Emily Calandrelli, a West Virginia University alumna who is currently the Emmy-nominated host of FOX’s Xploration Outer Space and chief correspondent on Netflix’s show, “Bill Nye Saves the World,” returns to campus as a scholar-in-residence Nov. 6-7. She will also share her passion for space exploration in an “Evening with the Space Gal,” at 7:30 p.m. Monday (Nov. 6), in the Mountainlair Ballrooms. This event is open to the public.
As part of her residency, Calandrelli will engage with students and faculty in the Reed College of Media, the Benjamin Statler College of Engineering and Mineral Resources, the Honors College and the Department of Leadership Studies in the Eberly College of Arts and Sciences. Her appearance is also a signature event of the yearlong celebration of the 2017-2018 Campus Read, “Hidden Figures.”
“Emily has a talent for making science not just clear, but actively exciting to people of all ages,” said Campus Read Director Susan Lantz. “Her passion for communicating about science is infectious and recalls the commitment and drive of the women we read about in ‘Hidden Figures.’”
Lantz noted that Katherine Johnson, Dorothy Vaughn and the other women featured in the book also inspired Calandrelli, who will focus on the “hidden figures”—including women scientists—who influenced her.
A Morgantown native, Calandrelli was named to Adweek’s “11 Celebrities and Influencers Raising the Bar for Creativity in 2017.” She has also given two TEDx Talks: “I Don’t Do Math” and “Science Exploration is the Worst.” She is an accomplished writer and speaker on the topics of space exploration, scientific literacy and equality. Her first two children’s novels feature an eight-year-old girl named Ada Lace who has a knack for science, math and solving mysteries with technology.
Calandrelli received her bachelor of science degree in Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering from the Statler College in 2010. As an undergraduate, she was awarded both the prestigious Truman and Goldwater scholarships. She went on to earn two master of science degrees in aeronautics and astronautics at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
Calandrelli’s public talk will last approximately one hour, with Q&A to follow. Seating will be open and she will be available following the talk to sign copies of her Ada Lace books (also available for sale onsite).
(From Ann Claycomb for WVU Today. Photo courtesy of West Virginia University.)