Mythbusters Host Grant Imahara Remembered With STEAM Foundation

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'Mythbusters' Host Grant Imahara Remembered on 50th Birthday With New Foundation Devoted to STEAM

The Grant Imahara STEAM Foundation will "inspire and empower underserved youth to become active in science, technology, engineering, art and math."

On Friday, October 23, those who knew and loved Grant Imahara will have a chance to celebrate the life of the MythBusters host. On the day that would have been his 50th birthday comes the announcement of nonprofit The Grant Imahara STEAM Foundation, created by friends and family of Imahara (including his mother Carolyn) to "inspire and empower underserved youth to become active in science, technology, engineering, art and math."

The unexpected passing of Imahara this summer from a brain hemorrhage made a massive impact on many different communities, as he had touched many lives not just as a long-running host of MythBusters, but as a robotics engineer who worked at both LucasFilm and ILM, contributing his talents to films including Star Wars: Episodes I, II and III, The Lost World: Jurassic Park, and The Matrix Reloaded and The Matrix Revolutions.

grant-imahara-geoff-the-robot — Image via Rahoul Ghose

According to an official release, Imahara was also actively involved in supporting educational initiatives related to STEAM:

In the early 2000s and while still at ILM, Grant mentored the Richmond High robotics team for several years for the FIRST Robotics Competition, an international high school robotics competition. This inspired some of the students to stay involved and become mentors themselves, one of whom runs the program to this day.

Grant continued mentoring young talent for the rest of his life, and spoke often about the positive impact his own mentors had on his life and career. It is in this spirit that The Grant Imahara STEAM Foundation was created by founding board members Carolyn Imahara, Grant’s mother; and longtime professional colleagues and friends Don Bies, Anna Bies, Edward Chin, Fon H. Davis, Coya Elliott and Ioanna Stergiades. The Foundation will continue Grant’s legacy through mentorships, grants and scholarships designed to provide access to STEAM education to all students, regardless of socioeconomic status, race or gender.

Visit the official website for The Grant Imahara STEAM Foundation for more information, and also to watch today's public memorial in tribute to Imahara.