Editor’s Note: Emily Calandrelli’s keynote at SXSW EDU 2025 delivered a powerful message about the intersections of representation, opportunity, and success in STEM. By sharing her own experiences in both science and media, she exposed the systemic barriers that have prevented women from achieving equal visibility in STEM education and entertainment.

Her argument extends far beyond the screen. The lack of representation in STEM media directly influences workforce diversity, talent recruitment, and industry innovation. As STEM fields struggle to attract the next generation of scientists and engineers, businesses, educators, and policymakers must recognize that belonging is just as important as opportunity—and that investing in representation is a strategic imperative, not just a social responsibility.

As Calandrelli made clear, the challenge is no longer about awareness—it’s about action. Who will step up to build a more inclusive future in STEM?

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Where Are the Female Bill Nyes? Emily Calandrelli’s Challenge to STEM Media

ComplexDiscovery Staff

AUSTIN, TX—Emily Calandrelli stood before the audience at SXSW EDU 2025, her words carrying the weight of lived experience. Success in STEM,* she argued, and in any professional field, is not just about intelligence or ambition. It requires three essential ingredients: drive, opportunity, and a sense of belonging.

As an aerospace engineer, Emmy-nominated science TV host, and advocate for women in STEM, Calandrelli has navigated the intersections of science and media, breaking barriers along the way. Her keynote, Screening Bias: Breaking Down Barriers for Women in STEM on TV, was not just a reflection on the state of science media—it was a call to action for educators, business leaders, and policymakers to reconsider how they shape the future of innovation.

Calandrelli, known to many as The Space Gal, has built a career at the crossroads of engineering and communication. With degrees in mechanical and aerospace engineering from West Virginia University and two master’s degrees from MIT, she has dedicated her work to making STEM both accessible and engaging. She has hosted Xploration Outer Space, created Emily’s Wonder Lab for Netflix, and authored the Ada Lace Adventures children’s book series. Just last year, she became the 100th woman to fly to space—a milestone that, while historic, is a stark reminder of the slow progress in gender representation in STEM fields.

At the start of her talk, she posed a question that hung in the air.

“Where the heck are all the female Bill Nyes?”

It wasn’t for a lack of talent, she assured the audience. Women in science have the creativity, the expertise, and the charisma to fill those roles. However, systemic biases, particularly in media, have ensured they rarely get the chance.

Bias at the Highest Levels

Her career is proof of that reality. When she became the first woman to host a national science TV show in the United States, she expected the floodgates to open. A decade later, she looked around and saw the same pattern—science television still overwhelmingly led by men. Network executives told her they weren’t sure if their male audiences would watch a female-led science program. In one meeting, she was asked if she had a boyfriend who could co-host with her as if her credentials weren’t enough. In another, she learned that one way a woman could be accepted as a science host was if she were an astronaut, a bar set far higher than her male counterparts faced.

She pointed to a commercial from Discovery Channel that advertised its science lineup. Every presenter featured in the ad was male—except for one naked woman running through the woods. That, she said, was a clear message about who was considered the face of science in media.

Why Representation Matters

The implications of this exclusion stretch far beyond television screens. Representation matters because it influences who sees themselves in STEM careers in the first place. Without a sense of belonging, even the most driven individuals can struggle to find their way. Calandrelli shared her childhood experience of being an outsider in the world of science. She didn’t come from a family of engineers or scientists. She wasn’t in the “smart kids” group at school. A teacher even recommended that she not pursue honors science in high school.

Despite those discouragements, she excelled—graduating at the top of her class in engineering before earning two advanced degrees at MIT. Her success proved that talent and hard work could overcome early setbacks—but only when the right opportunities were present. Looking back, she realized that her trajectory had changed when she found mentors and peers who gave her a sense of belonging. That, she argued, is the missing link.

“Drive is everywhere, but opportunity is unevenly distributed, and without belonging, the other two are not enough.”

STEM’s Business Crisis

The message extended beyond the classroom or the television studio. The business world, too, is facing a crisis in STEM recruitment, particularly in fields like aerospace. Last year, Calandrelli and other industry leaders were called to Washington, D.C., to discuss how the sector was struggling to attract young talent. Engineers were retiring faster than they could be replaced, and only 13 percent of aerospace engineers were women. Without intervention, the industry was at risk of stagnation.

But the absence of women in STEM isn’t just a workforce problem—it’s a design problem. Inefficiencies arise when diverse perspectives are missing from the conversation. Calandrelli pointed out examples that affect everyday life. Office temperatures are calibrated to male metabolic rates, leaving women uncomfortably cold and workplaces inefficient. Car crash test dummies have historically been based on male bodies, making women 70 percent more likely to be seriously injured in similar accidents. Pharmaceuticals have been tested primarily on men, resulting in higher risks of adverse effects for women. These are not abstract issues; they are tangible consequences of a system that has long excluded women from decision-making processes.

The Future of STEM Depends on Expanding Opportunity

And yet, companies and institutions continue to underestimate the value of inclusion. She drew a parallel to Reese Witherspoon’s Hello Sunshine, a production company that was built on the premise that Hollywood had ignored the financial potential of female-led media. Once dismissed as risky, the company was ultimately sold for nearly a billion dollars. Science media, Calandrelli argued, is facing a similar missed opportunity. STEM television, she said, has been reduced to “testosterone TV,” catering to a narrow audience instead of reflecting the diversity of those who engage with science.

She had experienced this firsthand. When Netflix canceled Emily’s Wonder Lab after just one season, she assumed the show had underperformed. But when Netflix released its transparency reports, the data told a different story. Her show had ranked in the top 16 percent of all TV shows and films worldwide. In the most recent report, it was in the top 13 percent—outperforming seasons of Grey’s Anatomy, Black Mirror, and The Umbrella Academy. And yet, networks continued to treat science content led by women as a financial risk.

Who Will Build the Future of STEM Media?

Faced with those barriers, she took matters into her own hands. Using the earnings from her bestselling book series, she launched Emily’s Science Lab on YouTube, investing in production and creative control. Six months in, the channel had already gained over 130,000 subscribers—a promising sign that the demand for this content was genuine.

But for real change to happen, business leaders, educators, and policymakers need to step up. Representation isn’t just about making people feel included, she said. It’s about efficiency. It’s about problem-solving. It’s about business success. When companies invest in diverse voices in STEM, they aren’t just filling quotas but strengthening their industries and preparing for the future.

She closed her keynote with a challenge. If Hollywood had Hello Sunshine, then STEM media needed its own version—a Hello Starshine for science. Who, she asked, was willing to build it? The time for waiting had passed. Business leaders, educators, and policymakers must take an active role in fostering the next generation of scientists and engineers by creating opportunities, amplifying representation, and investing in STEM’s future. Innovation depends on those willing to step forward.

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*STEM is an acronym for Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics. It represents an interdisciplinary approach to education and careers that integrates these fields to develop critical thinking, problem-solving, and innovation skills.

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