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Friday, 3 November, 2006 9:47 PM
Bill
Nye inspires students to "Change the World!"
PHOTO
BY JASON RZUCIDLO / AMERICAJR.com
Bill
Nye speaks at the Michigan Youth Engineering and Science (YES!)
Expo at Ford Field in downtown Detroit.
Bill Nye
spoke at the Michigan Youth Engineering and Science (YES!) expo
inside Detroit's Ford Field. His goal was to encourage middle and
high school students to go into the field of technology while in
college. The expo included 60 companies, 25 colleges and university
and more than 15,000 Metro Detroit students.
Nye is the popular scientist
in the education videos "Bill Nye the Science Guy." He
teaches students how to have fun and enjoy science while in the
classroom. He is also an author and host of two current TV series;
on the Science Channel, Nye hosts "The 100 Greatest Discoveries"
and "The Eyes of Nye" on the PBS network.
Several local area students
were selected to ask Bill Nye a question. The first question was
Why did you decide to host "Bill Nye The Science Guy?"
Nye replied, "It occurred to me how cool it was to
see things on film."
Another student wanted
to know about hurricanes and how we can stay safe from them. Bill
Nye answered, "I am a taxpayer. Can't we make the roof
strong enough? Engineers can make the roofs stronger. Seminole Indians
have lived in Florida for thousands of years. They didn't get blown
away." His general answer centered around improving
the architecture of buildings.
There is no way to prevent
an earthquake, but it is possible to prevent damage from them. Nye
said, "There are about 1,000 earthquakes a year. Earthquakes
don't kill people. Buildings kill people. If you make a building
flexible, it doesn't kill people." Thousands of people
were injured or killed in Turkey because buildings are not strong
enough to withstand the power and intensity of an earthquake there.
In Hawaii, there was an earthquake about a week ago and nobody was
injured.
A student wanted to know
"What are the advantages and disadvantages of working in the
field of technology?" Bill Nye replied, "I do
not know any disadvantages. The advantages are: it's fun. You get
to make stuff. When you're an engineer or scientist, you make things.
Even if you guys decide not to be scientists or engineers, at least
stick with it all the way through college so you'll understand it."
Nye said that his attorney gets to make documents while he gets
to invent new things.
The next question was
regarding oxygen and how to get it from a source other than trees.
Bill Nye said, "I don't know of any other source. There
are ecosystems on the ocean floor. Half of the oxygen that most
of us breathe comes from the ocean. The tiny plants in the ocean.
If we mess up the ocean, it will be hard for us to make a living.
We have to take care of the world." Marine biologists
are the types of scientists that study and work in this field.
Bill Nye also touched
on the fact that farming is also an important field. He said there
are huge opportunities in agriculture especially here within the
state of Michigan. Many improvements can be made to farms including
making them more environmentally-friendly, increase food production
and use less energy.
More than 60 companies
had booths and tables set up with information for students. Their
goal was to educate students on some possible careers within their
company. They also provided salary information. Of those companies
that participated, Dow Chemical Company, 3M, Pfizer, Tyco, Whirlpool,
Ford, GM, Toyota, DiamlerChrysler, Compuware, Alcoa and Pulte Homes,
among others.
Pamela MacLean is a public
relations spokeswoman for DiamlerChrysler. She described the "Walter
P. Chrysler: 2007 Closing The Technology Gap in Education"
awards. The award program is for teachers who encourage their students
to go into the field of science and technology. MacLean said, "We're
looking for teachers who get students involved in those subjects
so we can hire more people. Awarding teachers for what they already
do." The award is open to all Michigan public school
teachers. The top ten finalists will be awarded amounts ranging
from $500 to $15,000 for the first place winner. The deadline to
enter is December 21st. To enter, please click
here.
Isha Cogburn is a corporate
communications representative for Dow Chemical Company. She said,
"Careers in science and technology will help our children
become more successful. Science and technology continue to advance
our society. We're looking to help the next generation."
Cogburn has been employed by Dow for the last six years. In the
automotive field, Dow manufactures heat exchange fluids, plastics
for dashboards and much more.
Bill Nye closed his show
by encouraging students, "Change the World!"
The Youth Engineering
& Science Expo was presented by Michigan Technological University
and Innovation Emporium, Inc. It was held at Detroit's Ford Field
on November 2, 2006. For more information, please visit http://www.yes.mtu.edu/
PHOTO
BY JASON RZUCIDLO / AMERICAJR.com
Bill
Nye has educated millions of children through his "Bill Nye
The Science Guy" TV shows in classrooms.
PHOTO
BY JASON RZUCIDLO / AMERICAJR.com
Over
15,000 middle and high school students attended the YES! expo. Many
companies provided information to students who were looking for
a job in the science and technology fields.
PHOTO
BY JASON RZUCIDLO / AMERICAJR.com
This
is one of the police cars used by Wayne State University. It is
an F-Cell hydrogen car manufactured by DiamlerChrysler.
Click
here to see more photos from the YES! Expo.
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