Marty Meehan, Rowdy River Hawk, Bill Nye. UMass Lowell photo

Bill Nye – scientist, engineer, author and inventor best known as “the Science Guy” from his award-winning TV show – was the commencement speaker at yesterday’s UMass Lowell graduation at the Tsongas Center. The media office of UMass Lowell sent out some excerpts from Nye’s remarks to the graduates. Here they are:

“You are UMass Lowell graduates, you are really among the best in the world at thinking about new arrangements, new tools and new elegantly engineered designs to reach for what I like to call ‘the high-hanging fruit’ – the big prizes and great big prizes. That’s what we want you to do for us. I’m not kidding; change the world in new, exciting and big ways. . .”

“So Class of 2014, here’s wishing you the joy of discovery. Keep reaching. Keep seeking. Keep using your abilities to bring out the best in those around you, and let them bring out the best in you. As you do, you can and you will, dare I say it, change the world!”

(On the crisis of climate disruption)
“By the time you all reach your billionth second here on Earth, when you’re a little over six months into your 31st year, we will probably be over 9 billion and perhaps even on our way to 12 billion humans on Earth. What this means is we are all part of the problem.”

(On climate change deniers)
“As preposterous as it might sound to many of us, there are great many people who claim that climate change is a hoax perpetrated by an international conspiracy of scientists and government officials. Oh but that it were that simple. If there were a conspiracy, our path forward would be easy. None of us would be responsible for climate change. It would be those bad guys. All we’d have to do is expose them. But, there is just no such thing. Climate change is happening, because we are all using the atmosphere for chemical energy and as a place to dump our airborne carbon.”

(On the need for the U.S. to take the lead in reducing emissions)
“When you hear people saying that we don’t need to lead, that we should wait until the rest of the world has taken action, stay calm and dismiss that argument at once. You have work to do. You have to change the world.”

(On fossil fuels)
“Here’s some very bad news: We will never run out of fossil fuels. We’ll never use it all up — not for centuries, at least. Sure, there is less oil — and less especially of the really sweet Appalachian crude — than there used to be. But, there is also oil-sand, tar-sand, oil-shale; soon it may be called by some new euphemism like “shale-tar.” And of course, there are enormous quantities of coal –- coal, coal, and coal, everywhere around the world left over from time when Earth had no termites to chew up trees when they died. Right now, no one pays for the smoke and gasses that burning coal creates. So, people worldwide will keep digging it up and burning it.”

(On doing more to fight climate change)
“You are UMass Lowell graduates; you really are among the best in the world at thinking about new arrangements, new tools, and new elegantly engineered designs to reach for what I like to call the high-hanging fruit –- the big prizes and great big prizes. That’s what we want you to do for us: I’m not kidding, change the world in new, exciting and big ways.”

(On hoping a UMass Lowell graduate changes the world)
“If you could invent a better battery, one that can store more energy using less exotic metal, one that could handle the heat without loss of performance or just plain catching on fire, we could store energy from the wind and the Sun and have it available whenever we need it. You would change the world all right. You might also get rich – crazy rich!”

(On there being no such thing as race)
“Along with the evidence of common sense, researchers have proven scientifically that humans are all one people –- one species. We’re a lot like dogs in that regard. If a Great Dane interacts (can we say interact?) with a Chihuahua, you get a dog. They’re all one species. Same with us. The color of our ancestors’ skin and ultimately my skin and your skin is a consequence of ultraviolet light, of latitude and climate. There really is no such thing as race. We are one species— each of us much, much more alike than different. We all came from Africa. We all are of the same stardust. We are all going to live and die on the same planet, a Pale Blue Dot in the vastness of space.”

(On advice for graduates)
“Along with all this stuff about making new great discoveries and changing the world, I’d like to give you some advice, just plain old advice like: If you smell fresh paint, don’t walk under the ladder. Wear shoes in a thumbtack factory. And, don’t try to smoke in the rain. In fact, don’t smoke at all, ever.”

(Closing message)
“So Class of 2014, here’s wishing you the joy of discovery. Keep reaching. Keep seeking. Keep using your abilities to bring out the best in those around you, and let them bring out the best in you. As you do, you can and you will, dare I say it, change the world!”