On Jan. 4, popular science educator Bill Nye ’73, known to millions as “The Science Guy,” was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom during a ceremony at the White House. Nye, an alumnus of Sidwell Friends School and Cornell University, was one of the 19 recipients bestowed with the nation’s highest honor for a civilian, alongside former professional basketball player and businessman Earvin “Magic” Johnson, actor and director Denzel Washington, Pope Francis and others.
After he graduated from Sidwell in 1973, Nye earned a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering at Cornell. Following his graduation from Cornell, Nye worked at the aircraft company Boeing, where he designed a hydraulic resonance suppressor tube for Boeing’s 747s. Nye also found a passion for comedy, becoming a stand-up comedian and eventually debuting his iconic character, “The Science Guy,” on the Seattle TV show “Almost Live.” This experience allowed Nye to begin his PBS children’s show “Bill Nye the Science Guy.” The show made complex topics fun and easy to learn for children; it was a 19-time Emmy winner and was one of the most-watched shows in the United States in the 1990s, according to Sidwell Friends. Nye also starred in a Netflix series, “Bill Nye Saves the World,” which helped him secure the title as one of the country’s most influential science communicators, according to the Cornell Chronicle.
Throughout his career, Nye became an advocate for addressing climate change awareness. He published a book in 2015 titled “Unstoppable: Harnessing Science to Change the World.” In the book, Nye discusses how addressing climate change is scientifically necessary and feasible. In 2010, he was selected to be the CEO of The Planetary Society, an organization involved in space advocacy co-founded by Cornell Professor Carl Sagan. Nye has worked to inspire public interest in space and scientific innovation. He designed three sundials for the Mars Exploration Rover, working on the project with Cornell Professor Sreve Squyres, NASA’s scientific principal investigator for the mission.
Former President Joe Biden presented Nye with the Presidential Medal of Freedom and commended his achievements. Biden added that he is “America’s science teacher.” The Medal of Freedom, established by Former President John F. Kennedy in 1963, has been awarded to individuals who have made exceptional contributions in their respective fields. Nye has now joined an exclusive group of Cornell alumni who have received the medal, including epidemiologist Anthony Fauci, who received the medal from President George W. Bush in 2008, and Toni Morrison, a Nobel laureate who received it from President Barack Obama in 2012.
According to Sidwell Friends, “Nye continues to inspire future generations of scientists around the world, and the Presidential Medal of Freedom recognizes and honors his lasting legacy in his field.” Biden praised all the recipients, calling them “heroes of the highest order” whose efforts will “shape the culture and cause of America.”
