On July 31, Campus Activities Board’s (CAB) announced on Facebook that Bill Nye would be this year’s Yellowjacket Weekend Speaker, appearing on the River Campus on September 5. Nye is a renowned scientist and television personality, better known to fans by his full title “Bill Nye the Science Guy.” His credentials include working in the aeronautics industry, starring in an eponymous television show, and appearing on “Dancing with the Stars.” He is currently the CEO of The Planetary Society, a non-profit organization founded by Carl Sagan and others advocating for research in astronomy related fields.
CAB Administrative Chair and senior Samantha Lish said in an email, “We always try to get someone who is relevant to college students’ lives. We feel that Bill Nye is really fitting. He’s recently appeared on many shows and, of course, is someone that many of us grew up watching. There were definitely others in the running; however, we thought Bill Nye would be the best choice for our campus.”
“Each year CAB brainstorms a list of comedians and speakers for our community weekends and speaker events. Then [we] work with our agent to see who’s available and whether or not our ideal choices are within our budget.” Lish added, “Audience members should expect Bill Nye to speak about the thing he knows best—science!”
Tickets for the Bill Nye event go on sale at the Common Market beginning August 31.
Usmani is a member of the class of 2017.
