A myth won’t be solved Wednesday night, but that won’t stop Kari Byron from talking about them.

Byron, a regular cast member on the hit Discovery Channel show MythBusters, will be speaking in the Grand Ballroom of the Martin Luther King Jr. University Union on Wednesday at 8 p.m.

MythBusters is a show on Discovery Channel that follows seven specialists who use their skills to separate fact from fiction and truth from urban fiction.

Wolfman Productions handles all of the college appearances with anyone on MythBusters, including Byron.

John O’Marra, regional account manager for Wolfman Productions who represents Byron, knows just why this is.

“At its heart, the show is about using science to solve mysteries, and I think

that aspect of the show keeps it fresh, unpredictable and very popular,” said O’Marra.

Ryan Kerch, junior biology major and lectures coordinator of University Board, said that this will not be a typical lecture presentation.

“The event isn’t quite a lecture, it’s got more of an ‘actors studio’ type format,” Kerch said.

Byron has been talking to colleges since July 2006.

“We had first started booking out Adam Savage and Jamie Hyneman, the hosts of the MythBusters, in early 2005. As the show got more and more popular, we began to get interest in the rest of the cast too, especially Kari,” O’Marra said.

Byron will be involved in an interview with Bonnie Irwin, dean of the EIU Honors College, who will moderate the event and also lead the audience Q-and-A session.

Irwin was a perfect fit for the moderator since she taught folklore before becoming a dean. MythBusters has a lot to do with folklore and determining whether or not something is a myth or folklore, or if it is true.

Students will be able to get a lot out of Byron’s visit, said Irwin.

“It is a combination of science and logic and entertainment incorporated with real things in the show; it’s entertaining,” said Irwin.

Having Byron speak to students has been in the works by the University Board for a while. They wanted someone who would attract college students but was interesting at the same time.

“We wanted someone who would be a familiar face to students and could give an entertaining presentation, but also someone who could speak about something academic. Once the idea of bringing someone from MythBusters came up, we knew that was exactly what we were looking for,” Kerch said.

Byron will show a special video clip of never-before-seen footage and bloopers from

MythBusters during her presentation.

Many college students watch MythBusters and are interested in seeing Byron not just because she is on TV.

“Any time there is a celebrity coming to campus, interest is immediately

peaked with the students, so that is definitely part of it. However,

many of the students who will be coming are true followers of the show

and are excited to hear what Kari has to say,” Amy Baumgart, graduate assistant in the Student Life office, said.

Byron’s lecture is going to be unlike most lectures; students will be able to participate in the discussion along with Byron in the Q-and-A session.

“I think the best part about this event is that it’s going to be somewhat educational, but still be very entertaining and a lot of fun,” Kerch said.