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Bill Nye, The... Poetry Guy?

by Alicia Lu

You probably know him from his popular PBS show, or maybe you saw him on Dancing With the Stars, but he's probably the best-known scientist in America. He's Bill Nye the Science Guy. Just because he has a rhyming moniker doesn't mean he's not a legit scientist. In fact, Nye's contributions to space and energy science have earned him the attention of President Obama and the White House. A series of emails between Bill Nye and Phil Larson, the White House's Office of Science and Technology Policy advisor, obtained by BuzzFeed through the Freedom of Information Act, detail the scientist's peculiar relationship with Washington.

The White House's Office of Science and Technology Policy advises the president on all things science and technology related and how they could possibly affect domestic and international policies. Naturally, the office must regularly liaise with scientists in the field to keep abreast of the latest scientific discoveries, discussions, and events. And who better to have as a principal source than the Science Guy? The emails between Nye and Larson not only shed light on the nature of their relationship and the projects that the OSTP coordinates, but also on the enigmatic man himself.

Bill Nye Has a Poetic Side

Nye wished Larson a happy holiday in the form of a limerick, which was laden with science terms. Obviously.

Bill Nye Loves Science Puns

Just call him the punisher, because Nye's punning game is strong. He dropped this bomb on Larson: "I kinda' spaced (pun intended)." I would hate to follow that act.

Bill Nye Tweets For the White House

The White House should give him the title of "social media manager" for how often they ask him to tweet White-House-related stuff to his followers. For example, as the deadline to enroll in Obamacare approached, Larson asked Nye to tweet a reminder to enroll using the hashtag #GeeksGetCovered.

Bill Nye Calls Obama "The Man"

Which could mean one of two things: either it's Bill's science-guy way of saying "da man," as in "you da man!" or it's the inner activist in him affectionately teasing the president for being "the man," as in "damn the man!"

Bill Nye Wants to Change the World(s)

Nye often signs off with "Let's change the world, Bill N." But sometimes, he writes, "Let's change the world(s)." Clearly, Bill Nye believes.

Bill Nye Is Exactly the Goofy, Dorky Dad Type You'd Expect Him to Be

Although he's not an actual dad, when he says things like "What time does the shindig start diggin?" then he might as well be.

Image: BuzzFeed, Cheezburger