Mayiim Bialik Image: AP Images/Invision
By: Erin Clements TODAY
As a real-life neuroscientist — and an actress who plays one on TV — Mayim Bialik is on a mission to get kids excited about STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) subjects.
TODAY.com caught up with the brainy star, who is currently the face of Texas Instruments’ back-to-school campaign (where students and teachers can win a classroom visit from Bialik) and recently launched the online community Grok Nation. Bialik gave a hint at what’s next for her “Big Bang Theory” character, Dr. Amy Farrah Fowler, and reflected on the impact of “Blossom,” which turned 25 this year.
Do “Big Bang Theory” fans ever tell you seeing a female neurobiologist prominently featured on a hit show encouraged them to consider a career in science?
Yeah, I’ve had the blessing to have that exact sentiment expressed to me, even from young women who are in college and have said, “You’ve inspired me all the way to study science as a college student” So that’s really incredible. But it’s not just about women. I’ve heard it from men — they get to see women differently when we’re presented that way.
And we have two female scientists in our cast. Melissa Rauch, who plays Bernadette, is a microbiologist, and she’s a very different kind of female than Amy, and I think that’s important too. There are lots of different kinds of female scientists, just like there are lots of different kinds of male scientists.
Did you have a role model who encouraged you to study science?
I had a tutor when I was 15, which was during my “Blossom” days. She was my biology tutor on the set. She was a dental student at UCLA and she’s now a dental surgeon, but she was the first woman who I had explain things to me in a way that made sense and whom I could look up to as a role model.
What’s the secret to getting kids excited about math and science?
In the work that I do with Texas Instruments, we believe that putting the appropriate and exciting technology in the hands of young people is the best way for them to understand what it actually feels like to be a scientist and if what you put in their hands is exciting and interesting, and in many cases colorful, that often can be the difference between seeing it as a boring thing and seeing it as something that’s really acceptable.
Image: CBS
What’s your favorite nerdy Amy moment from “Big Bang Theory”?
A lot of her social awkwardness is really funny. But I love lab scenes, partly because I generally try to look like I know what I’m doing, because in many cases, I do. But lab scenes are really fun. I always liked wearing a lab coat. And I think it’s fun just to see Amy in her element.
What’s your favorite part about Amy and [onscreen boyfriend] Sheldon’s relationship?
I think it’s probably the longest-running nonsexual relationship that is romantic and intimate that we’ve seen on television. I think that’s really powerful, and although we make jokes about it, it is a relationship that is existing despite that limitation.
What’s next for them in the upcoming season?
We’re filming our third episode this week and I don’t know beyond what the script we’ll get tonight for next week’s episode is. We deal head-on with the fact that Amy wanted some time away from Sheldon at the end of season 8, but nothing has evolved quickly on our show, so we’re watching it unfold.