Make magazine called Bill a "brilliant science-and-technology documentarian", whose "videos should be held up as models of how to present complex technical information visually." Wired called them "dazzling." His work has been recognized by an extraordinarily broad range of scientific, engineering, and journalistic professional societies. From journalists he has won the trifecta of the top science and engineering journalism awards: The National Association of Science Writer's coveted Science in Society Award; the American Chemical Society's Grady-Stack Medal, and the American Institute of Physics' Science Writing Award-all typically given to journalists. From his engineering peers he's been recognized with the asme's Church Medal, ieee's Distinguished Literary Contributions Award, asee's President's Medal, and the aiche's Service to Society Award. He is a Professor of Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering at the University of Illinois - Urbana.