‘Bill Nye the Science Guy’ speaks to students
William Nye, also known as Bill Nye the “Science Guy,” spoke to a packed Kent Concert Hall Thursday about the importance of science and recent discoveries on Mars.
Students, adults and children, arrived early and lined the stairs and sidewalk outside the concert hall to insure a spot inside.
“I think we had a great turnout. I think people were excited and learned a lot. I hope it excites students for what is coming up this year,” said Brittany Duke, Associated Students of Utah State University arts and lectures vice president.
When Nye took the stage the crowd gave him a standing ovation, including a row of students wearing lab coats with “Bill Nye rocks” spelled out on their backs.
Nye responded to the crowd by saying, “Science rocks.”
Nye, aside from his popular TV show, has been involved in Mars research over the last few years. Most recently, Nye has played a critical role in placing a sundial on Mars.
The sundial not only allows scientists to know “Mars time” and sun placement but is also helping scientist to discover the true color of Mars’ sky because of the colors the shadows cast on the sundial make. Instead of the blue sky, we are accustomed to the sky seen from Mars is more of a “pink/orange/taupe/ostrich egg color,” Nye said.
The sundial has the motto, “Two worlds, one sun.” Also found on the sundial are drawings of earth life and a message to all who see it explaining how it got there and encouraging science and peace.
“It’s sobering to think the shadows cast on mars are cast by the same life giving star that cast shadows here at USU,” Nye said.
Nye’s interest in sundials goes back to his childhood. Nye’s father developed a great interest in sundials and astronomy while in a POW camp in WWI on Wake Island located in the middle of the Pacific, Nye said.
The spacecraft carrying the Mars Rover, which holds the sundial and collects information, was launched in 2003. The first pictures from the Mars Rover were received in January 2004 and showed Mars’ terrain and atmosphere.
“It’s a place. Mars is a place with clouds and weather. Isn’t that crazy?” Nye said.
The Mars Rover also recently studied Endurance Crater and discovered patterns of chemicals identical to those found in sea water.
Nye said it is reasonable to assume that there may have been a Mars ocean at one time and that Mars could have sustained life. In the next eight to nine years Nye said he feels it’s possible that fossil bacteria could be found on Mars.
“I learned what all the fuss is about with life in Mars,” Charles Mantei, a sophomore majoring in exercise science, said.
Nye also answered questions from the crowd including one about his popular show. Nye said he got his start on TV after winning a Steve Martin look-alike contest and then doing stand-up comedy.
He was an engineer by day and comic by night, he said.
Nye produced many laughs from the USU crowd throughout his presentation.
“I’m an engineer, you know. People recognize you at parties because your pants don’t reach the floor,” Nye said.
Nye said as a child he was amazed when a teacher told him there were more stars than grains of sand. He said we can either feel really small and insignificant in the scheme of things or feel amazed that we can learn about it.
“You don’t know what you’re going to end up doing but you could, dare I say it, change the world,” Nye said.
“I think he’s a really cool guy. I think his mission to encourage science is wonderful,” Sarah Dimmick, a senior majoring in english teaching, said.
Before leaving, Nye shook hands with audience members and took pictures. He then left to look at some student projects on campus.
Nye spent about45 minutes with the USU undergraduate space research team’s “Get Away Special.” GAS specializes in sending things into space and prides itself that USU sends more projects into space than any other university.
Nye looked at GAS’s newest project the ISO-CRATE (International Space Station Container of Research Available To Educators), said Tim Nielsen, a senior majoring in computer engineering and part of the GAS program.
The ISO-CRATE project is the building of small containers that can be sent to space holding scientific experiments made by local K-12 students.
“[Nye] thought it was a really good idea, ” Nielsen said.
Nye looked at the project and said he was familiar with similar projects in other parts of the country.
“It was cool to see that there are other people he’s met that are interested in the same things. He also gave us a lot of little bits of advice that I think will help,” Nielsen said.
-hilaryi@cc.usu.edu