Members of the Weber State University and Ogden communities got the chance to hear Kari Byron — former “Mythbusters” host, current host of “Headrush” and the upcoming host of the “White Rabbit Project” — keynote WSU’s Tech Expo in a Q&A-style lecture.
Byron touched on a wide range of topics, from her most embarrassing moment on “Mythbusters” to her personal experiences with being a woman in a STEAM (Science Technology Engineering Art and Math) career, taking time to advise women who plan to enter careers in STEAM fields.
Byron said she has noticed herself change as a person due to the nature of her work. According to Byron she started out as a shy, unpaid intern, who wanted to stay behind the scenes and build props. Executives of “Mythbusters” decided to add a build team to speed production, and when that didn’t go fast enough, she was made a host of the show.
This, Byron said, forced her into coming out of her shell. Her advice to anyone getting into STEAM is to do internships and work for free.
Byron acknowledge that women in STEAM fields can feel isolated and alone. She said it’s important to network and find other women who can offer support.
“Because sometimes you feel alone but you’re not actually alone, you just happen to be alone in one situation,” Byron said. “I was with a bunch of dude hosts and everybody always tried to get me to rip down other female hosts on TV, and I would say ‘no, no, we need to help each other out and lift each other up.’ When you get into a power position, do the same. Reach down and help young women out.”
Along with anecdotes and advice, Byron also spoke on her new Netflix original series “White Rabbit Project,” which will premiere Dec. 9, 2016.
While Byron said it is not a new “Mythbusters,” she will be teaming up with Grant Imahara and Tory Belleci, the other two former members of the build team on “Mythbusters,” to test and bring to life to some of the greatest questions in sci-fi and pop culture.
Byron came up with the name of the show after thinking about how it was like being Alice going down the rabbit hole to discover and find answers.
“Just have fun with it,” Byron said about STEAM. “Just enjoy it.”