{"id":34866,"date":"2024-04-30T15:17:13","date_gmt":"2024-04-30T19:17:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/?p=34866"},"modified":"2024-04-30T15:19:46","modified_gmt":"2024-04-30T19:19:46","slug":"nye-frisbee","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/nye-frisbee\/","title":{"rendered":"Bill Nye, the Frisbee Guy"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

On a recent visit to campus for mechanical engineering\u2019s 150th, the famed \u201977 alum and ultimate fan fits in a round of disc golf<\/p>\n\n\n\n

By Joe Wilensky<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

There are two sports centered around a flying disc\u2014ultimate and disc golf\u2014and \u201cScience Guy\u201d Bill Nye \u201977 is an aficionado of both. \u201cIt\u2019s all about aerodynamics,\u201d Nye explains while prepping for a throw on the Robison Disc Golf Course<\/a> in late April.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The mechanical and aerospace engineering alum has fond memories of childhood play with the first mass-produced Frisbee\u2014the Wham-O toy company\u2019s \u201cFlying Saucer Pluto Platter\u201d disc, which had the names of the sun and planets inscribed around its circumference.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When he arrived on the Hill in 1973, Nye joined Cornell\u2019s then-new ultimate team, the Buds<\/a>, and has played and followed the game ever since.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

(Originally known as \u201cultimate Frisbee,\u201d the self-refereed sport comprises teams of players competing to move a disc down the field and into the opposing end zone.)<\/p>\n<\/div>

\"Bill
On the Buds in the \u201970s. (Provided)<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

He\u2019s is also a fan of disc golf\u2014a game similar to regular golf, except that it uses a variety of Frisbee-type saucers instead of a ball, and each \u201chole\u201d is a pole-mounted metal basket.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Nye\u2014who\u2019s current work includes serving as CEO of The Planetary Society<\/a>, the space interest group co-founded by Carl Sagan\u2014was back on campus in April to celebrate the 150th anniversary of mechanical engineering<\/a> at Cornell.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Bill
Disc action as an undergrad. (Provided)<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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He delivered the keynote address<\/a> and took part in a panel discussion on the future of space exploration\u2014then swapped his jacket and trademark bowtie for an athletic pullover and headed over to the disc golf course on North Campus to play a round before dinner.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Nye was joined by a couple of Engineering staffers and the current captains of Cornell\u2019s ultimate teams: Tomer Poole-Dayan \u201924 (who\u2019s studying applied economics and management in the Dyson School) of the Buds and Eve Lesburg \u201925 (a materials science major in Engineering) of the Wild Roses<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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