Bill Nye Brings Science Message, Memories To OSU

Micah Parnell, News 9 Contributor

STILLWATER – Bill Nye "The Science Guy" entertained a crowd of Cowboys Thursday night when he stopped by Gallagher-Iba Arena.

After arriving 30 minutes late because of a delayed flight, Nye entered the stadium to the roar of thousands of students.

Nye, who won six Emmy awards for his hit show, "Bill Nye, The Science Guy," spoke about his childhood and motivated students to "change the world."

Oklahoma State University geography sophomore Taylor Iberosi attended the event.

"Bill Nye was the first person to get me excited about science when I was a kid," Iberosi said. "He's like a fun grandpa."

Nye, who started his entertainment career as a stand-up comedian in Seattle, spun plenty of jokes into his address.

Brandon Mitts, the Allied Arts & Special Events manager at OSU, said that the OSU Speakers Board invited Nye because people think he's approachable and has a strong message.

Nye's theme of the night was for students to change the world in whatever way they can.

"When I was growing up we were always told to do less: drive your car less, eat less," Nye said in his speech. "But my challenge for this generation is to do more with less."

He encouraged students to make small changes like switching to fluorescent light bulbs and change policy by voting. Nye also mentioned Oklahoma Sen. James Inhofe, referring to his policies as "anti-science."

Nye even talked about his recent debate with creationism-advocate Ken Ham. "We need to embrace science as the future," Nye said in his address, "[Ken Ham] and his people, won't be much part of the future."

Micah Parnell is a multimedia journalism student at Oklahoma State University.