Science
and I did not mix.
When
I was in school, science was easily one of my least favourite
subjects. I didn't quite understand the difference between inertia
and kinetic energy, I bungled up the periodic table of elements on a
regular basis, and I didn't particularly like working with bunsen
burners for fear that the science experiment that I was working on
would explode directly in my face.
My
grades in science class were always on the low side. I didn't fail
any science classes, but I didn't exactly do well in the subject
either. Thankfully, I had lab partners who actually knew what they
were doing or else I would have been stuck in high school science
forever!
(I
make a far better writer anyways.)
At
the same time, there were instances in which we would have science
tests and quizzes, and have to create science projects in school, and
I would be a complete disaster at them. Whenever we had the school
science fair where all the seventh and eighth grade students had to
create their own science projects for display, my science fair
projects were always considered to be among some of the worst ones.
I ended up doing a science fair project on how to turn a mirror into
a magnet using a makeup mirror from a discarded compact my sister
owned, a bolt, and a fridge magnet shaped like the letter “W”.
At
least they rewarded me with a participation certificate...
To
say that I needed help in making sure that I didn't get an “F” in
science class would be an understatement. Problem was, I didn't have
a whole lot of options to get me through the pitfalls of science
class. My parents were just as clueless about science class as I
was, and although one of my siblings went through to become a
registered nurse (which meant a lot of science classes for her), she
could only help out with the biology portion.
I
needed a miracle. And that miracle came on September 10, 1993.
That
was the day that the television show “Bill Nye The Science Guy”
debuted on PBS (or TVOntario, which was the station that I remember
watching it on). Hosted by Bill Nye, the show ran until the spring
of 1998, winning nineteen Emmy Awards and producing exactly one
hundred episodes in total.
Even
after nearly fifteen years since the last episode aired, Bill Nye The
Science Guy still airs on some select PBS stations, and many schools
all over the United States and Canada still use the program to
supplement lesson plans in science curriculums.
This
show made all the difference for me in science class. I watched this
show religiously during the entire time it aired. I didn't care that
I was 17 years old when the show finally aired. If it was helping me
pass science, then it had to be good, right?
But,
that's exactly what Bill Nye's show did. He made science easy to
understand. He made learning about science FUN!
Each
program dealt with a particular scientific concept. The episodes
covered a wide variety of subjects such as buoyancy, blood and
circulation, momentum, energy, and space exploration, and Bill Nye
explained things so clearly. He made it easy to understand each of
the scientific terms, but he didn't talk down to the viewer. It was
absolutely perfect.
I
suppose one of the best ways that I could best describe the show is
what might happen when you infuse 1990s era MTV with a science
lecture. The show itself was made up of quick cuts, flashy visuals,
bold colours, and all the other things that were guaranteed to make a
12-year-old tune in.
The
show even produced science-themed music videos designed to help kids
understand scientific themes. They were more often than not a spoof
of a popular song at the time the show aired.
Some
examples of this featured the following videos...whether the show was
spoofing Nirvana...
...Madonna...
...The
B-52's...
...or
even Billy Ray Cyrus...
...the
show did a fantastic job combining music and science together...even
if they seem horribly outdated and cheesy by 2012 standards. But
here's a little bit of an admission for you. At times during science
class, I ended up playing some of these Bill Nye songs in my brain
while I was taking science exams, and believe it or not, it helped me
improve my science grade!
But,
it shouldn't come as much of a surprise that Bill Nye was so
knowledgeable in the field of science. Don't let the sky blue lab
coat and bowtie fool you, this was a man who really knew what he was
talking about.
Nye
was born on November 27, 1955 in Washington, D.C, and at an early
age, he was almost destined to pursue a career in science. His
family background was quite impressive, as his father was a prisoner
of war during World War II, and his mother worked as a codebreaker
during that same war.
Shortly
after graduating high school in 1973, he enrolled in Cornell
University's mechanical engineering program, graduating with a
Bachelor of Science degree in 1977.
Nye
began his career at Boeing Aircraft in Seattle, Washington, where he
ended up getting his first taste of what life would be like in front
of a camera...as the star of many of the training films that Boeing
produced for new employees. But, while he was there, he also ended
up doing some fantastic things for the company, including designing a
hydraulic pressure resonance suppressor, which is currently used in
the design of Boeing 747s.
Bill
Nye also assisted in the development of a small sundial that was
included in the Mars Exploration Rover missions (which had
significant meaning considering that his father once made a living
selling sundials upon his return home from his POW days). Nye was
also the vice president of The Planetary Society for five years, and
holds several patents for various scientific inventions including one
for ballet pointe shoes!
So,
as you can see, Nye wasn't just an actor pretending to be a
scientist. He knew his stuff. But it wasn't until 1984 that Bill
Nye would start to make an impact in the world of television.
According
to the Internet Movie Database, Bill Nye ended up winning a Steve
Martin lookalike contest! I myself don't see the resemblance, but
maybe when he was younger, he did...whatever the case, this contest
ended up kickstarting Bill Nye's desire to become an entertainer in
addition to working in the field of science. In 1984, Nye joined the
cast of a local sketch comedy show called “Almost Live!” in
Seattle, where he first donned the signature lab coat and bowtie. In
that sketch, the host of the show mispronounced the word 'gigawatt',
and when Nye corrected it, the host responded “Who do you think you
are? - Bill Nye the Science Guy?'
The
name stuck.
A
few years later, Bill Nye ended up joining the cast of the animated
series based on the “Back To The Future” trilogy. He wasn't
actually animated into the series though...instead he starred in a
special live action segment that was hosted by Christopher Lloyd (who
of course played Doc Brown in the movies). Here's a clip of Bill in
action from the show.
Okay,
okay, so Bill didn't exactly speak a word in this segment. But from
1991-1993, that was his job.
Well,
until “Bill Nye The Science Guy” came along, that is.
But
don't think for a minute that Bill Nye stopped appearing in front of
the camera after production wrapped up on the series. He stayed just
as busy in front of the camera as he was off screen. In 2005, Bill
Nye produced another series for PBS entitled “The Eyes Of Nye”.
It was aimed at an older audience, but still focused largely on
scientific themed information, as well as discussing politically
relevant themes such as global warming and genetically modified food.
Other
television appearances that Bill Nye made over the years after “Bill
Nye The Science Guy” wrapped up include the following...
- Portraying a science teacher in the 1998 Disney film “The Principal Takes A Holiday
- Was the technical expert for the 2000-2002 television series BattleBots
- Hosted the Science Channel series “100 Greatest Discoveries” from 2004-2005
- Guest-starred on the television series Numb3rs
- Made guest appearances on the VH1 reality series “World's Most Smartest Model”
- A regular contributor to TV Land discussions
- Is frequently the “Ask The Expert” lifeline in the syndicated version of “Who Wants To Be A Millionaire?”
- Countless appearances on various talk shows
That's
about all that I have to say about Bill Nye the Science Guy. Not
only did he make science fun to learn, but he saved me from getting
terrible grades in my own science class.
Bill
Nye the Science Guy, I salute you, good sir. Keep on doing what
you've been doing.
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