Lindsay France/Cornell University

Bill Nye ’77 was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom on Saturday.

January 4, 2025

Bill Nye ’77 Honored With Presidential Medal of Freedom

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Bill Nye ’77 was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom from President Joe Biden at a White House ceremony on Saturday. 

The award, the nation’s highest civilian honor, was given to Nye and 18 other recipients — including former Secretary of State and First Lady Hillary Clinton, businessman and former basketball player Earvin “Magic” Johnson and activist and former actor Michael J. Fox. 

According to the White House, the Presidential Medal of Freedom is presented to those “who have made exemplary contributions to the prosperity, values, or security of the United States, world peace, or other significant societal, public or private endeavors.”

Before being presented the medal, a White House citation was read aloud during the ceremony, explaining that as “Bill Nye the Science Guy,” his comedic television persona, Nye has earned “the trust of millions of children and families.” 

“By sharing the magic of fun and science [Nye] inspires generations of Americans to follow facts and reason and leave the world better than we found it,” the citation read.

Nye earned his degree in mechanical engineering from Cornell and started his career working as an engineer at the Boeing Corporation in Seattle. He eventually left his job at Boeing in 1986 to work in comedy at the show Almost Live in Seattle, which paved the way to his 19-Emmy-winning Public Broadcasting Service show Bill Nye the Science Guy, which he worked on from 1992 to 1998. 

Nye has also served as the Chief Executive Officer of The Planetary Society since 2010, which is the world’s largest non-profit space organization.  

In recent years, Nye has been an outspoken climate activist, appearing in viral informational videos, on college campuses and on the news advocating for Americans to rally for environmental reforms.

In a video interview with The Sun in 2023, Nye emphasized the importance of Cornellians fighting and curbing the effects of climate change.

“In the case of climate change, just to remind everybody, the evidence is overwhelming,” Nye told The Sun. “And this is where you all are going to change the world, and by that I mean Cornell students right now are going to change the world.”

At the White House Ceremony, Biden explained how the awards’ recipients have impacted the country and the broader world. 

“You leave an incredible mark on our country with insight and influence that can be felt around the globe — in major cities and remote areas alike — binding us closer as people and showing us what’s possible as a nation,” Biden said.