In the early 2000s, Nye assisted in the development of a small sundial included in the Mars Exploration Rover missions.
Known as MarsDial, in addition to tracking time, it had small colored panels to provide a basis for color calibration.
From 2005 to 2010, Nye was the vice president of the Planetary Society, an organization that advocates space science research and the exploration of other planets, particularly Mars.
He became the organization's second Executive Director in September 2010 when Louis Friedman stepped down.

In November 2010, Nye became the face of a major science exhibition at the Chabot Space & Science Center in Oakland, California.
Bill Nye's Climate Lab featured him as commander of the Clean Energy Space Station and invited visitors on an urgent mission to thwart climate change.

From 2001 to 2006, Nye served as Frank H. T. Rhodes Class of '56 University Professor at Cornell University.

On August 27, 2011, gave a public lecture at Cornell University that filled its 715-seat Statler Auditorium.
He spoke of his father's passion for sundials and timekeeping, his time at Cornell, his work on the sundials on the Mars rovers, and the story behind the Bill Nye Solar Noon Clock, which he then presented to the university atop Rhodes Hall.

Nye conducted a Q&A session after the 2012 Mars Rover Landing.

Nye is a fellow of the Committee for Skeptical Inquiry, a U.S. nonprofit scientific and educational organization that promotes scientific inquiry, critical investigation, and the use of reason in examining controversial and extraordinary claims.
Interviewed by John Rael for the Independent Investigation Group IIG, Nye said that his "concern right now ... [is] scientific illiteracy ... you [the public] don't have enough rudimentary knowledge of the universe to evaluate claims."
In November 2012, he launched a Kickstarter campaign for an educational aerodynamics game called AERO 3D, but it was not funded.

In September 2012, Nye claimed that creationist views threatened science education and innovation in the United States.
In February 2014, he debated creationist Ken Ham at the Creation Museum on whether creation is a viable model of origins in today's modern, scientific era.
In July 2016, Ham gave Nye a tour of the Ark Encounter the day after it first opened to the public.
He and Ham had an informal debate while touring the structure, and footage from Nye's visit was subsequently included in the documentary film Bill Nye: Science Guy, released in 2017.

Since 2013, Nye has been a member of the Advisory Council of the National Center for Science Education.

On Earth Day 2015, Nye met with U.S. President Obama to visit Everglades National Park in Florida and discuss climate change and science education.

In March 2015, Nye announced he changed his mind and now supported GMOs.
In a new edition of Undeniable: Evolution and the Science of Creation, Nye rewrote a chapter on GMOs reflecting his new position.
In a radio interview with Neil deGrasse Tyson, he said, "There's no difference between allergies among GMO eaters and non-GMO eaters... I've changed my mind about genetically modified organisms".

In July 2017, Nye observed that the majority of climate change deniers are older people, and said, "So we're just going to have to wait for those people to 'age out', as they say".
He has continued to advocate against climate change.
On Last Week Tonight with John Oliver on May 12, 2019, he discussed climate change and the proposed Green New Deal, and said:
Here, I've got an experiment for you—safety glasses on.
By the end of this century, if emissions keep rising, the average temperature on Earth could go up another 4 to 8 degrees.
What I'm saying is the planet's on fucking fire.
There are a lot of things we could do to put it out.
Are any of them free?
No, of course not—nothing's free, you idiots.
Grow the fuck up.
You're not children anymore.
I didn't mind explaining photosynthesis to you when you were 12, but you're adults now and this is an actual crisis.
Got it?
Safety glasses off, motherfuckers.

— Bill Nye, Last Week Tonigh
In the early 2000s, Nye assisted in the development of a small sundial included in the Mars Exploration Rover missions. Known as MarsDial, in addition to tracking time, it had small colored panels to provide a basis for color calibration. From 2005 to 2010, Nye was the vice president of the Planetary Society, an organization that advocates space science research and the exploration of other planets, particularly Mars. He became the organization's second Executive Director in September 2010 when Louis Friedman stepped down.
In November 2010, Nye became the face of a major science exhibition at the Chabot Space & Science Center in Oakland, California. Bill Nye's Climate Lab featured him as commander of the Clean Energy Space Station and invited visitors on an urgent mission to thwart climate change.
From 2001 to 2006, Nye served as Frank H. T. Rhodes Class of '56 University Professor at Cornell University.
On August 27, 2011, gave a public lecture at Cornell University that filled its 715-seat Statler Auditorium. He spoke of his father's passion for sundials and timekeeping, his time at Cornell, his work on the sundials on the Mars rovers, and the story behind the Bill Nye Solar Noon Clock, which he then presented to the university atop Rhodes Hall.
Nye conducted a Q&A session after the 2012 Mars Rover Landing.
Nye is a fellow of the Committee for Skeptical Inquiry, a U.S. nonprofit scientific and educational organization that promotes scientific inquiry, critical investigation, and the use of reason in examining controversial and extraordinary claims. Interviewed by John Rael for the Independent Investigation Group IIG, Nye said that his "concern right now ... [is] scientific illiteracy ... you [the public] don't have enough rudimentary knowledge of the universe to evaluate claims." In November 2012, he launched a Kickstarter campaign for an educational aerodynamics game called AERO 3D, but it was not funded.
In September 2012, Nye claimed that creationist views threatened science education and innovation in the United States. In February 2014, he debated creationist Ken Ham at the Creation Museum on whether creation is a viable model of origins in today's modern, scientific era. In July 2016, Ham gave Nye a tour of the Ark Encounter the day after it first opened to the public. He and Ham had an informal debate while touring the structure, and footage from Nye's visit was subsequently included in the documentary film Bill Nye: Science Guy, released in 2017.
Since 2013, Nye has been a member of the Advisory Council of the National Center for Science Education.
On Earth Day 2015, Nye met with U.S. President Obama to visit Everglades National Park in Florida and discuss climate change and science education.
In March 2015, Nye announced he changed his mind and now supported GMOs. In a new edition of Undeniable: Evolution and the Science of Creation, Nye rewrote a chapter on GMOs reflecting his new position. In a radio interview with Neil deGrasse Tyson, he said, "There's no difference between allergies among GMO eaters and non-GMO eaters... I've changed my mind about genetically modified organisms".
In July 2017, Nye observed that the majority of climate change deniers are older people, and said, "So we're just going to have to wait for those people to 'age out', as they say". He has continued to advocate against climate change. On Last Week Tonight with John Oliver on May 12, 2019, he discussed climate change and the proposed Green New Deal, and said:
Here, I've got an experiment for you—safety glasses on. By the end of this century, if emissions keep rising, the average temperature on Earth could go up another 4 to 8 degrees. What I'm saying is the planet's on fucking fire. There are a lot of things we could do to put it out. Are any of them free? No, of course not—nothing's free, you idiots. Grow the fuck up. You're not children anymore. I didn't mind explaining photosynthesis to you when you were 12, but you're adults now and this is an actual crisis. Got it? Safety glasses off, motherfuckers.
— Bill Nye, Last Week Tonigh
Bill Nye