Bill Nye is a man with a mission: to foster a scientifically literate society by helping people everywhere understand and appreciate the science that makes our world work. Nye has spent the past 20 years educating students young and old about science and understands the importance of keeping minds active after the last school bell rings. “Learning can happen anywhere and at anytime – the important thing is that it should never stop,” Nye said. “We’ve put together fun, free and easy activities that will make this the summer of learning versus the summer filled with the dreaded words ‘I’m bored.’ ” AN EARLY KNACK FOR HOW THINGS WORK Making science entertaining and accessible is something Bill has done most of his life. Growing up in Washington, D.C., he spent afternoons and summers de-mystifying math for his classmates. While working for Boeing in Seattle, Bill combined his love of science with his flair for comedy. After winning a Steve Martin look-alike contest, he became an engineer by day and a stand-up comic by night. Eventually, Bill made the transition to comedy writer and performer on Seattle’s home-grown ensemble comedy show “Almost Live.” This is where “Bill Nye the Science Guy®” was born. The 18-time Emmy Award-winning show appeared before Saturday Night Live and later on Comedy Central. During this time, he also wrote five kids’ books about science, including his latest title, “Bill Nye’s Great Big Book of Tiny Germs.” BROADENING HIS MISSION Bill’s passion for math and science translated into a love of space. His role as CEO of The Planetary Society, the world’s large space interest organization, has taken him across the globe. And one thing Bill is very proud of is the MarsDials, two sundials on residing on Mars he created with Cornell scientists. America’s favorite stand-up scientist hasn’t changed much from that kid growing up in Washington, DC. He still rides his bike to work. He’ll pull out his Periodic Table of the Elements from his wallet. And his drive for helping others understand science is as strong as ever.
I’m the President of Sophia and I love using Sophia with my kids. I am a wife, a mother of two, a sister to a man with a learning disability, and a lifelong student of academics and life experiences. My journey to Sophia is about as unusual as it gets. I immigrated to the US with my family when I was 6. My first exposure to the US education system was in first grade, where my teacher, Mrs. Wong, told my parents that I had the choice of continuing in my Orange reading book (the lowest) or staying after school to read with her one-on-one and have the opportunity to move up to the Blue reading book (the highest level). I chose to stay after school…. I was off to start my life. I ended up graduating magna cum laude from UCLA and getting my MBA from The Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania, where I met my husband and future father of my children. Thank you, Mrs. Wong! I am lucky to have found Sophia for two reasons. As a child, my hobbies were school and reading. I started working at my parent’s restaurant at 11, first in the kitchen then as the cashier and waitress. We were open 7 days a week, 11am – 10pm, everyday of the year except for Thanksgiving and Christmas. Besides work, I went to school. I did not have time for hobbies or activities or birthday parties. It was at school and through reading that I realized that I could be whoever and whatever I wanted to be…the sky is the limit as long as I work hard and dream. Education was and continues to be my ticket to my dreams. Next stop, veterinary school! I plan to own my own clinic and work with neglected and abused animals, helping them to get healthy enough for adoption by loving families. My first hope and dream for Sophia is that Sophia can contribute to that ticket to life for others. The second reason is that my younger brother, Paul, an intelligent person, has an undiagnosed learning disability. His life has taken a very different path from mine and there is not a night that goes by where I don’t think of him before I fall asleep. Back then, kids who did not keep up were automatically placed in “Special Ed”, a death nail to a future of opportunity and options. Every night I think about what I could have done, how his life could be different today if only… My parents were busy just trying to make ends meet. They did not speak the language well. I did and I could have done more. Yet when I am really honest with myself, I wonder what I could have done. Be
I teach high school mathematics in Minnesota. I want to explore ways to use Sophia in my classroom.
