Bill Nye is coming to Sarasota as part of New College’s “Socratic Stage” lecture series

As part of its Socratic Stage lecture series, New College of Florida will host a discussion titled “Can Science Save the World? An Evening with Bill Nye and Michael Shellenberger.” at the Sarasota Opera on Saturday, September 14.

Nye is popularly known as “Science Bill Nye” and is a beloved engineer, comedian, best-selling author and inventor. He will be joined by author and journalist Shellenberger to discuss how people can improve the world through science. The discussion and audience Q&A will be moderated by Mark Bauerlein, a New College board member and professor emeritus of English at Emory University in Atlanta.

Nye, 68, has received 18 Emmy Awards for his work as creator and host of Bill Nye the Science Guya show that introduced millennials to science and engineering in an entertaining and accessible format. The show, which aired from 1993 to 1998, was the most-watched educational television program in the United States during its run. He remains a prominent figure in science and media, and is an advocate for scientific literacy.

Shellenberger, 53, is an investigative journalist and author of San Francisco: Why are progressives ruining cities? and Apocalypse never: why environmental alarmism is harming us All. He serves as the CBR Chair of Censorship, Politics, and Free Speech at UT Austin, where he is described as a “pro-human environmentalist,” and is the founder of Public, a Substack focused on news and politics.

The event with Nye and Shellenberger is the first in this year’s Socratic Stage series, which “seeks to promote discourse and civil engagement by facilitating events that encourage open discussion and debate on relevant public policy issues,” according to a university news release.

“Can Science Save the World? An Evening with Bill Nye and Michael Shellenberger” will be held Saturday, Sept. 14 from 6 to 7:30 p.m. at the Sarasota Opera House, 61 N. Pineapple Ave., Sarasota. Tickets start at $100 for general admission, with discounted $25 tickets available for local students with ID and additional VIP packages available. Current New College students, faculty and staff may reserve complimentary tickets. All tickets include valet parking. For more information, click here.