An Interview with Tamara Robertson, Co-Host of SciJinks

Who doesn't love watching people get pranked? Now add science to the pranks and you have a great way to keep your students engaged. SciJinks is a new show on the Science Channel that uses science to perform practical jokes on people. Following the pranks they explain the science behind it, so it is great for your science classroom. You can see episodes by clicking here.

I made a worksheet to go along with the show if you choose to show it in your class! Click on the PDF below to download. 

scijinks_worksheet.pdf
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I had the pleasure of meeting Tamara Robertson, one of the hosts of the show, at​ a NASA social event (you can read about the NASA launch here). Her resume is impressive- ranging from chemical engineering to TV host. I was able to get her to answer some interview questions, so keep reading to learn more about her!


What is your scientific background and what made you interested in science?
 I am a chemical & biomolecular engineer.  I spent a little under a decade working in facility startup and designs as well as additive technology development for packaging.
I’ve always been good at math and science in school and liked machinery and building things but honestly never thought to pursue science.  I had a teacher in college that took me aside and talked to me about engineering - at the time I thought only boys did that because I had only known one male engineer and that was Scottie from Star Trek.  She helped broaden my view of the world and potential majors and that’s how I ended up in Engineering :)
 
Tell me a little bit about your job history- How did you end up with Mythbusters and Scijinks? Was TV something you always had an interest in?
 Growing up in North Carolina I didn’t have cable as a kid but always enjoyed watching shows and movies on VHS with friends.  
In college I got recruited to do commercial print modeling with a local agency and as someone that really enjoyed sci-fi and fantasy type books the idea of playing make believe sounded fun so I started pursuing acting.  Doing commercials and acting in independent films helped me to overset the cost of living for college so it became a hobby of sorts while I was in school and an engineer. In engineering I was lucky that my degree allowed flexibility in career fields and industries so I got to take some really cool jobs.  Some of the highlights were:

• In college for my undergraduate research I helped run the departments biodiesel plant to make fuel out of different waste materials for the schools farm. 
• My first job out of college was a Greenfield StartUp of the first mammalian cell based flu vaccine facility in the US.  I got to help tech transfer the process from Germany and was even sent to the United Kingdom during the swine flu pandemic to make vaccines for the US.  I later got to work with the CDC and WHO to develop the avian flu seed stock.  It was a really amazing job because I learned a lot very quickly, saw a lot of the world and got to help a lot people.
• I interned with a Plastics Additives company in my my undergraduate program and developed a patent for clarification technology that they still utilize which was pretty neat.  Later in my career I returned to that company to do business development in the packaging industry which led to a lot of cool product design launches with Fortune 500 companies.  For instance, the cups at Starbucks used to be PET but in order to establish a greener portfolio we helped transfer them to a clarified PP which reduced waste in landfills.
• Throughout my career I was taking part in women leadership programs and seeing them be created. There were a lot of women available to join them within the organizations I worked in so in 2015 I decided to transition full time to outreach to try to inspire more diversity and inclusion in STEM.
• Oddly enough about that time they started seeking new Mythbusters so I applied thinking if I could get on the show, even if I didn’t win, I could  help show that women builders can do anything Make builders can do.  I never expected to be the only two MVP winner or Final Female standing but I was very blessed that I was because it’s opened up the ability to talk to so many kids across the nation about STEM and all the opportunities there are within this career path.  
• From there I have continued to have the opportunity to represent women in Engineering as part of the Mythbusters Franchise (Mythbusters The Search, Mythbusters 2.0, Mythbusters Jr) as well as on Scijinks.  When I’m not filming I continue to do relief work across the country, outreach with nonprofits and superhero science with comic conventions.  I continue my job as an engineering consultant as well and get to make a lot of cool stuff!

 
Why do you think SciJinks would be a great addition to the secondary science classroom?
 Scijinks was a really fun program to be a part of because we got to utilize new emerging technology as well as some really cool old school tech to blow people’s minds with science! People often assume that science is just what is done in a lab or from a cubicle but really Science is all around us and there is such a vast number of specialties and career opportunities which I think Scijinks helps to elevate.
We also had a live audience of actual STEM students in the studio with us reviewing our field experiments which helped showcase the diversity and inclusion in these fields.
 
What is your favorite memory from filming the first season? 
 My favorite memory from the first season was probably when we utilized Hydrophobic coatings to create a “stain proof” jacket.  I remember thinking - people are going to know what this is, it’s in so many materials - but in reality no one had ever seen it up close before so they all thought it was this type of magical formula! Getting to showcase to them close up how the technology enables fluids to bead up and repels them from the fabrics was really fun!  Adding that to convincing them to throw an entire vat of spaghetti sauce at our “chef” and things just get hilarious!
 
Do you have a past teacher who was influential in your passion for science?
 I had some really awesome teachers in school- especially in science!  
In high school I still remember one professor Chip Howe. He dropped a piece of sulfuric acid on his shoe but didn’t realize where it had fallen so he continued demonstrating how the compound could burn through materials. About the time the sample on the table was breaking through the piece on his shoe had as well and he had quite a surprise!
 In college at NC state I honestly had some of the most inspiring professors! Dr. Bullard was instrumental in keeping me driven and pushing through all the hard moments in school as well as graduating and trying to get work during a recession.  Since she had been an engineer in life before teaching she was an amazing resource with regards to navigating the job market, building a portfolio and experience based resume while in college and was an amazing example of someone who had a career in STEM and a family and made it work.   
 
What advice would you give to teen girls interested in STEM careers? 
 There’s so many pieces of advice I would give here - here are a few of many:

• Know that where your journey starts doesn’t define where it ends, you do.  As long as you work hard and never give up you will eventually achieve your goal and no one can take that away from you.
  
• Never see yourself as a girl in STEM but instead see yourself as a human in STEM.  If you believe in your skills and put in the time to gain the knowledge and experience you need to succeed you will succeed.  
• Hold your own and believe in yourself - especially if you’re the only person like you in the room!  When I went into the world there was no example like me for me to look at as a role model, so instead I found role models that had traits I wanted to build and I set out to learn from them. Always have a mentor, even if they’re an indirect one that you’re just observing them to learn - as a science observation is key to advancement.  
• Invest in your education.  It will be hard work, a lot of hard work but if you buckle down and take it seriously you will be able to enjoy the rest of your life with less stress and worry.  Homework is exhausting but it is necessary to gain knowledge and skills and the long hard hours in school will eventually mean relaxing evenings at home.
• Just ask.  The worst anyone can say is no but if you don’t take the risk and ask you’ll never know.

 
If people want to find you on social media, where can they look?
 I can be found on all social media platforms under the handle @tlynnr85.

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