Bill Nye is still a science guy, even in the age of TikTok
Safety glasses, on!
It’s been almost 30 years since “Bill Nye the Science Guy” premiered, but the need for science remains as crucial as ever if you ask the man behind the beloved kids show.
Dressed in his signature bow tie, the 64-year-old mechanical engineer spoke to USA TODAY about his memories of the series, his thoughts on the coronavirus pandemic and why he has embraced TikTok to connect with the next generation.
“We were just at a time where I was very concerned about the United States. As I am today,” Nye explained. “We had people taking the solar panels off of their roofs, and I was very concerned about the abandoned teaching of the metric system.”
He served as a creator on the show as well as the host. The series, which ran for five seasons in the mid-’90s, was meant “to get young people excited” about science.
Nye said what started out in a Seattle warehouse in 1993 quickly evolved into a Daytime Emmy Award-winning program that got 10-year-olds talking about biodiversity, outer space and chemistry.
“Television is so intimate, even though we are very far apart. When you’re watching someone on television, it’s like that person is right there in that room with you. So I really embraced that,” he said, attributing the show’s success to his informal approach.
He said the subject matter – along with his sense of humor – also helped propel the series. “I mean what’s more exciting than the fundamental science, people? Come on!”
Nye believes educating young people about science is still paramount, especially today as many families are grappling with distance learning amid the pandemic.
“It’s a really difficult time, but with that said, this is also perhaps an opportunity for kids to have time to sit and think,” he said. “When it comes to science education, half of what we learn from science we learn outside of the classroom. So this time could be an opportunity to have kids mess around in the kitchen, learn about acids and bases ... about green plants and ecosystems in the yard.”
Along with children and parents, Nye is adjusting to the social distancing restrictions of the pandemic and he’s been working on his growing TikTok presence.
In particular, his one-minute clip about the efficacy of face masks gained
popularity in July, as he conducted an experiment to showhow masks work. He said his viral moment was “unintended” but “necessary.”
“I just did it because I was ticked off,” he said, referring to those who refuse to wear face coverings. “You’re not allowed to be spitting on people, so you’re not allowed to go around infecting people.“
To continue his mission of science education, Nye recently teamed up with National 4-H Council to promote space exploration with STEM Challenge: Mis
sion to Mars – an interactive Zoom trivia game series to educate students about the terrain and nature of Mars.
“The planet Mars is of great significance because it’s a logical place to look for evidence of life, and as I like to say, if we were to find evidence of life on Mars or even stranger something still alive on Mars, it would change the course of history!” he noted. “By studying Mars, we learn more about ourselves and our own planet, and that to me fills me with reverence every day.”