NSF PR 99-35 (NSB 99-89) - May 3, 1999
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Public Service Awards Go to Stephen Jay Gould and
PBS' Bill Nye, "The Science Guy"
NSB to honor paleontologist/author
and science program's producers
The National Science Board (NSB) has named noted paleontologist,
author and science popularizer Stephen Jay Gould along
with the producers of the Public Broadcasting System's
(PBS) Bill Nye the Science Guy, to receive
the NSB's second annual Public Service Award. The
award honors outstanding individual and organizational
contributions to public understanding of science and
engineering.
Gould's investigations of evolution, together with
those of his colleague Niles Eldredge, have resulted
in the seminal concept of punctuated equilibrium,
arguably the most significant insight into evolution's
mechanisms since Darwin. His contributions to the
study of "systematics" (biodiversity and its historical
patterns and processes) have significantly influenced
that science.
"His public service really covers two fronts," David
Perlman, chair of the award selection committee, said.
"His seminal contributions to evolutionary science
are enormous -- and so are his inexhaustible efforts
to bring an appreciation of science and understanding
of its concepts to the widest possible audiences."
Gould's nearly 20 books, countless essays, lecturing
and teaching, plus his advisory role to PBS' NOVA
series (which won last year's NSB Public Service Award)
and The Children's Television Workshop, have contributed
to what Perlman described as "a profound influence
on every literate person's thinking about nature and
the world around us."
The production team of the television series, Bill
Nye the Science Guy, the entertaining and
innovative hands-on science program for young people,
is receiving the NSB's organizational Public Service
Award for 1999. The team includes executive producers
Elizabeth Brock, Erren Gottlieb and James McKenna,
as well as host and head writer Bill Nye. The four
together worked to develop the pilot program, and
then produce 100 episodes of the series. The program
originates from the studios of KCTS-TV in Seattle,
Wash. and is distributed by PBS and Disney's Buena
Vista.
"Nye's team of dedicated people has taken science out
of the classroom and laboratory and added elements
of adventure to excite kids' own curiosities," Richard
Zare, Stanford chemistry professor and member of the
selection committee, said. "Mix in a little of their
own craziness, and they prove each day how science
is inherently tied to everyday life. This award also
celebrates the many supplementary materials and educational
kits that have made Bill Nye the Science Guy
a special forum for advancing the public's understanding
and appreciation of science."
Bill Nye the Science Guy is an 11-time
Emmy Award winner (and is nominated for eight awards
in 1999). In addition to its syndicated run, the program
airs on more than 300 television outlets around the
world. It has won the Television Critics Association's
Outstanding Achievement in Children's Programming
Award, and is a three-time Parent's Choice Award winner.
In addition, the program has twice earned the Environmental
Media Award.
The NSB will honor the awardees at a ceremony and
dinner at the U.S. Department of State on May 5 in
Washington, D.C.
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