Mayim Bialik is no ordinary actress.

The former star of “Blossom” and current member of America’s most popular sitcom, “The Big Bang Theory,” took 12 years off to raise her kids and, oh, get a Ph.D. in neuroscience. She now plays a neuroscientist on TV, too.

She’ll be touting science and math education at a fundraiser for the Yeshiva Atlanta High School on Sunday at Georgia Tech.

We talked with Bialik last month about her Atlanta connections and what inspired her to come to town:

Q: What drew you to this event?

Bialik: Honestly, I’m always looking for speaking engagements here. My best friend’s here. Her older son and my younger son are the same age. They’re buddies. I was with her in Atlanta when I heard I was nominated for an Emmy last year. This one also has a Jewish connection and it’s about STEM education (which encourages kids to love science and math). All things came together.

Q: What do you plan to talk about?

Bialik: I’ll probably do something about how my science and entertainment worlds intersect. And I’ll tie it in with my Jewish identity. I get a lot of questions about how I can be a person of faith and a person of science. I will talk about how my study of science enriches my faith and my choice to be an observant Jew.

Q: If you go to the Georgia Tech campus, you’ll see so many students from overseas. Does it worry you America isn’t churning out enough science and math experts?

Bialik: I don’t know if that’s my specific worry. I’d like to turn it on its head. I think there’s a tremendous amount of untapped information about the science field. Cultural stereotyping about gender starts very young. It’s our educational infrastructure. We have to overcome these structural impediments.

Q: Were you big on science and math when you were young?

Bialik: I was a late bloomer. I thought science was for boys and I wasn’t cut out for it. But I had a biology tutor on the set of “Blossom” who introduced me into the world of science. She was a young dental student at UCLA. Now she’s a dental surgeon with four kids of her own.

Q: How do you think your character Amy has evolved over the seasons?

Bialik: A lot of it is the writers getting more comfortable with the character, trusting the audience to tolerate changes. It’s all about them, little to do with me.

Q: Will Sheldon and Amy ever consummate or even kiss passionately?

Bialik: There are some big episodes coming up. The second-to-last episode (of this season) has some moments that address that.

Q: As a woman with a Ph.D. in neuroscience, is it surreal to be playing one on TV?

Bialik: It’s fun. It’s a great opportunity to put a positive face and a public face on female scientists. I think it also makes it convenient because I can memorize my lines easier.