Bill Nye. Photo by Gage Skidmore. CC BY-SA 3.0.
NCSE is pleased to congratulate Bill Nye "The Science Guy" on receiving Sigma Xi's Honorary Member Award for 2026 "in recognition of his longstanding contributions to science education, communication, and public engagement with science." Sigma Xi, The Scientific Research Honor Society is the world's largest multidisciplinary honor society for scientists and engineers.
In an October 6, 2026, press release, Nye was quoted as saying, "To be welcomed into a society with a deep commitment to research, discovery, and integrity, and to be amongst a group of such esteemed members, inspires me in the fight to advance science for the public good. If we work together, we can change the world."
Among the ways in which Nye and NCSE have collaborated over the years, the most famous involved Nye's debate with Answers in Genesis's Ken Ham in 2014. As Josh Rosenau explained immediately after the debate, Nye's success was plausibly partly thanks to his spending a day receiving intensive coaching from NCSE's staff.
