I remember sitting too close to the TV screen as a child whenever Bill Nye the Science Guy aired. Later, I would see the staticky man on the screen again as he starred with Ellen Degeneres in Ellen’s Energy Adventure at Disney’s Future World in Epcot. According to other students, I was the not the only one who viewed Bill as an idol. Needless to say, when we heard that he was going to be the first speaker as part of FSU’s Golden Tribe Lecture Series in 2014, we were pretty excited. So excited, in fact, that students began to wait to get into the event almost four hours prior to when Bill was supposed to take the stage.
What began as a calm, contained circle…
…quickly turned into a hectic, rainy rush.
In the end, all of the waiting in the rain was worth it to those who managed to get into the event. Hushed excitement was heard throughout Ruby Diamond Concert Hall as everyone waited for the lecture to begin. First on stage was Sir Harry Kroto of FSU’s very own Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry. As a Nobel Prize Recipient, Sir Kroto frequently lectures on campus and is well qualified to introduce Bill onto the stage.
Sir Harry Kroto
As soon as Bill took the stage, students, professors, and the public alike were out of their seats immediately in a standing ovation. It was heart-warming to hear him address us after the ovation died down, “Many of you have stood out in the rain. Thank you, I love you all.” The idea that Mr. Nye stressed the most from the very beginning of his lecture to the very end is, “Let’s change the world!”
Not only a man of science, Bill also showed himself to be quite the comedian. While explaining how his dad’s interest in sundials got passed down to him, he refers to how to make a sundial, “Everything that sticks up should be a sundial: statues, sticks, light poles…oh well not everything of course. I forgot I was lecturing a college audience.”
When explaining how far science has come through the endeavors of critical thinkers, Bill shows us some examples of humanity’s accomplishments:
“This is the first picture of Mars, people. If I may, f-ing Mars.”
Most importantly, throughout the lecture Bill stressed how our generation can be the ones who help change the world, “We have a real threat from asteroids, and you’re the first generation who can do anything about it. They are the only preventable natural threat. We can learn how to deflect them. The way the government spends money, $2 billion [to go to this research] is nice. We need voters and taxpayers to embrace the value of science, the value of critical thinking, the value of reason.” When questioned about the Ken Ham debate, Bill makes a remark on how Mr. Ham said that nothing can change his mind, “‘Nothing’ will change his mind. We can’t have that kind of thinking nowadays. We need to critically think.” After the lecture, when the hall was open to a question and answer period, a student asked Bill, “What do we do if we get a president that doesn’t believe in climate change?” This question refers to one of FSU’s current presidential finalists John Thrasher. Without hesitation Bill responded, “That makes my heart break. As voting citizens you have to do everything within your power to not let him continue to that position.”
Bill stressed for us, as students and educators especially, to critically think, to not accept what we are told blindly, to search for truth and to endeavor to enlighten ourselves: “Lots of people deny climate change. Not because they know any better, but because it’s too big of an idea for them to comprehend. You could either take this information and run around screaming, or you can take it and change the world.”
He also stressed to put ourselves into perspective.
“I am a speck on a speck which orbits another speck in the middle of specklessness. But with your brain, with your critical thinking, you can know your place in the cosmos. You can know your place in space. We learned all of this through science, and with this knowledge, you can change the world.”
Bill’s lecture even included a “surprise” phone call from past Golden Tribe Lecture speaker and popular scientist Neil deGrasse Tyson. While Neil was on the phone, a student asked him, “What’s the next goal for our generation?” Neil responded, “The next goal for your generation is to plan to lead the world in everything scientific and technological.” Bill quickly added, “And that is how we will change the world.”
“Science is optimistic. If you are not optimistic, you will not get things done.”