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Release date: March 26, 2008 'Science Guy' to Deliver Emory Class Day Speech May 8"Bill Nye the Science Guy" of educational programming fame will talk with Emory University seniors during the school's sixth annual Class Day at 5:30 p.m. Thursday, May 8 in Glenn Memorial Auditorium, 1652 N. Decatur Road, Emory. (The event is not open to the public, but media are welcome to attend. Call Beverly Clark, 404-712-8780, for more information.) "For many of us, Bill Nye the Science Guy was as much a fixture in our early science education as our actual teachers. He made learning fun with his creative and quirky ways of explaining things, and we think the senior class will enjoy reliving those memories," says Emory senior Rachel Zelkowitz, who led the student selection committee. "We believe he will offer smart and humorous advice as we approach this tremendous transition in our lives, and ignite the sparks of curiosity and love of learning just as he did before. Best known as "Bill Nye the Science Guy" from the award-winning television program of the same name, Nye is a scientist, engineer, comedian, author and inventor. He defines his mission as helping to foster a scientifically literate society and helping people everywhere understand and appreciate the science that makes our world work. Nye earned his B.S. degree in mechanical engineering at Cornell University and after graduation worked as an engineer at Boeing in Seattle. There he began to combine his love of science and performing, and developed dual careers as an engineer by day and a stand-up comic by night. While working on the Science Guy program, Nye won seven national Emmy Awards for writing, performing and producing, and the program won 28 Emmys in five years. In between creating the shows, he wrote four children's books about science. His fifth book, "Bill Nye's Great Big Book of Tiny Germs" was published in 2005. Nye is the host of two television series: "The 100 Greatest Discoveries" airs on the Science Channel, and "The Eyes of Nye," which airs on PBS stations across the country. Nye remains a licensed mechanical engineer in the state of Washington. From 2001 to 2004, Nye was the Frank H.T. Rhodes Class of '56 University Professor at Cornell University. Class Day at Emory is an event students and administrators developed to give undergraduates their own tradition and the opportunity to hear from a well-known speaker of their choice. The university's central commencement ceremonies will be Monday, May 12 and will feature a keynote address by Home Depot co-founder and philanthropist Bernard Marcus. The winners of the Boisfeuillet Jones Medals, given in honor of one of Emory's most distinguished graduates, also will be announced during Class Day ceremonies. Recipients are selected for their good citizenship, outstanding leadership, devoted service to Emory and the community, academic performance and potential to effect positive change in their chosen profession and society at large. The fifth annual Brit Katz Senior Appreciation Award will be given on behalf of the senior class to an Emory administrator or staff member. Class Day is the first of three events for seniors held on the Thursday before commencement. At the Class of 2008 reception from 7-8:30 p.m. at the Emory Conference Center Hotel, seniors will offer the traditional Coca-Cola toast. Following the reception, graduating seniors will take part in a ceremonial candlelight walk across the Houston Mill Road pedestrian bridge to Emory's Miller-Ward Alumni House for dessert and entertainment. ### Emory University (www.emory.edu) is one of the nation’s leading private research universities and a member of the Association of American Universities. Known for its demanding academics, outstanding undergraduate college of arts and sciences, highly ranked professional schools and state-of-the-art research facilities, Emory is ranked as one of the country's top 20 national universities by U.S. News & World Report. In addition to its nine schools, the university encompasses The Carter Center, Yerkes National Primate Research Center and Emory Healthcare, the state's largest and most comprehensive health care system. Subscribe to News@Emory RSS feeds for automatic updates of the latest news at Emory. |
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