William Sanford Nye Named Recipient of the ASME Ralph Coats Roe Medal

NEW YORK, June 28, 2012 – William Sanford Nye, P.E., a resident of Studio City, Calif., and chief executive officer of The Planetary Society (Pasadena, Calif.), was honored by ASME for inspiring and educating audiences of all ages about engineering through efforts including award-winning television shows about science and technology, a popular website, respected commentary on contemporary technical issues, and several children’s books.  He received the Society’s Ralph Coats Roe Medal.

The medal, established in 1972, recognizes an outstanding contribution toward a better public understanding and appreciation of the engineer’s worth to contemporary society.  It was presented to Mr. Nye during ASME’s Annual Meeting, which was held in Montreal, June 1 through 6.

A scientist, mechanical engineer, comedian, author and inventor, Nye’s mission is to help foster a scientifically literate society.  For most of his life, Nye has been making science entertaining and accessible in order to help people of all ages understand and appreciate the science that makes our world work.

Drawing on his early fascination with how things work, his high school talent for tutoring, his career in mechanical engineering and his flair for comedy, Nye became a household name with “Bill Nye the Science Guy®.”  This innovative, fast-paced television series (1993-98) inspired children to embrace science and technology.  While working on the series, Nye won seven national Emmy awards for writing, performing and producing; and the show won 18 Emmys.

Nye has also served as the host and writer for three currently-running television series: “100 Greatest Discoveries,” which documents the greatest scientific discoveries in history; “The Eyes of Nye,” which examines controversial topics such as pseudoscience, addiction, antibiotic drugs, nuclear waste and cloning; and “Stuff Happens,” which covers the consequences of human activities on the environment.  More recent efforts include “Bill Nye’s Solving for X,” a video series that teaches algebraic principles so children can discover how math relates to the world around us.

Between 1993 and 2005, Nye authored five children’s books about science: Bill Nye the Science Guy’s Big Blast of Science; Bill Nye’s Consider the Following: A Way Cool Set of Science Questions, Answers, and Ideas to Ponder; Bill Nye the Science Guy’s Big Blue Ocean; Bill Nye the Science Guy’s Great Big Dinosaur Dig; and Bill Nye the Science Guy’s Big Book of Tiny Germs.

Currently, Nye is chief executive officer of The Planetary Society, the world’s largest and most influential public space organization.  The society sponsors projects that will seed innovative space technologies, nurture creative young minds and advocate for our future in space.

Among his earlier positions, Nye worked for The Boeing Company, Seattle, on flight control systems; was a consulting engineer for various clients, including the U.S. Department of Justice on the A-12 fighter jet; and was on the Jet Propulsion Laboratory’s (Pasadena, Calif.) sundial design team for the MarsDial on board the Spirit and Opportunity exploration rovers on Mars.

Nye served on the national advisory board of the Union of Concerned Scientists (1979-2009), the Mount St. Helens Institute (2006-09) and the American Association for the Advancement of Science (2001-05).

His honors include guest lecturer (2001-09) and Frank H.T. Rhodes visiting professor (2001-05) at Cornell University (Ithaca, N.Y.).  He received the International Film and Video Festival Gold Camera Award (1992), the U.S. Forest Service’s Distinguished Award for Conservation (1997), the Carl Sagan Candle in the Dark Award for the Development of Critical Thinking (1998), the Environmental Media Awards’ Best Children’s Live Action Show (1994, 1996-1998), the Council for Elementary Science International’s Science Advocate Award (2000) and the American Humanist Association’s Humanist of the Year award (2010).  He holds three patents, with one pending.

Nye earned his bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering at Cornell University in 1977.  He holds honorary doctorates from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (Troy, N.Y.); Goucher College, Washington, D.C.; and Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore.  He is a registered professional engineer in the state of Washington.

About ASME ASME helps the global engineering community develop solutions to real world challenges. Founded in 1880 as the American Society of Mechanical Engineers, ASME is a not-for-profit professional organization that enables collaboration, knowledge sharing and skill development across all engineering disciplines, while promoting the vital role of the engineer in society. ASME codes and standards, publications, conferences, continuing education and professional development programs provide a foundation for advancing technical knowledge and a safer world.