Bill! Bill! Bill! Bill!
Bill Nye the Science Guy answers young Austinites' questions in February talk
Some things never get old, and one is the brilliance of Bill Nye’s teaching style. The famous engineer and TV personality, made famous on his TV program Bill Nye the Science Guy, has been teaching kids about how fun science can be since 1993, and he’s swinging by Austin on February 21 to keep spreading the gospel.
One of Austin’s most central arts organizations, the Long Center, is taking this opportunity to launch Long Reach for The Arts, which organizes educational experiences for K-12 students. Kicking off with this much star power, this series is sure to be more than your average kids’ science demo.
While the parents and other adults try to keep themselves together through the OMG-Bill-Nye-the-Science-Guy-is-in-this-room excitement, up to 150 kiddos will be able to interact in a Q&A session. They should have plenty to think about after the Greater Austin Regional Science & Engineering Fair (GARSEF), which is taking place the same day at the Palmer Events Center and is helping produce the event.
“We created Long Reach for The Arts to innovate how students engage with art and performances, and provide new ways for creative discovery,” said the Long Center’s chief program officer, Bobby Garza, in a release. “Partnering with [GARSEF to] reward students with the opportunity to see the beloved Bill Nye is a great example of how we can expand learning experiences for Austin’s youth, with some of the nation’s best programming right here in the center of our community.”
The submission deadline for the fair ended in January, but there will be a public viewing of all the projects on February 22. You don't need to attend the fair to get a ticket to see Nye's talk.
Nye will discuss why he loves science, the importance of space exploration (he is CEO of the Planetary Society and has appeared semi-frequently with Neil DeGrasse Tyson), and why climate change matters.
These might sound like hard subjects to bring up with kids, and that’s exactly why Bill Nye is the man for the job. A release says he’ll use “humor, intellectual curiosity, and devotion to solving some of the world’s most complex challenges through science” to get it done. Parents will likely remember Nye’s upbeat tone and realistic tone that doesn’t patronize.
“What a perfect way to round out this year’s science fair, by rewarding its participants with the opportunity to interact with such an icon in the world of science, who makes learning effective and fun,” said Ingrid Weigand, executive director of the Austin Science Education Foundation, which conducts the fair. “We are so grateful to the Long Center for giving these curious and inquisitive students a monumental opportunity that they learn from now and will remember for years to come.”
Tickets to An Evening with Bill Nye (starting at $49, although remaining seats at this tier are all separated) are available at thelongcenter.org. The show is on February 21 at 7:30 pm.