Recently my family and I had the pleasure of seeing Bill Nye the Science Guy at ASU Gammage. The venue was "Sold Out", and with good reason. Bill Nye is as informative and inspiring as he is entertaining. The evening started with Bill Nye talking about his family's contribution to science growing up and his father's passion for Sun Dials which Bill was able to carry forward and have them included on the Mars rovers Spirit, Opportunity, and Curiosity but not to tell time - they are used to calibrate the cameras using the Sun's shadow on the gnomon. He then made a passionate presentation about the importance of funding space exploration and supporting the Planetary Society. Bill Nye is VERY funny and does a great job communicating science to the young and old. The second half of the evening was a panel discussion about how people, young and old, scientist and lay-people, can get involved in the modern space era. The panel was moderated by Planetary Society President Dr. James Bell and included representatives from education, space research institutions, and private industry who are leading the next phase in space exploration. If you ever get a chance to see Bill Nye or Dr. James Bell in person, do it.
