Bill Nye the Science Guy

thomas S.
16 words 11 learners

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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. polemicize
    engage in a controversy
    They have gone from watching him explain magnetism and electricity to defending the scientific evidence for climate change, the age of the earth and other issues they have seen polemicized for religious, political and even economic reasons.
  2. neurobiologist
    a specialist in neurobiology
    Kaci McCleary, an “aspiring neurobiologist, or neuro-something,” said that Mr. Nye was “a very inspiring person in the field of science — he tells people to make science part of their lives, even if it’s not their career.”
  3. rebut
    overthrow by argument, evidence, or proof
    Mr. Nye quietly rebutted his opponent with the gravity of scientific consensus.
  4. creationism
    the literal belief in the account of Creation given in the Book of Genesis
    We know creationism is wrong.
  5. planetarium
    an apparatus or model for representing the solar systems
    Neil deGrasse Tyson, the director of the Hayden Planetarium at the American Museum of Natural History, said that he considered Mr. Nye “among my best friends” and complimented him for “hitting controversial topics head on.”
  6. gnomon
    indicator provided by the stationary arm whose shadow indicates the time on the sundial
    He got a little risqué with a joke about the gnomon — the part of the sundial that sticks up, you know — and bounced into a discussion of the hellish heat of Venus and that planet’s high concentration of greenhouse gases.
  7. plait
    a hairdo formed by braiding or twisting the hair
    Phil Plait, the creator of the Bad Astronomy blog at Slate.com and a fierce advocate himself, is more like Mr. Nye, willing to take the gloves off in rebutting those who might deny that men landed on the moon, or the evidence for human effects on climate change.
  8. goofy
    ludicrous, foolish
    But he shifted his tone gradually, from goofy to fervent.
  9. confrontational
    aggressive and prone to starting arguments or fights
    But, he said, his own style is a bit less confrontational: “I’m looking to stimulate curiosity so most people can go out there and learn on their own.”
  10. risque
    suggestive of sexual impropriety
    He got a little risqué with a joke about the gnomon — the part of the sundial that sticks up, you know — and bounced into a discussion of the hellish heat of Venus and that planet’s high concentration of greenhouse gases.
  11. firebrand
    a piece of wood that has been burned or is burning
    Firebrand for Science, and Big Man on Campus By JOHN SCHWARTZ AMES, Iowa — As the car pulled into the parking lot of a Starbucks, William Sanford Nye unknotted his trademark bow tie and slipped it off.
  12. wacky
    ludicrous, foolish
    He would achieve escape velocity from Boeing with an idea for a television program that would teach science to children in a wacky way.
  13. apologia
    a formal written defense of something you believe in strongly
    The problem, he explained, is that some people advocate requiring public schools to teach religious apologia as science.
  14. devastate
    cause extensive destruction or ruin utterly
    In May, after a monster tornado devastated large parts of Moore, Okla., he took a jab on Twitter at one of that state’s United States senators, James Inhofe, who has written a book calling climate change “the greatest hoax.”
  15. manic
    affected with or marked by frenzy uncontrolled by reason
    Over the hour-and-a-half talk, those statements started out as a laugh line that got funnier through increasingly manic repetition.
  16. proffer
    present for acceptance or rejection
    He smiled, took a proffered iPhone, scooched the students in and, in a practiced gesture, stretched out his arm to take a shot of the three of them that you just knew was totally going on Facebook.
Created on Tue Jun 18 12:15:00 EDT 2013

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