Mizzou is hosting scientist and television personality Bill Nye for their weekly Saturday Science presentation Mar. 15. In his talk this Saturday, Nye will emphasize the importance and benefits of educating the public on science. Graduating from Cornell University in ’77, Nye went on to work for the airplane company Boeing in Seattle. Soon after relocating to the West Coast, Nye entered the entertainment world as an actor for “Almost Live,” a comedy show based out of Seattle. This served as a jumping point for his most famous work, “Bill Nye the Science Guy,” a program that ran from 1993 to 1998 and was viewed by students across the nation.

Junior Rachel Kirchoffer is well-versed in all things Bill Nye. Along with a friend, Kirchoffer is planning on going as early as possible Saturday morning to get a good seat.

“I’m super excited because I grew up with him. Since my dad’s a science teacher, I pretty much watched him not just in school, but at home, all the time,” Kirchoffer said. “My entertainment was him, so I kind of grew up loving him and we still watch him, we watch his debates and stuff. He’s super important to my life because Bill Nye is such a cool science guy and he reminded me of my father.”

Though they were produced in the 1990s, Nye’s show has survived until today and is still a part of classrooms across the nation. Kyle Reznicek, a biology teacher at RBHS, thinks the show has also shifted the public’s view of science.

“I think Bill Nye is important to science education because he [removed] some stigma,” Reznicek said. “What I mean is, he makes it less scary.  Science and math are subjects that typically, people have a knee jerk reflex to, they say it’s super hard and he made it accessible to anybody, with corny jokes and just being really animated and [using] easy to understand examples, that was really important.  He makes science safe to learn.”

Though it was only on the air for less than a decade, “Bill Nye the Science Guy” has helped to revolutionize the way science is taught, while adding a new perspective to classrooms. Ultimately, Nye continues to teach students about science, all while fostering a following like no other.

“I am dressing up as Bill Nye in [my] Bill Nye attire to go see Bill Nye, so [I’m] going to have [my] lab coat and bow tie,” Kirchoffer said. “I’m super excited about it, I can’t wait. [I] cleared my schedule, I’m probably going to go to bed really early so I can wake up and get dressed and ready. I’m really excited, I can’t wait.”

Bill Nye will be presenting beginning 10 a.m. in Jesse Auditorium.

By Ashleigh Atasoy