Emily Calandrelli


Emily Dawn Calandrelli is an American science communicator and the host and an executive producer of Xploration Outer Space.

Early life and education

Emily Calandrelli grew up in Morgantown, West Virginia and attended West Virginia University. As a student, she won numerous academic awards. She became a Truman Scholar which led to her working for one summer in Washington, D.C. for her US Representative Alan B. Mollohan. In 2009, she was named to the USA Today all-academic team, won the Barry M. Goldwater Scholarship, and was voted Ms. Mountaineer. She later graduated with a B.S. degree in Mechanical Engineering and Aerospace Engineering in 2010.
Subsequently, Calandrelli attended the Massachusetts Institute of Technology where she obtained an M.S. degree in Aeronautics and Astronautics as well an M.S. degree in Technology and Policy in 2013. As a Harvard NASA Tournament Lab visiting scholar, she assisted organizations in using crowdsourcing to solve technical challenges.

Career

Calandrelli is a professional speaker and presents on the topics of space exploration, scientific literacy, and equality of the sexes in STEM. Calandrelli is also a contributing writer at TechCrunch.
She began hosting Xploration Outer Space in the Fox Xploration Station educational block in 2014.
In April 2017, she made several appearances on Netflix episodes of Bill Nye Saves the World.
She has written the of chapter books to introduce youth to science and technology.

Awards

In April 2017, Calandrelli was nominated for an Outstanding Host in a Lifestyle/Children's/Travel or Family Viewing Program daytime Emmy Award for her work on Xploration Station.

Personal life

In January 2011, Emily Calandrelli became a licensed amateur radio operator under the callsign KD8PKR.