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A new generation of nerds
August 27, 2008

Nerd is typically not a highly sought after title, but there are a group of female engineers from Tufts University out to prove they live up to the name.

The Nerd Girls are a group of 16 female engineering students who are featured in a reality series of the same name that’s out to prove that engineering can make a difference in everyone’s lives and that women can play an important role in the field.

Tufts engineering professor and IEEE Women in Engineering Committee Chair Karen Panetta founded the Nerd Girls group in 1996 as a way to unite female engineers and break the stereotypes generally associated with "nerds" and with women in the engineering industry. The group promotes the idea of women succeeding in technology and making a difference without having to give up their femininity.

The Nerd Girls have members who have danced in the Nutcracker ballet, sang at the Apollo Theater, are award-winning pianists, and nationally ranked athletes. The idea of the reality series is to showcase not only the work these girls are doing, but also how well-rounded and social they are, in hopes of creating a new image of female engineers. 

The show’s pilot episode follows the Tufts students as they modify a solar car built by previous group members. The solar-powered racecar was originally built and raced by students at UMass Lowell, but despite previous Nerd Girl modifications it wasn't in racing shape. The Nerd Girls featured in the pilot finished work on that car in October and the new group is already at work building another car, according to Panetta.
 
The series will expand to feature students from several colleges working on different projects including developing renewable energy systems and assistive technology for people with disablilites.

There isn't as much a shortage of female interest in technology as there is opportunity, but females are beginning to make their presence felt. In last year's Siemens Competition for high-school students in math, science, and technology, girls took home the top prizes in both the team and individual categories for the first time in the history of the event. Groups like the Nerd Girls are important to give women opportunities and confidence to match their technical skills and interests.

Posted by Jessica MacNeil on August 27, 2008 | Comments (0)