Calandrelli is an engineer turned science popularizer. Credit: Morgan Demeter
Emily Calandrelli, MIT engineer, Emmy-nominated science communicator, television host and producer, is going to space.
On July 16, Calandrelli announced on social media that she would be flying aboard a Blue Origin spacecraft, a feat that will make her one of the first 100 women to go to space. Calandrelli’s announcement has garnered a lot of attention on social media from her 3 million followers, and she hopes the flight will inspire young women and girls to reach for the stars.
“I’m very excited about this new generation of space exploration, because more people from different backgrounds will be able to experience it and share it in their own way with their audience,” says Calandrelli. Astronomy.
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Space flight
It’s not yet clear when the Blue Origin flight, which is partly sponsored by the nonprofit Wing 2 Wing Foundation, will take place, but Calandrelli and five other crew members will be on it. The foundation has a connection to Marshall University in Calandrelli’s home state of West Virginia. Calandrelli’s flight will also highlight the Marshall For All, Marshall Forever program, designed to help Marshall students graduate debt-free. Calandrelli is an advocate for accessible education because of her own experience receiving a scholarship that allowed her to excel academically. It later allowed her to attend MIT for her master’s degree. “If my tuition wasn’t covered, none of this would be possible. That’s why I’m such a big believer in accessible education,” Calandrelli says.
One of the items Calandrelli is taking with her on her flight is her father’s graduation ring. Her father, Brad Calandrelli, was the first in his family to go to college, which inspired Calandrelli’s career path. He grew up poor, but through perseverance and tenacity, he was able to build a better home for his family, she says. As a senior in high school, Calandrelli watched her father work tirelessly. She looked for the highest-paying career to specialize in: engineering. “Once I went there, I fell in love with it.”
To further fund the flight, Calandrelli has also partnered with Space for Humanity as an ambassador for the Citizen Astronaut program. Her excursion will also highlight science communication and women in STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) fields.
Communicating science
When creating messages about science, Calandrelli is careful about what she wears and how she presents herself. In Calandrelli’s Emmy-nominated series, Netflix Emily’s Lab of Wonders, she wears pink overalls. Her social media posts on TikTok feature pastel-colored dresses and bright makeup. “When I was hosting Space exploration“I wore all-black, monochromatic outfits because I thought it would help me be taken more seriously. I was just really nervous about being a woman in STEM. I’m already a bit of an outsider, and I didn’t want to draw attention to that,” Calandrelli says.
The more confident Calandrelli has become in herself and her expertise, the more feminine her outfits have become. “Today, when I go out to book signings or give speeches, I wear feminine, frilly, pink, sparkly clothes because it makes me happy. I also see how little kids, especially little girls, look at me when I’m doing these science experiments in a frilly dress,” Calandrelli says. Over the years, her message has focused on inspiring kids to find joy in science and pursue it as a career.
However, Calandrelli struggled to finance his science-themed shows.[Hollywood executives] “I see women hosting science shows as a very niche area that boys and men wouldn’t want to see, and so I’ve tried and failed many times to come up with science shows that I’m the host,” Calandrelli says. The feedback she gets from executives is that most of the people watching these shows are boys and men. So shows with a woman as the host, especially ones with a STEM theme, are seen as a financial risk. “It’s very disappointing because I have people and families who would die to have more of it.” Emily’s Lab of Wondersbut still we can’t find anyone to finance it,” Calandrelli explains.
She adds that relying on the human aspect of science and not being afraid to be emotional is essential for those who want to get into the field of science communication.
After her space trip, Calandrelli will now work on a book for adults. The book will be a collection of stories she wishes she had read when she started college, when she became a mother for the first time, and her thoughts on life at this stage of her career. Calandrelli described it as a “feminist manifesto” that intertwines with science stories.
“[Women] “We can exist in so many different emotions and interests and identities, and trying to find a way to embrace all of that and not be pigeonholed into one box, I think, is really important,” she says.
