Speaking

This speech is perfect for general audiences that will be interesting for young kids, their parents, and University students as well.

Adventure, Data, and Grit: Treating Life Like a Science Experiment.

What happens when you apply the scientific method to your own life? In this talk, Emily Calandrelli - MIT engineer, Emmy-nominated science communicator, and the 100th woman to fly to space - shares how curiosity, resilience, and data-driven thinking have guided her from West Virginia to outer space to the frontlines of STEM media. Through stories of failure, persistence, and discovery, she reveals how anyone can use curiosity as a tool to overcome barriers, build belonging, and create meaningful impact in STEM and beyond.

This talk is perfect for a women’s conference or women’s working group.

Where Are All the Female Bill Nyes? The Real Cost of Excluding Women from Science
Despite decades of progress, women remain underrepresented in both STEM and the media that celebrates it. In this talk, MIT-trained engineer and Emmy-nominated science host Emily Calandrelli exposes the unseen barriers that keep women out of science - and out of the spotlight. Drawing on data, humor, and personal experience, she reveals how homogenous teams lead to inefficiencies, flawed designs, and missed innovation. From crash-test dummies to office thermostats, Emily shows how diversity isn’t just about fairness - it’s about better science.

This talk is great for elementary, middle school and high school students.

From Wonder Lab to Outer Space: The Power of Progress Over Perfection
Emily Calandrelli - MIT engineer, TV host of Emily’s Wonder Lab, bestselling author, and the 100th woman to fly to space - takes kids on an adventure through her real-life experiments in curiosity! From failed tests to flying among the stars, Emily shows how every mistake is just data helping you grow. Her message: you don’t have to be perfect to do something amazing - you just have to keep experimenting.

This talk works great for professionals or students who care about changing hearts and minds in areas where they may meet resistance.

The Science of Empathy: Lessons from a West Virginia Science Communicator
Emily Calandrelli grew up in a community that didn’t always trust science. Now, as an MIT engineer and Emmy-nominated host, she’s spent her career learning how to bridge that gap. This talk explores the intersection of empathy and evidence - how listening deeply, honoring values, and finding common ground can make science more accessible and persuasive. True communication, Emily shows, starts not with data - but with humanity.

This is a TED-style 15-20 min talk geared toward high school to university student audiences. Emily discusses her 6 main pieces of career advice, while sharing milestones, successes and failures she’s experienced in her own career. A science experiment can be added to this presentation.