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“Bill Nye the Science Guy” to Speak at W&L

Bill Nye, scientist, engineer, comedian, author and inventor will speak at Washington and Lee University on Thursday, May 15, at 7:30 p.m. in the Stackhouse Theater in Elrod Commons. The title of his talk is “Science Rules! An Evening with Bill Nye the Science Guy.”

This event is free and open to the public.

Nye is a man with a mission: to help people everywhere understand and appreciate the science that makes the world work. He has been working at making science understandable and funny most of his life. While growing up in Washington, he discovered that he had a talent for tutoring in high school, and spent afternoons and summers de-mystifying math for his peers.

After earning a degree in mechanical engineering from Cornell University, he headed to Seattle and work at Boeing. There, he combined his love of science with his flair for comedy, and developed dual careers as an engineer by day and a stand-up comic by night.

He was a comedy writer and performer on Seattle’s ensemble comedy show, “Almost Live,” and that’s where he developed “Bill Nye the Science Guy.” While on the show, Nye won seven Emmy Awards for writing, performing and producing. The show won 28 Emmys in five years. He also wrote kids’ books about science and has been described as a modern Mr. Wizard.

After “Bill Nye the Science Guy,” Nye hosted “The 100 Greatest Discoveries” on the Science Channel and “The Eyes of Nye” on PBS. He visits Cornell regularly as part of the Frank H.T. Rhodes Visiting Professorship.