An upcoming appearance at the University of Guelph by Bill Nye ‘The Science Guy’ sold out in just 25 minutes.
The 1,700 tickets for the event sold out in just 25 minutes, said Claudia Idzik, VP of Student Experience at the Central Student Association.
“We knew that the event would be well-received within the University of Guelph community, however we were surprised with how fast the event sold out,” said Idzik by email on Tuesday. “It's a large accomplishment for the Central Student Association and we are proud of the positivity we have received with this event.”
Tickets for the event ranged from $15 to $50.
On Tuesday a listing for six tickets was posted in the online classified section of The Cannon for $200. It's unclear if that is the price per ticket or for all six.
Jason Thomas is the science communication officer for U of G’s Department of Physics and goes by the stage name The Great Orbax. He will be sharing the stage with Nye, one of his childhood idols, at the sold-out event at the Athletics Event Centre on March 5.
When growing up in the 1980s and 1990s, science wasn’t perceived as being cool and there were few science communicators to look up to, said Orbax.
“Bill Nye was the first science communicator that I ever saw that was able to bring science to the culture at large and get people of all walks of life just plain excited about science,” said Orbax.
Bill Nye The Science Guy was a science-based children’s show that aired on PBS from 1994 to 1999. The show won 22 Emmy Awards and featured guest stars like Samuel L. Jackson, Christopher Walken and the band Soundgarden, among others.
The fact the event sold out so quickly speaks to the impact Nye has had on people of all tracts of life, young and old, said Orbax.
“I feel this really shows that students at our University care about science literacy and science communication, and that they want to engage with the subject,” said Orbax.
In the years since his show left the air, Nye has continued to be involved in science advocacy, has written two bestselling books on science and has frequently appeared on television shows like the Big bang Theory and Dancing with the Stars.
“The fact that he has been able to maintain this amazing and inspirational presence throughout the decades is unheard of,” said Orbax.
Last year, Orbax and his performing partner “Sweet Pepper” Klopek garnered a world record for the world’s largest elephant toothpaste. The physics department of the University of Guelph, led by Orbax, also regularly teaches physics concepts to local school children during STEM Week.
Orbax and Pepper have something special concocted to start the whole night off on the right foot.
Orbax said his interest in teaching science in an entertaining way can be traced back to Nye.
“He’s likely one of the reasons I pursued science as a career and definitely the reason that I have become a science communicator myself.”
Orbax is looking forward to sharing the stage with Nye and meeting him for the first time.
“I'm honestly very excited to get this chance, as I'm a huge fan myself,” he said.
