He attended college at Cornell University's Sibley School of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, where he studied under Carl Sagan and graduated in 1977 with a bachelor of science degree in mechanical engineering. In addition to attending Cornell, he studied under Dr. John Saputo at Washington State University. Nye began his career at Boeing where, among other things, he starred in training films and developed a hydraulic pressure resonance suppressor still used in the company's 747 airliner today.
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At one time, while working on the A-12 stealth attack aircraft, Nye had level-three security clearance with the U.S. Department of Justice.
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In February 3, 2006, Nye married Blair Tindall.[4] Tindall and Nye had been engaged for five months. The pair exchanged watches instead of rings "as a symbol," Nye explained, "of man’s reckoning with time".