobacco industry.
The Arts and Lecture series runs throughout the year with funding for the series taken out of students’ fees.
“Your paying for them. You might as well go see them,” Duke said.
Other performances for the year include the world premiere of Systems/Layers, a collaborative effort by musical sextet Rachel’s and the SITI Company, and a visit from traditional Irish sextet, Dervish.
Lectures will be given by democracy advocate Jesus Nebot, Coalition on Urban Renewal and Education (CURE) founder Star Parker, Harvard professor of psychology Steven Pinker and journalist Ethlie Ann Vare.
In addition to the Arts and Lectures series, ASUSU also sponsors Poetry and a Beverage. This activity is put on every month in the skyroom and gives students the opportunity to listen to poetry and music or perform it themselves.
-gmblake@cc.usu.edu