133-605: William Sanford Nye ( / n aɪ / ; born November 27, 1955) is an American science communicator , television presenter , and former mechanical engineer . He is best known as the host of the science education television show Bill Nye the Science Guy (1993–1999) and as a science educator in pop culture. Born in Washington, D.C. , Nye began his career as a mechanical engineer for Boeing in Seattle , where he invented
266-467: A bow tie . Nye Labs, the production offices and set where the show was recorded, was in a converted clothing warehouse in Seattle's Pioneer Square neighborhood. Although it focused on younger viewers, it also attracted a significant adult audience. Its ability to make science entertaining and accessible made it a popular teaching tool in classrooms. With its quirky humor and rapid-fire MTV -style pacing,
399-624: A hydraulic resonance suppressor tube used on 747 airplanes. In 1986, he left Boeing to pursue comedy—writing and performing for the local sketch television show Almost Live! , where he regularly conducted wacky scientific experiments . Aspiring to become the next Mr. Wizard , Nye successfully pitched the children's television program Bill Nye the Science Guy to Seattle's public television station, KCTS-TV . The show—which proudly proclaimed in its theme song that "science rules!"—ran from 1993 to 1998 in national TV syndication . Known for its "high-energy presentation and MTV-paced segments",
532-728: A profession . Scientific institutions, like the National Academy of Sciences or the British Association for the Advancement of Science are examples of leading platforms for the public discussion of science. David Brewster , founder of the British Association for the Advancement of Science, believed in regulated publications in order to effectively communicate their discoveries, "so that scientific students may know where to begin their labours." As
665-412: A science of morality ). In 1990, Steven Hilgartner, a scholar in science and technology studies , criticized some academic research in public understanding of science . Hilgartner argued that what he called "the dominant view" of science popularization tends to imply a tight boundary around those who can articulate true, reliable knowledge. By defining a "deficient public" as recipients of knowledge,
798-507: A selfie of the two having smoothies, and later gets a text from Sheldon asking for a ride home, as Nye has ditched him at the smoothie store. In a later discussion with Professor Proton, Sheldon reveals that Nye had a restraining order against him, so he could not help him contact Nye. On February 28, 2014, Nye was a celebrity guest and interviewer at the White House Student Film Festival . Nye appeared in
931-654: A Scientist is written to his fellow scientists, and he says they need to "lighten up". He adds that scientists are ultimately the most responsible for promoting and explaining science to the public and media. This, Olson says, should be done according to a good grasp of social science ; scientists must use persuasive and effective means like story telling . Olson acknowledges that the stories told by scientists need not only be compelling but also accurate to modern science—and says this added challenge must simply be confronted. He points to figures like Carl Sagan as effective popularizers, partly because such figures actively cultivate
1064-589: A broad group of people: scientific experts, science journalists, science artists, medical professionals , nature center educators, science advisors for policymakers, and everyone else who communicates with the public about science. They often use entertainment and persuasion techniques including humour , storytelling , and metaphors to connect with their audience's values and interests. Science communication also exists as an interdisciplinary field of social science research on topics such as misinformation, public opinion of emerging technologies, and
1197-411: A drink that caused her to be incapacitated for the rest of the night. In a letter Sidwell's Head of School Bryan Garman sent to parents, he stated that "A former administrator ... was aware that Michael’s departure from his previous employer had been precipitated by his inappropriate conduct, but had no knowledge of the severity of the allegations as they now stand." Sidwell's athletic teams are known as
1330-495: A fictionalized version of himself who is the father of the character Patterson . Nye's fictional self also alludes to his rivalry with Rodney McKay , which was established in the aforementioned " Brain Storm " episode of Stargate Atlantis . Also in 2018, Nye made a second guest appearance on The Big Bang Theory as himself, together with fellow scientist Neil deGrasse Tyson , in the first episode ("The Conjugal Configuration") of
1463-403: A friendly competition "to see who could have the lowest carbon footprint", according to Begley. Nye often appeared on Begley's HGTV / Planet Green reality show Living with Ed . In July 2012, Nye supported President Barack Obama 's reelection bid. He frequently consulted with Obama on science matters during Obama's presidency, and famously took a selfie with him and Neil deGrasse Tyson at
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#17328021399681596-404: A full year Ninth Grade Studies course that involves a service project. Tenth and eleventh graders must also take courses corresponding to their grade level. Sidwell is a member school of School Year Abroad . In 2016, the school revised its policy on sexual misconduct after reports that a teen had been raped by her ex-boyfriend on the school's campus. No charges were filed against the teen, and
1729-677: A global, national or local community. The Metcalf Institute for Marine & Environmental Reporting at the University of Rhode Island produced a survey of these practices in 2020. "How Science Philanthropy Can Build Equity" also lists several successful civic science projects and approaches. Complementary methods for including diverse voices include the use of poetry, participatory arts, film, and games, all of which have been used to engage various publics by monitoring, deliberating, and responding to their attitudes toward science and scientific discourse. While scientific study began to emerge as
1862-525: A host of topics, not just science and technology but also defense, the euro , enlargement of the European Union, and culture. Eurobarometer's 2008 study of Europeans' Attitudes to Climate Change is a good example. It focuses on respondents' "subjective level of information"; asking "personally, do you think that you are well informed or not about...?" rather than checking what people knew. Science communication can be analyzed through frame analysis ,
1995-473: A hydraulic resonance suppressor tube used on Boeing 747 airplanes. He applied four times, unsuccessfully, for NASA's astronaut training program. Nye started doing standup comedy after winning a Steve Martin lookalike contest in 1978. Nye's friends asked him to do Steve Martin impressions at parties, and he discovered how much he enjoyed making people laugh. He began moonlighting as a comedian while working at Boeing. He has stated, "At this point in our story, I
2128-447: A likeable image. At his commencement address to Caltech students, journalist Robert Krulwich delivered a speech entitled "Tell me a story". Krulwich says that scientists are actually given many opportunities to explain something interesting about science or their work, and that they must seize such opportunities. He says scientists must resist shunning the public, as Sir Isaac Newton did in his writing, and instead embrace metaphors
2261-422: A local sketch comedy television show in Seattle called Almost Live! . He first got his big break on the show from John Keister who met him during an open mic night. After a guest canceled, cohost Ross Shafer told Nye he had seven minutes of programming to fill. "Why don't you do that science stuff?" Shafer suggested. Nye entertained audiences with comical demonstrations, including what happened when you ate
2394-461: A marshmallow that had been dipped in liquid nitrogen. His other main recurring role on Almost Live! was as Speed Walker, a speedwalking Seattle superhero "who fights crime while maintaining strict adherence to the regulations of the international speedwalking association." A famous incident on the show led to Nye's stage name. He corrected Keister on his pronunciation of the word " gigawatt ", and Keister responded, "Who do you think you are—Bill Nye
2527-716: A new edition of Undeniable: Evolution and the Science of Creation , Nye rewrote a chapter on GMOs reflecting his new position. In a radio interview with Neil deGrasse Tyson , he said, "There's no difference between allergies among GMO eaters and non-GMO eaters ... I've changed my mind about genetically modified organisms." In July 2017, Nye observed that the majority of climate change deniers are older people, and said: "So we're just going to have to wait for those people to 'age out', as they say." He has continued to advocate against climate denial. On Last Week Tonight with John Oliver on May 12, 2019, he discussed climate change and
2660-593: A new series, Bill Nye Saves the World , which premiered on April 21, 2017. Its third and final season was released on May 11, 2018. His next series, The End is Nye , was ordered by Peacock in March 2021. Teaming up with Seth MacFarlane and Brannon Braga , the series has Nye exploring natural and unnatural disasters, explaining them scientifically to detail surviving, mitigating, and preventing them. It premiered on August 25, 2022, with six episodes. From 2000 to 2002, Nye
2793-611: A pilot for a new show, Bill Nye the Science Guy , for the Seattle public broadcasting station KCTS-TV . They pitched the show as " Mr. Wizard meets Pee-wee's Playhouse " . Nye obtained underwriting for the show from the National Science Foundation and the US Department of Energy . The program became part of a package of syndicated series that local stations could schedule to fulfill Children's Television Act requirements. Because of this, Bill Nye
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#17328021399682926-589: A popular discourse following the Renaissance and the Enlightenment , science was not widely funded or exposed to the public until the nineteenth century. Most science prior to this was funded by individuals under private patronage and was studied in exclusive groups, like the Royal Society . Public science emerged due to a gradual social change , resulting from the rise of the middle class in
3059-531: A public lecture at Cornell University that filled its 715-seat Statler Auditorium. He spoke of his father's passion for sundials and timekeeping, his time at Cornell, his work on the sundials on the Mars rovers, and the story behind the Bill Nye Solar Noon Clock, which he then presented to the university atop Rhodes Hall. Nye conducted a Q&A session after the 2012 Mars Rover landing. Nye
3192-600: A research method used to analyze how people understand situations and activities. Some features of this analysis are listed below. People make an enormous number of decisions every day, and to approach all of them in a careful, methodical manner is impractical. They therefore often use mental shortcuts known as " heuristics " to quickly arrive at acceptable inferences. Tversky and Kahneman originally proposed three heuristics, listed below, although there are many others that have been discussed in later research. The most effective science communication efforts take into account
3325-555: A result, most science journalism also communicates in English or must use English sources, limiting the audience that science communication can reach. Just as science has historically excluded communities of Black, Indigenous and people of color, LGBTQ+ communities and communities of lower socioeconomic status or education, science communication has also failed to center these audiences. Science communication cannot be inclusive or effective if these communities are not involved in both
3458-518: A result, there were reform efforts to further the knowledge of the less educated. The Society for the Diffusion of Useful Knowledge , led by Henry Brougham , attempted to organize a system for widespread literacy for all classes. Additionally, weekly periodicals , like the Penny Magazine , were aimed to educate the general public on scientific achievements in a comprehensive manner. As
3591-627: A short YouTube video (as himself, not his TV persona) advocating clean-energy climate-change legislation, on behalf of Al Gore's Repower America campaign. He joined the American Optometric Association in a multimedia advertising campaign to persuade parents to provide their children with comprehensive eye examinations. Nye was a contestant in season 17 of Dancing with the Stars in 2013, partnered with new professional dancer Tyne Stecklein. They were eliminated early in
3724-405: A sign of potentially changing norms in the field. According to Lesen et al. (2016), art has been a tool increasingly used to attract the public to science. Either formally or in an informal context, an integration between artists and scientists could potentially raise awareness of the general public about current topics in science, technology, engineering and mathematics ( STEM ). The arts have
3857-678: A successful career in the sciences in the nineteenth century. As a result, scientific journals such as Nature or National Geographic possessed a large readership and received substantial funding by the end of the nineteenth century as the popularization of science continued. Science can be communicated to the public in many different ways. According to Karen Bultitude, a science communication lecturer at University College London , these can be broadly categorized into three groups: traditional journalism, live or face-to-face events, and online interaction. Traditional journalism (for example, newspapers , magazines , television and radio ) has
3990-851: A tour of the Ark Encounter the day after it first opened to the public. He and Ham had an informal debate while touring the structure, and footage from Nye's visit was subsequently included in the documentary film Bill Nye: Science Guy , released in 2017. Since 2013, Nye has been a member of the Advisory Council of the National Center for Science Education . On Earth Day 2015, Nye met with U.S. President Obama to visit Everglades National Park in Florida and discuss climate change and science education. In March 2015, Nye announced he changed his mind and now supported GMOs . In
4123-605: A want to diversify their class offerings. This sparked the Department of Justice to launch an antitrust investigation into the schools, which concluded in 2021 after the DOJ stated that "in light of the burden on the Schools associated with the ongoing pandemic, the division will not bring an enforcement action against the Schools". In April 2020, the school received $ 5.2 million in federally backed small business loans as part of
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4256-584: A wide range of actors in public deliberations. Another disadvantage of traditional journalism is that, once a science story is taken up by mainstream media, the scientist(s) involved no longer has any direct control over how his or her work is communicated, which may lead to misunderstanding or misinformation. Research in this area demonstrates how the relationship between journalists and scientists has been strained in some instances. On one hand scientists have reported being frustrated with things like journalists oversimplifying or dramatizing of their work, while on
4389-602: Is a fellow of the Committee for Skeptical Inquiry , a U.S. nonprofit scientific and educational organization that promotes scientific inquiry, critical investigation, and the use of reason in examining controversial and extraordinary claims. Interviewed by John Rael for the Independent Investigation Group ( IIG ), Nye said that his "concern right now ... [is] scientific illiteracy ... you [the public] don't have enough rudimentary knowledge of
4522-553: Is affected by the same implicit inequities embedded in the production of science research. It has traditionally centered Western science and communicated in Western language. Māori researcher Linda Tuhiwai Smith details how scientific research is "inextricably linked to European imperialism and colonialism". The field's focus on Western science results in publicizing "discoveries" by Western scientists that have been known to Indigenous scientists and communities for generations, continuing
4655-511: Is also prominent at Walt Disney Parks and Resorts —most notably his appearance with Ellen DeGeneres at Ellen's Energy Adventure , an attraction that ran from 1996 to 2017 at the Universe of Energy pavilion at Epcot at Walt Disney World . Nye's Science Guy character is also heard in a voice-over in the DINOSAUR attraction at Disney's Animal Kingdom , and was the on-air spokesman for
4788-541: Is an actual crisis. Got it? Safety glasses off, motherfuckers. Nye has residences in the Studio City neighborhood of Los Angeles , in New York City , and on Mercer Island near Seattle . His California house is solar-powered , and often feeds extra power back into the public power grid, something he enjoys showing visitors. Nye and his neighbor, environmental activist/actor Ed Begley Jr. , have engaged in
4921-410: Is an example of a field whose research can have direct and obvious implications for individuals. Governments and societies might also benefit from more scientific literacy, since an informed electorate promotes a more democratic society . Moreover, science can inform moral decision making (e.g., answering questions about whether animals can feel pain , how human activity influences climate , or even
5054-450: Is consistently a top program in the DMV area. The Quakers completed an undefeated season from 2021 to 2022 and were ranked the #1 best girls' basketball team in the nation by recruiting website MaxPreps as well as by ESPN. In the 2022–2023 season, the team won their second straight DCSAA state championship in a 68–49 win against St. Johns. Led by Coach Tamika Dudley and Duke commit Jadyn Donovan,
5187-649: Is difficult to control how content is picked up by others, and regular attention and updating is needed. When considering whether or not to engage in science communication online, scientists should review what science communication research has shown to be the potential positive and negative outcomes. Online communication has given rise to movements like open science , which advocates for making science more accessible. However, when engaging in communication about science online, scientists should consider not publicizing or reporting findings from their research until it has been peer-reviewed and published, as journals may not accept
5320-597: Is influenced by systemic inequalities that impact both inreach and outreach. Writing in 1987, Geoffery Thomas and John Durant advocated various reasons to increase public understanding of science , or scientific literacy . More trained engineers and scientists could allow a nation to be more competitive economically. Science can also benefit individuals. Science can simply have aesthetic appeal (e.g., popular science or science fiction ). Living in an increasingly technological society, background scientific knowledge can help to negotiate it. The science of happiness
5453-466: Is live or face-to-face events, such as public lectures in museums or universities, debates , science busking, "sci-art" exhibits, Science Cafés and science festivals . Citizen science or crowd-sourced science (scientific research conducted, in whole or in part, by amateur or nonprofessional scientists) can be done with a face-to-face approach, online, or as a combination of the two to engage in science communication. Research has shown that members of
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5586-616: Is located at 3825 Wisconsin Avenue , N.W., Washington, D.C., 20016-2907 The Lower School campus can be found at 5100 Edgemoor Lane, Bethesda , Montgomery County, Maryland , 20814-2306 Both campuses underwent major renovations throughout the 2005–2006 school year, and construction for the Wisconsin Avenue campus Athletic Center (which includes the Kenworthy Courts) was completed in 2011. Sidwell Friends plans to move
5719-420: Is more personal and allows scientists to interact with the public, allowing for two-way dialogue. Scientists are also better able to control content using this method. Disadvantages of this method include the limited reach, it can also be resource-intensive and costly and also, it may be that only audiences with an existing interest in science will be attracted. Another opportunity for budding science communicators
5852-421: Is one-way, so there can be no dialogue with the public, and science stories can often be reduced in scope so that there is a limited focus for a mainstream audience, who may not be able to comprehend the bigger picture from a scientific perspective. However, there is new research now available on the role of newspapers and television channels in constituting "scientific public spheres" which enable participation of
5985-566: Is related to William Foster Nye , founder of Nye Lubricants in New Bedford , Massachusetts. Ned was captured and spent four years in a Japanese prisoner-of-war camp ; living without electricity or watches, he learned how to tell time using the shadow of a shovel handle, spurring his passion for sundials . Jenkins-Nye was among a small elite group of young women known as "Goucher Girls", alumnae of Goucher College in Towson, Maryland , whom
6118-529: Is the idea of how public debate can affect public opinion. A relevant and highly public example of this is climate change . A science communication study appearing in The New York Times proves that "even a fractious minority wields enough power to skew a reader's perception of a [science news] story" and that even "firmly worded (but not uncivil) disagreements between commenters affected readers' perception of science." This causes some to worry about
6251-446: Is the speaker who best demonstrates FameLab's 3 C's – Content, Clarity and Charisma. The third category is online interaction; for example, websites , blogs , wikis and podcasts can be used for science communication, as can other social media or forms of artificial intelligence like AI-Chatbots. Online methods of communicating science have the potential to reach huge audiences, can allow direct interaction between scientists and
6384-443: Is through FameLab . This programme was created by Cheltenham Festivals in 2005 and is the largest science communication competition and training programme in the world. FameLab discovers, trains and promotes the best new voices in science (including social sciences), technology, engineering and maths. Participants have just three minutes to convey a scientific concept of their choice to an audience and expert panel of judges. The winner
6517-410: The D.C. Opportunity Scholarship Program . The school has educated children of notable politicians, including those of several presidents . President Theodore Roosevelt 's son Archibald , President Richard Nixon 's daughters Tricia and Julie , President Bill Clinton 's daughter Chelsea Clinton , President Barack Obama 's daughters Sasha and Malia , President Joe Biden 's grandchildren when he
6650-666: The Disney Channel 's All-New Mickey Mouse Club . Following his stint on Almost Live! , from 1991 to 1993 Nye appeared on live-action educational segments of Back to the Future: The Animated Series , assisting Dr. Emmett Brown (played by Christopher Lloyd ). He was a member of the Seattle Bicycle Advisory Board from 1992 to 1994. In 1993, collaborating with James McKenna, Erren Gottlieb and Elizabeth Brock, Nye developed
6783-429: The National Academy of Sciences , and Science Booster Clubs, coordinated by the National Center for Science Education . Similar to how evidence-based medicine gained a foothold in medical communication decades ago, researchers Eric Jensen and Alexander Gerber have argued that science communication would benefit from evidence-based prescriptions since the field faces related challenges. In particular, they argued that
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#17328021399686916-521: The Noggin television network in 1999. Following the success of Bill Nye the Science Guy , Nye began work on a comeback project, The Eyes of Nye , aimed at an older audience and tackling more controversial science topics such as genetically modified food , global warming and race. However, "shifting creative concepts, infighting among executives and disputes over money with Seattle producing station KCTS significantly delayed production for years. KCTS
7049-497: The Paycheck Protection Program . The school received scrutiny over this loan, which was meant to protect small and private businesses. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin tweeted that the schools should return the money, but the school stated they were keeping it, despite having a $ 53 million endowment. As of 2020 , the school plans to move elementary grades back to Washington, D.C. following its purchase of
7182-533: The Sibley School of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering . His enthusiasm for science deepened after he took an astronomy class with Carl Sagan at Cornell. In 1977, Nye graduated from Cornell University with a BS in mechanical engineering . After graduating from Cornell, Nye worked as an engineer for the Boeing Corporation and Sundstrand Data Control near Seattle. At Boeing, he invented
7315-402: The working classes the ability to purchase them. No longer reserved for the elite, affordable and informative texts were made available to a mass audience. Historian Aileen Fyfe noted that, as the nineteenth century experienced a set of social reforms that sought to improve the lives of those in the working classes, the availability of public knowledge was valuable for intellectual growth. As
7448-414: The "deficit model" or "deficit concept" of science communication and published a series of articles answering the question "In science communication, why does the idea of a public deficit always return?" in different ways; for example, Carina Cortassa's essay argued that the deficit model of science communication is just a special case of an omnipresent problem studied in social epistemology of testimony ,
7581-490: The 1960s, but began to relax by 1969. Following student proposals and negotiations, the dress code was modified in the early 1970s and by 1975 permitted jeans to be worn by students. The dress code continued to evolve in the 1980s and by 2000 included restrictions on exposed midriffs and visible underwear. In 2016, students led a change to the dress code to ban clothing with the Washington Redskins (currently
7714-455: The 2016 documentary Food Evolution , directed by Academy Award-nominated director Scott Hamilton Kennedy and narrated by Neil deGrasse Tyson . In 2017, he was the subject of a biographical documentary film, Bill Nye: Science Guy , directed by David Alvarado and Jason Sussberg . Nye was honorary co-chair of the inaugural March for Science on April 22, 2017. In 2018, Nye guest-starred in an episode of Blindspot , "Let It Go", playing
7847-575: The 2020 biopic Mank . Nye later competed on The Masked Singer spinoff The Masked Dancer as "Ice Cube". In the early 2000s, Nye assisted in the development of a small sundial included in the Mars Exploration Rover missions. Known as MarsDial , in addition to tracking time, it had small colored panels to provide a basis for color calibration . From 2005 to 2010, Nye was the vice president of The Planetary Society , an organization that advocates space science research and
7980-592: The Commanders) football team name and logo. Previously, all grade levels were in Washington, D.C. In 1963, the elementary school moved to the former Longfellow School for Boys, purchased by Sidwell Friends. Sidwell became racially integrated in 1964. In the decades following integration, problems faced by black students lead to the creation of two parent groups outside the school, which sought to alleviate covert prejudice. In 2009, Thomas B. Farquhar became
8113-451: The Head of School after the retirement of Bruce Stewart. Following the 2013-2014 school year, Farquhar was removed from his position as the Head of School. In 2018, Sidwell, along with seven other Washington metropolitan area private schools, announced that they would be eliminating AP courses, citing the declining impact on one's college acceptance chances that AP courses were having, and
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#17328021399688246-782: The Navy enlisted to help crack codes used by Japan and Germany. "She wasn't Rosie the Riveter , she was Rosie the Top-Secret Code Breaker", Nye recalls. "People would ask her what she did during World War II and she'd say, 'I can't talk about it, ha ha ha! ' " Nye attended Lafayette Elementary School and Alice Deal Middle School before attending Sidwell Friends School for high school on a scholarship, graduating in 1973. After graduating from Sidwell Friends, he attended Cornell University in Ithaca, New York , where he studied at
8379-958: The Quakers; their colors are maroon and gray. The Quakers compete in the Mid-Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAC) for boys' sports (after previously competing in the Interstate Athletic Conference (IAC) until 1999) and the Independent School League (ISL) for girls' sports. Sidwell offers teams in volleyball, golf, boys and girls cross country, football, field hockey, girls and boys soccer, boys and girls basketball, boys and girls swimming and diving, wrestling, boys and girls tennis, baseball, boys and girls lacrosse, boys and girls track, ultimate frisbee, crew, movement performance and choreography, and softball. The women's basketball
8512-470: The Science Guy became the first program to run concurrently on public and commercial stations. The series was produced by Walt Disney Television and Rabbit Ears Productions , and distributed by Disney. Bill Nye the Science Guy ran from 1993 to 1998, and was one of the most-watched educational TV shows in the United States. While portraying "The Science Guy", Nye wore a powder blue lab coat and
8645-446: The Science Guy?" Nye's science experiments resonated with viewers, and the local chapter of the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences awarded him a talent Emmy for one of his segments. He later hosted a weekly radio show on KJR in 1988 that answered listener questions about science topics. Even though Nye was regular on Almost Live! , he was only doing freelance work for the program. While looking for more TV gigs, he got
8778-775: The US, Jon Miller is the name most associated with such work and well known for differentiating between identifiable "attentive" or "interested" publics (that is to say science fans) and those who do not care much about science and technology. Miller's work questioned whether the American public had the following four attributes of scientific literacy: In some respects, John Durant's work surveying British public applied similar ideas to Miller. However, they were slightly more concerned with attitudes to science and technology, rather than just how much knowledge people had. They also looked at public confidence in their knowledge, considering issues such as
8911-774: The White House. Nye attended the 2018 State of the Union Address after being invited by Oklahoma Congressman Jim Bridenstine . Nye's attendance drew scrutiny due to Bridestine's "history of expressing climate change skepticism", but Nye defended him: "While the Congressman and I disagree on a great many issues, we share a deep respect for NASA and its achievements and a strong interest in the future of space exploration. My attendance tomorrow should not be interpreted as an endorsement of this administration, or of Congressman Bridenstine's nomination, or seen as an acceptance of
9044-493: The Wisconsin Avenue building. By 1938, the transition to the new building had been completed, and the I Street property was sold. In 1957, the school adopted a formal dress code policy, with requirements and recommendations for boys and girls in Kindergarten, Lower School, Middle School, and Upper School. The dress code continued to evolve to include further restrictions on hair length, skirt length, and types of shoes in
9177-585: The World (2015). He has appeared frequently on other TV shows, including Dancing with the Stars , The Big Bang Theory , and Inside Amy Schumer . He starred in a documentary about his life and science advocacy, Bill Nye: Science Guy , which premiered at the South by Southwest Film Festival in March 2017; and, in October 2017, was named a NYT Critic's Pick . In 2017, the Netflix series Bill Nye Saves
9310-542: The World debuted, and ran for three seasons until 2018. His most recent series, The End Is Nye , premiered August 25, 2022, on Peacock and Syfy . Nye was born November 27, 1955, in Washington, D.C. , to Jacqueline Jenkins (1921–2000), who was a codebreaker during World War II , and Edwin Darby "Ned" Nye (1917–1997), who also served in World War II and worked as a contractor building an airstrip on Wake Island . He
9443-465: The advantage of reaching large audiences; in the past, this is way most people regularly accessed information about science. Traditional media is also more likely to produce information that is high quality (well written or presented), as it will have been produced by professional journalists. Traditional journalism is often also responsible for setting agendas and having an impact on government policy . The traditional journalistic method of communication
9576-508: The audience for scientific texts expanded, the interest in public science did as well. "Extension lectures" were installed in some universities, like Oxford and Cambridge , which encouraged members of the public to attend lectures. In America, traveling lectures were a common occurrence in the nineteenth century and attracted hundreds of viewers. These public lectures were a part of the lyceum movement and demonstrated basic scientific experiments , which advanced scientific knowledge for both
9709-528: The book to them. [...] First the general reader, the layman [...] second the expert [and] third the student". Many criticisms of the public understanding of science movement have emphasized that this thing they were calling the public was somewhat of an (unhelpful) black box. Approaches to the public changed with the move away from the public understanding of science. Science communication researchers and practitioners now often showcase their desire to listen to non-scientists as well as acknowledging an awareness of
9842-463: The central campus' downtown location—meant students had to shuttle between the two sites by streetcar . However, in 1923, Sidwell built a building for school dances and other social gatherings on what came to be known as the Wisconsin Avenue campus. In 1925, the school added a kindergarten, making it the first K–12 school in Washington, D.C. In 1934, the name of the school was changed to "Sidwell and Friends School," and began its gradual re-location to
9975-422: The communication of science reached a wider audience, due to the professionalization of science and its introduction to the public sphere , the interest in the subject increased. There was a change in media production in the nineteenth century. The invention of the steam-powered printing press enabled more pages to be printed per hour, which resulted in cheaper texts. Book prices gradually dropped, which gave
10108-425: The consensus #3 recruit in the class of 2023, the team was once again ranked as the top team in the nation by various recruiting websites and sports journalism pages after compiling a 28–3 record. The men's team is another program in the DMV area, finishing the 2022–2023 season with a state championship, two conference championships (regular season and tournament) and 27–4 record. The Middle and Upper School campus
10241-628: The creation and dissemination of science information. One strategy to improve inclusivity in science communication is by building philanthropic coalitions with marginalized communities. The 2018 article titled "The Civic Science Imperative" in the Stanford Social Innovation Review (SSIR) outlined how civic science could expand inclusion in science and science communication. Civic science fosters public engagement with science issues so citizens can spur meaningful policy, societal or democratic change. This article outlined
10374-447: The creation of the crime drama Numb3rs , where Nye appeared in several episodes as an engineering professor. On October 28, 2007, he also made guest appearances on the VH1 reality show America's Most Smartest Model . Nye appeared on segments of Heidi Cullen 's The Climate Code , later renamed Forecast Earth on The Weather Channel , relating his personal ways of saving energy. In
10507-511: The cycle of colonial exploitation of physical and intellectual resources. Collin Bjork notes that science communication is linked to oppression because European colonizers "employed both the English language and western science as tools for subjugating others". Today, English is still considered the international language of science and 80% of science journals in Scopus are published in English. As
10640-462: The educated and uneducated viewers. Not only did the popularization of public science enlighten the general public through mass media , but it also enhanced communication within the scientific community . Although scientists had been communicating their discoveries and achievements through print for centuries, publications with a variety of subjects decreased in popularity. Alternatively, publications in discipline-specific journals were crucial for
10773-849: The exploration of other planets, particularly Mars . He became the organization's second Executive Director in September 2010 when Louis Friedman stepped down. In November 2010, Nye became the face of a major science exhibition at the Chabot Space & Science Center in Oakland, California. Bill Nye's Climate Lab featured him as commander of the Clean Energy Space Station and invited visitors on an urgent mission to thwart climate change. From 2001 to 2006, Nye served as Frank H. T. Rhodes Class of '56 University Professor at Cornell University . On August 27, 2011, Nye gave
10906-569: The fall of 2008, he appeared periodically on the daytime game show Who Wants to Be a Millionaire as part of its "Ask the Expert" feature. In 2008, Nye hosted Stuff Happens , a short-lived show on the Planet Green network. In November 2008, he portrayed himself in the fifth-season episode " Brain Storm " of Stargate Atlantis , alongside fellow television personality and astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson . In October 2009, Nye recorded
11039-535: The fluid and complex nature of (post/late) modern social identities. At the very least, people will use plurals: publics or audiences. As the editor of the scholarly journal Public Understanding of Science put it in a special issue on publics: We have clearly moved from the old days of the deficit frame and thinking of publics as monolithic to viewing publics as active, knowledgeable, playing multiple roles, receiving as well as shaping science. (Einsiedel, 2007: 5) However, Einsiedel goes on to suggest both views of
11172-599: The former Washington, D.C. school in 2017 for campus expansion purposes. In 2005, Sidwell's AP English Exam scores were the highest in the nation for all medium-sized schools (300–799 students in grades 10–12) offering the AP English exam. All students must acquire at least 20 credits before graduating. Students are required to take four years of English, three years of mathematics, three years of history, two years of one foreign language, two years of science, and two years of art. In addition to this, all freshmen must take
11305-466: The gender of those ticking "don't know" boxes. We can see aspects of this approach, as well as a more "public engagement with science and technology" influenced one, reflected within the Eurobarometer studies of public opinion. These have been running since 1973 to monitor public opinion in the member states, with the aim of helping the preparation of policy (and evaluation of policy). They look at
11438-531: The help of drama coaches (they use the acting techniques of Viola Spolin ). Matthew Nisbet described the use of opinion leaders as intermediaries between scientists and the public as a way to reach the public via trained individuals who are more closely engaged with their communities, such as "teachers, business leaders, attorneys, policymakers, neighborhood leaders, students, and media professionals". Examples of initiatives that have taken this approach include Science & Engineering Ambassadors, sponsored by
11571-468: The impartiality of science organizations in politics can lead to crises of public understanding of science. He cited examples of denialism (for instance, climate change denial ) to support this worry. Journalist Robert Krulwich likewise argued in 2008 that the stories scientists tell compete with the efforts of people such as Turkish creationist Adnan Oktar . Krulwich explained that attractive, easy to read, and cheap creationist textbooks were sold by
11704-466: The importance of keeping public and private personas on social media separate in order to maintain professionalism online. Sidwell Friends School Sidwell Friends School is a Quaker school located in Bethesda, Maryland , and Washington, D.C. , offering pre-kindergarten through high school classes. Founded in 1883 by Thomas W. Sidwell, its motto is "Eluceat omnibus lux" (English: Let
11837-464: The internet has rapidly increased in prominence. In 2016, 55% of Americans reported using the internet as their primary source to learn about science and technology, compared to 24% reporting TV and 4% reporting newspapers were their primary sources. Additionally, traditional media outlets have dramatically decreased the number of, or in some cases eliminated, science journalists and the amount of science-related content they publish. The second category
11970-401: The job of science communication might be to help non-scientists feel they are not excluded as opposed to always included; that they can join in if they want, rather than that there is a necessity to spend their lives engaging. The process of quantifiably surveying public opinion of science is now largely associated with the public understanding of science movement (some would say unfairly). In
12103-482: The lack of collaboration between researchers and practitioners is a problem: "Ironically, the challenges begin with communication about science communication evidence." The overall effectiveness of the science communication field is limited by the lack of effective transfer mechanisms for practitioners to apply research in their work and perhaps even investigate, together with researchers, communication strategies, Jensen and Gerber said. Closer collaboration could enrich
12236-532: The light shine out from all ), alluding to the Quaker concept of inner light . The school's admissions process is merit-based. As documented on the school's website, it gives preference in admissions decisions to members of the Religious Society of Friends but otherwise does not discriminate on the basis of religion. Sidwell "accepts only 7 per cent of its applicants." The school accepts vouchers under
12369-433: The nineteenth century. As scientific inventions, like the conveyor belt and the steam locomotive entered and enhanced the lifestyle of people in the nineteenth century, scientific inventions began to be widely funded by universities and other public institutions in an effort to increase scientific research. Since scientific achievements were beneficial to society, the pursuit of scientific knowledge resulted in science as
12502-610: The opportunity in 1989 to host Fabulous Wetlands , a short educational show about Washington's wetlands, sponsored by the Washington State Department of Ecology . On Fabulous Wetlands , Nye explained the importance of preserving estuaries , and the hazards of pollution. The show was, in many ways, a model for Nye's later show, with "zany camera cuts paired with Nye's humor" that set it apart from other scientific broadcasts. Nye soon got more offers to appear on nationally broadcast programs, including eight segments of
12635-460: The other hand journalists find scientists difficult to work with and ill-equipped to communicate their work to a general audience. Despite this potential tension, a comparison of scientists from several countries has shown that many scientists are pleased with their media interactions and engage often. However, the use of traditional media sources, like newspapers and television, has steadily declined as primary sources for science information, while
12768-404: The other side's priorities, needs and possible solutions, Jensen and Gerber argued; bridging the gap and fostering closer collaboration could allow for mutual learning, enhancing the overall advancements of science communication as a young field. In the preface of The Selfish Gene , Richard Dawkins wrote: "Three imaginary readers looked over my shoulder while I was writing, and I now dedicate
12901-617: The politicization and polarization of science. For decades, science communication research has had only limited influence on science communication practice, and vice-versa, but both communities are increasingly attempting to bridge research and practice. Historically, academic scientists were discouraged from spending time on public outreach, but that has begun to change. Research funders have raised their expectations for researchers to have broader impacts beyond publication in academic journals. An increasing number of scientists, especially younger scholars, are expressing interest in engaging
13034-427: The popularizing of science in the public, questioning whether the further popularization of science will cause pressure towards generalization or sensationalism. Marine biologist and film-maker Randy Olson published Don't Be Such a Scientist: Talking Substance in an Age of Style . In the book he describes how there has been an unproductive negligence when it comes to teaching scientists to communicate. Don't be Such
13167-623: The power of creating emotional links between the public and a research topic and create a collaborative atmosphere that can "activate science" in a different way. Learning through the affection domain, in contrast to the cognitive domain, increases motivation and using the arts to communicate scientific knowledge this way could increase dramatically engagement. By using Twitter , scientists and science communicators can discuss scientific topics with many types of audiences with various points of view. Studies published in 2012 by Gunther Eysenbach shed light on how Twitter not only communicates science to
13300-568: The principles of diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI). DEI in science communication can take many forms, but will always: include marginalized groups in the goal setting, design and implementation of the science communication; use experts to determine the unique values, needs and communication style of the community being reached; test to determine the best way to reach each segment of a community; and include ways to mitigate harm or stress for community members who engage with this work. Efforts to make science communication more inclusive can focus on
13433-403: The problem of "epistemic asymmetry", which arises whenever some people know more about some things than other people. Science communication is just one kind of attempt to reduce epistemic asymmetry between people who may know more and people who may know less about a certain subject. Biologist Randy Olson said in 2009 that anti-science groups can often be so motivated, and so well funded, that
13566-552: The program became a hit among kids and adults, was critically acclaimed, and was nominated for 23 Emmy Awards , winning 19, including Outstanding Performer in Children's Programming for Nye himself. Nye continued to advocate for science, becoming the CEO of The Planetary Society . He has written two bestselling books on science: Undeniable: Evolution and the Science of Creation (2014) and Unstoppable: Harnessing Science to Change
13699-536: The proposed Green New Deal , and said: Here, I've got an experiment for you—safety glasses on. By the end of this century, if emissions keep rising, the average temperature on Earth could go up another 4 to 8 degrees. What I'm saying is the planet's on fucking fire. There are a lot of things we could do to put it out. Are any of them free? No, of course not— nothing's free, you idiots. Grow the fuck up. You're not children anymore. I didn't mind explaining photosynthesis to you when you were 12, but you're adults now and this
13832-555: The protective order. Science communication Science communication encompasses a wide range of activities that connect science and society . Common goals of science communication include informing non-experts about scientific findings, raising the public awareness of and interest in science , influencing people's attitudes and behaviors, informing public policy , and engaging with diverse communities to address societal problems. The term "science communication" generally refers to settings in which audiences are not experts on
13965-488: The public are "monolithic" in their own way; they both choose to declare what something called the public is. Some promoters of public understanding of science might have ridiculed publics for their ignorance, but an alternative "public engagement with science and technology" romanticizes its publics for their participatory instincts, intrinsic morality or simple collective wisdom. As Susanna Hornig Priest concluded in her 2009 introduction essay on science's contemporary audiences,
14098-478: The public but also affects advances in the science community. Alison Bert, editor in chief of Elsevier Connect , wrote a 2014 news article titled "How to use social media for science" that reported on a panel about social media at that year's AAAS meeting, in which panelists Maggie Koerth-Baker , Kim Cobb , and Danielle N. Lee noted some potential benefits and drawbacks to scientists of sharing their research on Twitter. Koerth-Baker, for example, commented on
14231-521: The public seek out science information that is entertaining, but also helping citizens to critically participate in risk regulation and S&T governance. Therefore, it is important to bear this aspect in mind when communicating scientific information to the public (for example, through events combining science communication and comedy, such as Festival of the Spoken Nerd, or during scientific controversies). The advantages of this approach are that it
14364-407: The public through social media and in-person events, though they still perceive significant institutional barriers to doing so. Science communication is closely related to the fields of informal science education , citizen science , and public engagement with science , and there is no general agreement on whether or how to distinguish them. Like other aspects of society, science communication
14497-461: The public, and the content is always accessible and can be somewhat controlled by the scientist. Additionally, online communication of science can help boost scientists' reputation through increased citations, better circulation of articles, and establishing new collaborations. Online communication also allows for both one-way and two-way communication, depending on the audience's and the author's preferences. However, there are disadvantages in that it
14630-419: The recent attacks on science and the scientific community." Nye endorsed Jay Inslee during the 2020 Democratic primaries , until Inslee suspended his campaign on August 21, 2019. On October 28, 2020, Nye took to Twitter endorsing Joe Biden for president , urging his followers to vote on behalf of climate change and science. Nye married musician Blair Tindall on February 3, 2006; however, he annulled
14763-494: The relationship seven weeks later when the marriage license was declared invalid. In 2007, Nye obtained a restraining order against Tindall after she broke into his house and stole several items, including his laptop computer, which she used to send defamatory emails impersonating Nye, and damaged Nye's garden with herbicide. Tindall acknowledged killing the plants but denied being a threat to Nye. Nye subsequently sued Tindall for $ 57,000 in attorney's fees after she allegedly violated
14896-491: The role of girls' and women's education in improving the environment, and the threat the Trump administration posed to the environment and to scientific thought in general. That same year, Nye's vocals were featured on the closing track "Noble Gas" from electronic music producer Steve Aoki 's album Neon Future III . Nye also voiced himself in the animated feature Happy Halloween, Scooby-Doo! He portrayed Upton Sinclair in
15029-483: The role that heuristics play in everyday decision-making. Many outreach initiatives focus solely on increasing the public's knowledge, but studies have found little, if any, correlation between knowledge levels and attitudes towards scientific issues. Inclusive science communication seeks to build equity by prioritizing communication that is built with and for marginalized groups that are not reached through typical top-down science communication. Science communication
15162-546: The school fired a middle school music teacher, Michael Henderson, who had been accused of having inappropriate contact with a 14-year-old girl at a previous school. In 1996, the parents of Sara Lawson, a student at the Fountain Valley High School , filed a police report that detailed multiple incidences of "unwanted touching and kissing" between her and Henderson while she was 14. She later stated that Henderson once invited her over to his house and made her
15295-443: The school installed more security cameras to deter future assaults. Despite the measures, a year later another teenage female student reported being raped on the campus grounds by a fellow student. Former Sidwell psychologist and sex ed teacher James Huntington was the target of a 2013 lawsuit for his affair with the parent of a student he was counseling. The case exposed teachers that had made advances towards students. In 2017,
15428-503: The scientific topic being discussed ( outreach ), though some authors categorize expert-to-expert communication ("inreach" such as publication in scientific journals ) as a type of science communication. Examples of outreach include science journalism and health communication . Since science has political, moral, and legal implications, science communication can help bridge gaps between different stakeholders in public policy, industry, and civil society. Science communicators are
15561-465: The scientists get to emphasize their own identity as experts, according to Hilgartner. Understood in this way, science communication may explicitly exist to connect scientists with the rest of society, but science communication may reinforce the boundary between the public and the experts (according to work by Brian Wynne in 1992 and Massimiano Bucchi in 1998 ). In 2016, the scholarly journal Public Understanding of Science ran an essay competition on
15694-580: The season after Nye sustained an injury to his quadriceps tendon on Week 3. In 2013, Nye guest-starred in The Big Bang Theory episode " The Proton Displacement ". In the episode, Sheldon Cooper befriends Nye and brings him in to teach Leonard Hofstadter a "lesson" after Professor Proton (played by Bob Newhart ) helps Leonard with an experiment instead of Sheldon. Professor Proton accuses Bill Nye of making his TV series similar to Proton's show. After Nye and Sheldon leave, Leonard receives
15827-625: The show won critical acclaim and was nominated for 23 Emmy Awards , winning nineteen. Research studies found that regular viewers were better at explaining scientific ideas than non-viewers. In addition to the TV show, Nye published several books as The Science Guy. A CD-ROM based on the series, titled Bill Nye the Science Guy: Stop the Rock! , was released in 1996 for Windows and Macintosh by Pacific Interactive. Nye's Science Guy personality
15960-483: The show's final season. In September 2019, Nye was a guest on Episode 127 of Jonathan Van Ness 's podcast Getting Curious , where they discussed climate change, the failures of cold fusion , the potential of better battery technology for storage of energy produced by wind turbines and solar panels , the benefits of and forthcoming improvements to electric vehicles , and the detriment and failures of fossil fuel and nuclear energy , measures toward water cleanliness,
16093-413: The space sciences building, Nye explained that he was interested in developing a science television program. "I mentioned how I planned to talk about bridges and bicycles and so on—stuff that, as an engineer, I'd been interested in—and [Sagan] said, 'Focus on pure science. Kids resonate to pure science rather than technology.' And that turned out to be great advice." In 1986, Nye worked as a writer/actor on
16226-457: The spectrum of science communication research and increase the existing methodological toolbox, including more longitudinal and experimental studies . Evidence-based science communication would combine the best available evidence from systematic research, underpinned by established theory, as well as practitioners' acquired skills and expertise, reducing the double-disconnect between scholarship and practice. Neither adequately take into account
16359-445: The strategies of supporting effective science communication and engagement, building diverse coalitions, building flexibility to meet changing goals, centering shared values, and using research and feedback loops to increase trust. However, the authors of the 2020 SSIR article "How Science Philanthropy Can Build Equity" warned that these approaches will not combat systemic barriers of racism, sexism, ableism, xenophobia or classism without
16492-539: The thousands to schools in Turkey (despite their strong secular tradition) due to the efforts of Oktar. Astrobiologist David Morrison has spoken of repeated disruption of his work by popular anti-scientific phenomena, having been called upon to assuage public fears of an impending cataclysm involving an unseen planetary object—first in 2008, and again in 2012 and 2017. Science popularization figures such as Carl Sagan and Neil deGrasse Tyson are partly responsible for
16625-545: The universe to evaluate claims." In November 2012, he launched a Kickstarter campaign for an educational aerodynamics game called AERO 3D , but it was not funded. In September 2012, Nye claimed that creationist views threatened science education and innovation in the United States. In February 2014, he debated creationist Ken Ham at the Creation Museum on whether creation is a viable model of origins in today's modern, scientific era. In July 2016, Ham gave Nye
16758-428: The view of science or a specific science discipline within the general public. However, the degree of knowledge and experience a science popularizer has can vary greatly. Because of this, some science communication can depend on sensationalism . As a Forbes contributor put it, "The main job of physics popularizers is the same as it is for any celebrity: get more famous." Another point in the controversy of popular science
16891-564: The way Galileo did; Krulwich suggests that metaphors only become more important as the science gets more difficult to understand. He adds that telling stories of science in practice, of scientists' success stories and struggles, helps convey that scientists are real people. Finally, Krulwich advocates for the importance of scientific values in general, and helping the public to understand that scientific views are not mere opinions, but hard-won knowledge. Actor Alan Alda helped scientists and PhD students get more comfortable with communication with
17024-475: The work after it has been circulated under the " Ingelfinger rule ". Other considerations revolve around how scientists will be perceived by other scientists for engaging in communication. For example, some scholars have criticized engaged, popular scholars using concepts like the Sagan effect or Kardashian Index . Despite these criticisms, many scientists are taking to communicating their work on online platforms,
17157-426: Was Vice President and Vice President Al Gore 's son, Albert Gore III, graduated from Sidwell Friends. Thomas Sidwell started a "Friends' Select School" in 1883 on I Street in downtown Washington , four blocks from the White House. It opened with just eleven students. In 1911, Sidwell began buying property between Wisconsin Avenue and 37th St. Initially, the new property was used for athletic fields—and, with
17290-468: Was eventually picked up by American Public Television . "PBS wanted more serious, in-depth Nova -style shows", explained co-producer Randy Brinson. The show, which eventually premiered in 2005, lasted only one season. Nye acknowledged that omitting his bow tie on the program was a mistake. "I tried wearing a straight tie. It was nothing", Nye said. "We were trying something new. It wasn't me." On August 31, 2016, Netflix announced that Nye would appear in
17423-434: Was hampered by budgetary problems and couldn't produce a show pilot on time. "KCTS went through some distress", Nye recalled. "When we did The Eyes of Nye , the budget started out really big, and by the time we served all these little problems at KCTS, we had a much lower budget for the show than we'd ever had for the 'Science Guy' show which was made several years earlier." PBS declined to distribute The Eyes of Nye , and it
17556-547: Was the technical expert on BattleBots . In 2004 and 2005, he hosted 100 Greatest Discoveries , an award-winning series produced by THINKFilm for the Science Channel , broadcast in high definition on the Discovery HD Theater network. In 2007, he also hosted an eight-part Discovery Channel series, Greatest Inventions with Bill Nye . A lecture Nye gave on getting children excited about math inspired
17689-736: Was working on business jet navigation systems, laser gyroscope systems during the day, and I'd take a nap and go do stand-up comedy by night." He also participated in Big Brothers Big Sisters of America , and volunteered at the Pacific Science Center on weekends as a "Science Explainer". Nye quit his job at Boeing on October 3, 1986, to focus on his burgeoning comedy career. During Nye's 10-year college reunion in 1987, he went to great lengths to meet with Carl Sagan at Cornell. Sagan's assistant told Nye, "Okay, you can talk to him for five minutes." In their meeting at
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