'Science Guy' gives advice to undergrad researchers

Sophomore Zhen Huang, left, one of the Cornell University Research Board forum organizers, talks with sophomore George Hunter about his poster in the Racker Seminar Room of the Biotechnology Building April 21. Hunter spent two months in Venezuela studying cassava consumption and its antibiotic properties. Julia Featheringill/University Photography

By Mark Siegal '00

If you ever have a TV show, and you're about to be splashed with a bucket of water, untuck your shirt.

That was one piece of advice offered by Bill Nye, "The Science Guy," host of the popular children's TV science show, in a humorous keynote speech for the 13th annual Undergraduate Research Forum on April 21. Nye is a 1977 graduate of Cornell's Sibley School of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering.

More seriously, Nye discussed the importance of conducting undergraduate research, the relationship between science and religion, global warming and getting involved in a project's design process.

"Whenever you can, whatever you're doing, get involved in the design. Get involved in the plan. Get involved at the get-go, because it's there that the decisions are made that affect any product, any experiment, any research. For me, this is where the action is," he said in his talk at Kennedy Hall's David L. Call Alumni Auditorium.

Nye also addressed the subject of his television show. "People often ask me, 'now Bill, how did you get this gig? What process led you from engineering to goofball big time TV scientist?' And as I often say, it was 17 quick years. I landed, or created, this job using just about every scrap of knowledge I have ever come across. It's a result of my whole life."

The forum, hosted by the student-run Cornell Undergraduate Research Board, brought more than 130 students, reporting on a wide variety of research subjects, to the campuswide event. About half the students gave oral reports; others presented posters.

Student presenters were:

• We Don't Mean Levis (biology, i.e., genes): Michael J. Ryan, Brandon Celaya, Sumeet Sarin, Jimmy Feng, Oren A. Scherman and Philip Chiu.
• It's a Jungle Out There (animals, etc.): Emily Jackson Levitt, Ben Taft, Jessica Leighty, Timothea Ryan and Michael Via.
• Bugs, Bees and Behavior (just that): Cindy McDonnell, Susan Packard, Randi Rotjan and Christa Punturieri.
• Poster Session I: Josh Finberg, Matthew Fellman, Naim Darghouth, Priyesh A. Shah, Janet Lowe, Chris Kakkanatt, Vivek Pai, Elyse Kantrowitz, Marisa Dolled, Tawana Bean, Maria Dejoseph, Jeremiah Sawma, Bradford A. Lewandowski, Paul Bartlett, Greg Aloe, Mike Colonno, Josh Freeh, Colin Peterson, Nurzalina Jamaluddin, K. Ingrid Sprinz, Paul G. Kostervan Groos, Walter Chang, Michelle J. Cordner and Janice B. Desir.
• Poster Session II: Julie Miller, Sarah Aciego, Marci Martinelli, Kim Melson, Suzanne Saidi, James Hulvat, Wade McLaughlin, Scott Aaronson, Nathan Jauvtis, Bill Riley, Mark Muenchinger, Paul Otanez, Kenneth Kwok, Trisha Attai, Prasun Ray, Yana Matsushita, Felix A. Mendez, Naveen Kumar, Catherine Ayers, Andrew J. Barbera, Elizabeth K. Costello, Adam Nokes, Taryn Williams, Jeffrey Kerr, Eugene Rhee, Adam Davis and Matthew Cable.
• Poster Session III: Rojana Pornprasertsuk, Elizabeth Vinluan, Shana Behan, Ryan Williams, Geoffrey A. Hash, Jennifer Mautone, Anya Ho, Christian J. Flores, George C. Hunter, Yanerys M. Ramos and Marissa Nederhouser.
• Modern Living (social issues, etc.): Dmitry Kotlyarenko, Susan Metosky, Rema Hanna, Armando Rosquete, Josh Finberg, Matthew Fellman, Naim Darghouth and Priyesh A. Shah.
• Color of Money (econ, business, etc.): P.H. Benjamin Lohnes, Andy Gurmankin, Matthew Wexler, Tom Cabal, Darren Scott and Andrew K. Yang.
• Bio-what? (biology): Charles Lo, Lisa M. Placanica, Jonathan Melnick, Michael A. Bummer and Stacey Trotter.
• Where the Wild Things Are (animals, etc.): Jacqueline Burke, Maria Dejoseph, Ricard Masia, Andrea E. Reh
• Stop Bugging Me (as above): Ana Tanikawa, Tiffani Rogers, Jennifer Chow, Paul W. Latty, Benjamin Larsen and Stephen deSouza.
• The Red Planet (Mars): Jonathan K. Mitchell, Lauren DeFlores, Kerri Kusza, Susan Wang and Christina Lau.
• The Green Planet (environment, plants): Kate Chabarek, Andrea Scarpa, Dorian Fougères, Danh Cat, Leah Ho and Virginia Vu.
• A World of Research (international issues): Thomas Mason Jr., H. Ron Davidson, Radhika Bhatt, Chikako Sassa and Uriyoan Colon-Ramos.
• Hard Times (disease, government, history): Crystal Kolden, Erich Sachse, Jessi Jackson, Mackenzie K. Phillips, H. Ron Davidson and Julia Spivack.
• Let's Get Physical (physical sciences): Brienne Shkedi, Katherine Copic, Myriam Qureshi, Nathan Wilson, Reza M. Enshaie, Wendy Chao and Ted Hwang.
• What's Your Reaction? (chemical sciences): Matt Hayes, Nick Darling, Land Belenky, Amanda Hummon and Elke Hodson.

Related: Bill Nye unveils Martian sundial.