{"id":45863,"date":"2025-01-07T09:26:15","date_gmt":"2025-01-07T14:26:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/?p=45863"},"modified":"2025-01-07T12:00:45","modified_gmt":"2025-01-07T17:00:45","slug":"nye-medal-freedom","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/nye-medal-freedom\/","title":{"rendered":"\u2018Science Guy\u2019 Bill Nye \u201977 Awarded Presidential Medal of Freedom"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"has-large-font-size\">He received the honor in a White House ceremony, along with fellow winners including Hillary Rodham Clinton and Bono<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Editor\u2019s note: This story was adapted from <a href=\"https:\/\/news.cornell.edu\/stories\/2025\/01\/bill-nye-77-awarded-presidential-medal-freedom\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">a report<\/a> in the<\/em> Cornell Chronicle.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>By <strong>David Nutt<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-drop-cap\">Bill Nye \u201977, known by millions as the Science Guy and a tireless advocate for science education, received the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the United States\u2019 highest civilian honor, at a White House ceremony January 4.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Nye was among 19 honorees to receive the distinction, including former Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, basketball legend Earvin \u201cMagic\u201d Johnson, racial justice activist Fannie Lou Hamer (awarded posthumously), and U2 frontman Bono.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>As President Biden presented the medal to Nye, the White House announcer read a citation that praised Nye as \u201ca beloved science educator for the nation.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed aligncenter is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Video: President Joe Biden Awards Bill Nye The Medal Of Freedom For Work In Science Education\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/J-QhnLsRPEQ?feature=oembed&#038;controls=0\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cEarning 19 Emmy Awards for his energetic experiments on television as Bill Nye the Science Guy, he also earned the trust of millions of children and families,\u201d the announcer said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cBy sharing the magic of fun and science, he inspires generations of Americans to follow facts and reason and leave the world better than we found it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Nye earned a bachelor\u2019s degree in mechanical engineering on the Hill in 1977 and took an engineering job at Boeing, where he specialized in hydraulics systems on 747s.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p>By sharing the magic of fun and science, he inspires generations of Americans to follow facts and reason and leave the world better than we found it.<\/p>\n<cite>The <strong>White House<\/strong><\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p>After winning a regional Steve Martin lookalike contest, he began venturing out to local comedy clubs and trying his hand at standup. He soon debuted his \u201cScience Guy\u201d persona on a Seattle TV show, which led to his nationally syndicated program, \u201cBill Nye the Science Guy,\u201d in the 1990s and later a Netflix series, \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/www.netflix.com\/title\/80117748\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Bill Nye Saves the World<\/a>.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Throughout his career, Nye has remained a popular presence at Cornell, speaking at campus events and convocations, and serving as a Frank H.T. Rhodes Visiting Professor from 2001\u201305. In 2011, he designed the <a href=\"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/nye-solar-noon-clock\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Solar Noon Clock<\/a> for Rhodes Hall.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Nye\u2019s dedication to science education continues through his work as CEO of the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.planetary.org\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Planetary Society<\/a>\u2014a nonprofit co-founded by the late astronomy professor Carl Sagan\u2014and \u201cas a vocal advocate for space exploration and environmental stewardship,\u201d the White House said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image alignwide size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"576\" src=\"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2024\/04\/2024_1204_AB_028-1024x576.jpg\" alt=\"Bill Nye '77 delivers his keynote address at the Sibley 150 event, celebrating 150 years of Mechanical Engineering at Cornell, on April 25, 2024\" class=\"wp-image-34887\" srcset=\"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2024\/04\/2024_1204_AB_028-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2024\/04\/2024_1204_AB_028-300x169.jpg 300w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2024\/04\/2024_1204_AB_028-768x432.jpg 768w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2024\/04\/2024_1204_AB_028-800x450.jpg 800w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2024\/04\/2024_1204_AB_028-608x342.jpg 608w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2024\/04\/2024_1204_AB_028-304x171.jpg 304w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2024\/04\/2024_1204_AB_028-152x85.jpg 152w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2024\/04\/2024_1204_AB_028-1184x666.jpg 1184w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2024\/04\/2024_1204_AB_028-592x333.jpg 592w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2024\/04\/2024_1204_AB_028-296x166.jpg 296w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2024\/04\/2024_1204_AB_028-1264x711.jpg 1264w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2024\/04\/2024_1204_AB_028-632x356.jpg 632w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2024\/04\/2024_1204_AB_028-316x178.jpg 316w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2024\/04\/2024_1204_AB_028-400x225.jpg 400w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2024\/04\/2024_1204_AB_028-200x113.jpg 200w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2024\/04\/2024_1204_AB_028-100x56.jpg 100w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2024\/04\/2024_1204_AB_028.jpg 1280w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption class=\"rkv-image-credit\">Alex Bayer \/ Cornell University<\/figcaption><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Delivering the keynote address at the Sibley School&#8217;s 150th anniversary celebration in 2024.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:20px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>Nye helped design three sundials for the Mars Exploration Rover, working with Cornell professor Steve Squyres \u201978, PhD \u201981, who serves as NASA\u2019s scientific principal investigator for the mission.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Also receiving the Presidential Medal of Freedom this year was renowned primatologist and conservationist Jane Goodall, who was an A.D. White Professor-at-Large on the Hill from 1996 to 2002.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The Presidential Medal of Freedom was established by President John F. Kennedy in 1963. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The first cohort included E.B. White 1921\u2014author of <em>Stuart Little<\/em> and <em>Charlotte\u2019s Web<\/em> and co-editor of the updated <em>The Elements of Style<\/em>, written originally by Cornell professor William Strunk, PhD 1896.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Other Cornellians who\u2019ve received the award:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u2022 <strong>Sol Linowitz, JD \u201938<\/strong>, who served under President Jimmy Carter by negotiating Panama Canal treaties and Middle East peace agreements, received the medal from President Bill Clinton in 1998;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u2022 <strong>Anthony Fauci, MD \u201966<\/strong>, received the award from President George W. Bush in 2008 for his research and work on AIDS;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u2022 Nobel laureate <strong>Toni Morrison, MA \u201955<\/strong>, received the medal from President Barack Obama in 2012; and<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u2022 Civil rights worker <strong>Michael<\/strong> \u201cMickey\u201d <strong>Schwerner \u201961<\/strong>, who\u2014with his colleagues James Earl Chaney and Andrew Goodman\u2014was slain in Mississippi in 1964 by members of the Ku Klux Klan. (Their murders were the subject of the 1988 film <em>Mississippi Burning<\/em> and their likenesses are immortalized in <a href=\"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/sage-chapel-windows\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">stained glass<\/a> in Sage Chapel.) Obama awarded them the medal posthumously in 2014.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Biden called this year\u2019s recipients \u201cheroes of the highest order\u201d and said he was grateful that their work will inspire generations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-pullquote alignwide is-style-solid-color\"><blockquote><p>Biden called this year\u2019s recipients \u201cheroes of the highest order\u201d and said he was grateful that their work will inspire generations.<\/p><\/blockquote><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cFor the final time as president, I have the honor of bestowing the Medal of Freedom \u2026 on a group of extraordinary, truly extraordinary people who gave their sacred effort to shape the culture and the cause of America,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cSo let me just say to each of you: Thank you, thank you, thank you for all you\u2019ve done to help this country.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Blaine Friedlander contributed to this report.<\/em> <em>Top image: Nye in front of a display case in Rhodes Hall with information about the Solar Clock he designed for the building.<\/em> <em>(Lindsay France \/ Cornell University)<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-small-font-size\">Published January 7, 2025<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\" \/>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>He received the honor in a White House ceremony, along with fellow winners including Hillary Rodham Clinton and Bono<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":68,"featured_media":45868,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"alumni_hub_syml_posts":[34866,7373,43906],"footnotes":""},"categories":[229],"tags":[],"cornell_year_post":[],"post_folder":[],"class_list":["post-45863","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-alumni"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.3 - 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