News-Letter

Media Credit: Conor Kevit Bill Nye "the science guy" visited Hopkins on Tuesday night, drawing crowds so large that latecomers were turned away at the doors.

Media Credit: Conor Kevit Bill Nye's speech at Shriver Hall, part of the MSE Symposium, touched on the effects fuel consumpition has on global warming.

While Bill Nye may not have fit the MSE Symposium theme, "Renewing American Culture," the science personality drew one of the biggest crowds the speech series has ever seen.

The "Science Guy," sporting his iconic bowtie, gave an entertaining presentation that culminated in a discussion of global warming.

Before Nye even entered the stage, the audience began chanting, "Bill! Bill! Bill! Bill!" in imitation of the opening credits of his television show, Bill Nye the Science Guy. Students turned out in droves, with standing room only at the culmination of the event. Shriver Hall was filled well beyond capacity, and late-comers were turned away at the doors.

With a mixture of the scientific fact and zany humor for which he has become so famous, Nye repeatedly emphasized the potential that Hopkins students have to, "Dare I say it? Change the world!"

He challenged students to use their intelligence and education to tackle problems of pollution and energy inefficiency in order to protect the future health of the planet.

"We all share the air. We have one atmosphere. When we mess up the air in Baltimore, it messes up the air in Papua New Guinea," Nye said.

As the future pioneers of science, Nye believes that Hopkins students have the responsibility to recognize that the global climate is warming and that they can act to change it.

"The United States is sort of unique. We're the only country who doesn't believe in climate change."

Nye stated that a lack of technological innovation by some companies contributes to the problem of global warming, criticizing the inefficiency of Nascar engines, which average a mere five miles per gallon of fuel.

"We are making some surprising choices in our society, and I'm calling on you guys to change the world. The Earth's temperature has been pretty steady for thousands of years. It may have been this warm before, but it's never gotten this warm this fast."

Nye promoted the tenet of the late chemist Richard Smalley, who believed that mankind has the responsibility to do more with less. He specifically highlighted the greater efficiency of solar water heaters used in apartment buildings in Beijing.

"If we had solar water heating in the US, we could cut our energy costs by at least a quarter. This is not rocket surgery, its plumbing!"

"I want you to reduce gas emissions by two percent per year," said Nye, referring to what he calls his "80 by 50 plan" - reduce gas emissions 80 percent by 2050.

"My favorite planet is Earth. I grew up there," he said, inciting laughter throughout the crowd. "I will be out there doing my best, but it's really up to you."

Nye emphasized the magnitude of our responsibility to maintain our planet's atmospheric integrity. He showed a photograph of the Earth taken from Neptune's orbital range - Earth was merely a pixel in size.

"In the cosmic scheme of things, the Earth is a speck orbiting a speck in a sea of specklessness." Despite the humorous tone, he admonished, "There is no cavalry coming to save the Earth. We are alone in the cosmos."

Nye scrolled through a slideshow as he spoke, offering the audience a glimpse of everything he spoke about, from water heaters to a sundial on the Mars rover. He shared with the audience a message inscribed in English and Chinese on the sundial, which is used to relate time on Mars.

"To those who visit here, we wish you a safe journey and the joy of discovery," Nye said, showing a close-up of the tiny sundial. "This is the essence of the enterprise; this is what I want you to embrace as you go forward and change the world."

Nye considers Martian research essential to science because of the possibility of finding liquid water or even microbial life forms.

"For me, the grail is exploration on Mars," Nye said, with his childlike excitement. "If we could go [to the Victoria Crater] with the right instrument, if there is life on Mars and that's how we all came to be, it would change the world the way Galileo and Copernicus changed the world."

Nye emphatically holds that there is no realm of discovery into which the human mind should not probe and encouraged Hopkins students to delve into the frontiers of modern science.

"You are part of the space generation. You are the first people ever to have this perspective as part of your everyday world," Nye said. This advice was not limited to Hopkins's science majors. "No matter what discipline you are in, become scientifically literate."

Expectations for the event were high, as students stood for over an hour and a half to see a childhood icon.

"I grew up watching him ... and he's the icon of science," freshman Cynthia Alessio said. "He did not disappoint me at all. It was great to meet someone who's funny, famous and really smart. I learned a lot of interesting facts that I didn't know."

Nye, a former engineer for Boeing, became "Bill Nye the Science Guy" on a Seattle comedy show called Almost Live. His quirky science series Bill Nye the Science Guy, known to elementary school children and other students nationwide, won 28 Emmys in five years. He is currently working on a new series for the Discovery Channel.

Page 1 of 1

Article Tools