Calandrelli explains that although it may be risky to rely too heavily on robotic exploration for now, the field is certainly expanding, and as AI progresses, it will likely be integrated into many space missions.
AI and technology also affect Calandrelli as a parent in this digital age. She suggests not all screen time is created equal and often uses modern technology to educate her children, limiting things like TV to 15 minutes a day but allowing her children to play math or reading games on their tablets. She says it is important to allow children to become familiar with technology as it will inevitably be a big part of their life when they’ re older.
“ I don’ t think we should eliminate it altogether,” she says.“ This is a tool that you will have in the real world and you should learn how to use.”
Educating & Inspiring
Calandrelli uses her expertise to educate children about science through her multiple shows and bestselling book series“ Stay Curious and Keep Exploring.”
In 2020, she hosted“ Emily’ s Wonder Lab,” a Netflix series showcasing different science experiments children could do from home. The show lasted 10 episodes, and while Calandrelli had countless other science experiments she was ready to feature, Netflix did not pick up the show for another season at that time. She then decided to write about those experiments in her book series and develop a new show,“ Emily’ s Science Lab” on YouTube, with each episode demonstrating an experiment from the book.
“ It was my way of taking control of my career and trying not to rely on anybody else,” she says.“ It was a hard decision to make because as soon as I published the experiments in a book, they were no longer going to be interesting to Netflix. I knew that as soon as I published the books, I was closing that door, but it was my way of saying,‘ I’ m not going to wait on you anymore. I’ m going to take control of my own career.’”
Calandrelli is passionate about inspiring women and girls, which led her to collaborate with Morgantown-based
jewelry company Silver Pennies Jewelry( SPJ) to create something for the women in her life.
She drew inspiration from pearls— natural agitators formed by the intrusion of something that was not supposed to be part of a system. She sees the women around her as agitators: Oftentimes the only women in the room, told they don’ t belong and yet ultimately create something beautiful by being there.
“ They have these beautiful flatbed pearls that are very unique,” she says.“ That’ s the other part of it I love. All my girlfriends are unique, so every single pearl is slightly different.”
SPJ also helped create jewelry from meteorites Calandrelli took with her to space.
“ They came from space, and I brought them back up, so they ' re space travelers,” she says.“ I brought them to Silver Pennies Jewelry, and they ' re helping me create some unique items with them, too.”
The SPJ collection is just one of many ways Calandrelli has supported her home state. She is also a steadfast advocate for causes like teacher appreciation and foster care. One of many examples is using her platform to attempt to fight against the policy prohibiting teachers from sharing wish lists so they get the resources they need for their classrooms.
She also chose to bring a flash drive to space full of wishes, encouraging donations with each wish, which ultimately raised more than $ 30,000 for foster care in West Virginia. This was alongside the $ 7,000 Calandrelli raised through the platform Cameo, resulting in around $ 40,000 altogether.
“ Anytime I have the opportunity to help somebody, my focus always goes to,‘ Well, what if that somebody was in West Virginia? How do I find a way to direct the good to West Virginia?’”
Calandrelli sees herself and others who have excelled in their fields as kindred spirits with a shared desire to return home and use their success to uplift their state. •
54
WEST VIRGINIA EXECUTIVE