en-us https://www.intensedebate.com/users/1215996 Comments by ilovechucks22 http://www.pinkraygun.com/2010/06/03/sexy-science-students-sought-for-sexy-nerds-reality-show/#IDComment78413248 i can relate. i get easily fired up when "women in STEM" comes up for debate, that it's almost a knee jerk reaction for me to want to stick up for it at all costs! the good thing is, smart women will hash out a debate, and truly seek out a way to understand the other point of view. If there's one thing I've learned from a being a chick in STEM surrounded by dudes, is that in most cases when women "argue/debate", women actually take the time to see through the argument, and discuss everything intelligently. and in most cases, the result is usually good for both parties :) and just to be clear, i will happily rep Nerd Girls as an original NG, and "come out" to say that yes, I am Danielle from Nerd Girls and i co-manage the Nerd Girls fan page on facebook. However, I've found that when that information is divulged at the beginning of a discussion, people sometimes discredit what i have to say, so i usually try to keep that on the low until necessary (however, it's often pretty obvious...though, i have to say I'm pretty impressed with your detective skills!). thanks for the article. i love me a good tech buzz/chat in the am! Thu, 3 Jun 2010 20:23:27 +0000 http://www.pinkraygun.com/2010/06/03/sexy-science-students-sought-for-sexy-nerds-reality-show/#IDComment78413248 http://www.pinkraygun.com/2010/06/03/sexy-science-students-sought-for-sexy-nerds-reality-show/#IDComment78409771 that response was less for you, (you made some very well-though-out and accurate points in your article, and many that i agree with), and more for the people who commented that seemed to misunderstand the Nerd Girls intentions. Thu, 3 Jun 2010 19:45:58 +0000 http://www.pinkraygun.com/2010/06/03/sexy-science-students-sought-for-sexy-nerds-reality-show/#IDComment78409771 http://www.pinkraygun.com/2010/06/03/sexy-science-students-sought-for-sexy-nerds-reality-show/#IDComment78407374 ha, wow. that's exactly the response i would expect from someone who chose a career path that didn't make them a lot of money, and is now bitter about it. if you go back to school to try and pursue an engineering degree, i can guarantee you'll make more money and be much happier! Thu, 3 Jun 2010 19:23:04 +0000 http://www.pinkraygun.com/2010/06/03/sexy-science-students-sought-for-sexy-nerds-reality-show/#IDComment78407374 http://www.pinkraygun.com/2010/06/03/sexy-science-students-sought-for-sexy-nerds-reality-show/#IDComment78407165 true, i respect and agree with your support of the group. (i think we are agreeing on more than we realize here) and i agree that the IEEE video rocks. it's actually really great to see the varying responses from the tone of the promos - because it's important that the MPH producers hear that and see how the "real engineers" are viewing it. those are the opinions that matter most! because truthfully it's people like yourself (who support the group and mission of Nerd Girls) who are needed to support these kind of movements, because that's the target audience. at the end of the day, if it's a success in the media world AND in promoting the positive REAL side of engineering (which i believe is the intent of the show), its a win win for all! Thu, 3 Jun 2010 19:21:04 +0000 http://www.pinkraygun.com/2010/06/03/sexy-science-students-sought-for-sexy-nerds-reality-show/#IDComment78407165 http://www.pinkraygun.com/2010/06/03/sexy-science-students-sought-for-sexy-nerds-reality-show/#IDComment78405693 i will add, another comment on that article, that i think sums it up: "Oh give me a break. The opening sentence discredits the entire report, “discouraged from pursuing a STEM career (science, technology, engineering or mathematics) at some point in their lives” How is “at some point in their lives” is statistically relevant?" --@DeKalb Conservative Thu, 3 Jun 2010 19:08:14 +0000 http://www.pinkraygun.com/2010/06/03/sexy-science-students-sought-for-sexy-nerds-reality-show/#IDComment78405693 http://www.pinkraygun.com/2010/06/03/sexy-science-students-sought-for-sexy-nerds-reality-show/#IDComment78404015 in response to that article on STEM: - you need to do some more serious research on that topic to understand it in all of its complexities. do you know how many professors in engineering are males? i can remember only 1 professor in all of my years of engineering schooling that was female. do you know how many of my professors tried to tell me i wasn't good in math/science OR that i probably wouldn't like engineering? A LOT. so maybe, just maybe, a single study like this can only be fully understood if one understands the big picture of the key elements in it. i also encourage you to read it again, especially this point: ● The top three causes/contributors to underrepresentation in STEM include lack of quality science and math education programs in poorer school districts (75 percent), persistent stereotypes that say STEM isn’t for girls or minorities (66 percent) and financial issues related to the cost of education (53 percent), according to the survey respondents. all of this justifies my previous points, the need for groups like Nerd Girls to exist, and the important of creating positive role models in the media/tv and all around us. Thu, 3 Jun 2010 18:54:01 +0000 http://www.pinkraygun.com/2010/06/03/sexy-science-students-sought-for-sexy-nerds-reality-show/#IDComment78404015 http://www.pinkraygun.com/2010/06/03/sexy-science-students-sought-for-sexy-nerds-reality-show/#IDComment78403030 i believe that was also an attempt to ask me to validate my existence, and I will happily do that: i'm a female who's been in the STEM world for quite some time. i have a masters in engineering. i work in aerospace in a primarily male-dominated environment where i make a conscious effort to break stereotypes for my female peers every day. i love heels as much as i love diving into a complex structural repair problem. i love reading the technology section in gizmodo.com & wall street journal as much as "self" and "glamour". i believe that we are entering a very scary time where if we as a society don't do something HUGE to encourage our youth to study math/science, we are going to be in big trouble. i believe that the media has a large but scary influence over our youth, and the lack of female role models in the media that are math/science savvy, is not good (however, the myth busters chick rocks!). I've never been a huge fan of reality TV because it doesn't have enough substance for me...i prefer the travel/history/discovery channels myself...however, if an opportunity for an organization like Nerd Girls or Science Geeks, or Brainy Chicks, is out there with a good technical base and mission, is seeking to "rock our world" and enter the combat zone that is media/reality TV in order to break negative stereotypes, i will definitely be the first to support them. I am extremely passionate about reaching out to young people and colleges, high schools and middle schools to get them excited about math and science so that we can keep those jobs in the states instead of having to outsource them, thus losing our world-wide competitive edge and respect. If the efforts of a group like the Nerd Girls can do that, i wholeheartedly support that. And if you follow them on twitter and facebook, i think you too will see that they are not just a bunch of "chicks in heels who like makeup". And those are the kind of role models that need to be in the lime light. Thu, 3 Jun 2010 18:44:39 +0000 http://www.pinkraygun.com/2010/06/03/sexy-science-students-sought-for-sexy-nerds-reality-show/#IDComment78403030 http://www.pinkraygun.com/2010/06/03/sexy-science-students-sought-for-sexy-nerds-reality-show/#IDComment78396715 would it give me more/less credibility if i was or if i wasn't? the point is: a lot of people will hate and offer negative opinions, but do you have a better idea? if you think the promo looks "cheap and tarty" how else would you do it, given society, social trends, target audience tastes, the dire need to shed a positive/attention-filled light on females in STEM, and compete with the reality-tv trash that's out there and in a in the media circle? Thu, 3 Jun 2010 18:03:48 +0000 http://www.pinkraygun.com/2010/06/03/sexy-science-students-sought-for-sexy-nerds-reality-show/#IDComment78396715 http://www.pinkraygun.com/2010/06/03/sexy-science-students-sought-for-sexy-nerds-reality-show/#IDComment78391758 how else would you present a TV show then? we're talking about overcoming HUGE negative stereotypes here, and to compete in a media crazed reality tv obsessed society, i think the Nerd Girls have presented themselves in the way that's necessary to compete in the Jersey Shore/Real Housewives of "X" circle. All they need is a chance and attention, and once it catches on and people start watching, they can preach the real deal and take on real projects and show the world that they can hang, and the positive Nerd stereotypes and attract the much needed women to enter STEM fields. i couldn't have done it better myself! Thu, 3 Jun 2010 17:42:43 +0000 http://www.pinkraygun.com/2010/06/03/sexy-science-students-sought-for-sexy-nerds-reality-show/#IDComment78391758 http://www.pinkraygun.com/2010/06/03/sexy-science-students-sought-for-sexy-nerds-reality-show/#IDComment78390255 how could you find the talk about salaries offensive?! i think that's awesome that chicks are finally talking about that kind of thing! i mean come on, guys talk about salaries and their career of choice and how much money it's going to make ALL THE TIME! it's about time women are talking about it. for one, we are often times still making less than men, when we have the same jobs! why are some women so afraid to talk money?!!? are people afraid someones feeling might get hurt?! it needs to be discussed. and shoot...what's wrong with choosing a career that will 1). give you a job, guaranteed when you graduate 2). make you some cash? what do you go to school for? to NOT make money? maybe you should re-evaluate why you are offended by the salary talk .... i think its AWESOME! Thu, 3 Jun 2010 17:36:39 +0000 http://www.pinkraygun.com/2010/06/03/sexy-science-students-sought-for-sexy-nerds-reality-show/#IDComment78390255 http://www.pinkraygun.com/2010/06/03/sexy-science-students-sought-for-sexy-nerds-reality-show/#IDComment78387462 WOW! so many haters! ladies, gentlemen, lets be reminded that the video is A COMMERCIAL! have you every seen a commercial where you thought...hmmm, that's a little cheesy, but i bought that product because i now what it's really all about?. the beauty of marketing. come on now. lets also be reminded that: the show hasn't even come out yet! so what are you really mad about? the fact that its getting some attention? come on! look at the real message here: Nerd Girls is promoting women in science. if you take a moment to actually look at their site and see what the nerd girls have done through engineering and outreach, you will realize that they are doing great things! even more: talk to the many many schools/students/families that are positively influenced by this powerful group of women! You all sound like a bunch of people who are buying into the media hype and avoiding the substance! do some research before you judge. little know fact: by the end of the year 26% of the degreed engineers/scientists/mathematicians are going to be 50! BIG FACT: the youth is not pursuing careers in math/science...which means in 10-15 years, we won't have people studying medicine and creating new medical devices, people building our transportation systems, people building the technology that goes into defense systems for the army/navy/airforce! if our nation doesn't to something quick to attract the youth to study STEM we're all screwed! i couldn't disagree more. i think there's some misunderstanding here with the intentions of what the Nerd Girls are trying to do here. We are living in an age where there's a huge lack of media presence for women who positively portray STEM (science/technology/engineering/math). And there's a lot of negative stereotypes out there about women in STEM, enough that it's really affecting whether or not women pursue STEM as a career path. But guess what? if we don't encourage our youth to enter STEM fields we will not have engineers in the future creating the next vaccine, seeking out ways to solve the next environmental disaster, or building our cars an planes. So we as a society need to do something to encourage the youth (and women, because that's the minority!) to enter these fields. And you know what's the easiest way to combat a negative stereotype OR to try to get the message out? The media. And you know what you need to do to compete with the trash that's influencing our youth? Come up with a creative, catchy, intelligent competitive show to play in that field. That's what i believe is the mission of this soon-to-be reality TV show. And to that, i say more power to you, for even trying to step up and compete it that circle! the whole point here is: 1). the show isn't even out yet, so really judging something that hasn't happened is pretty ignorant 2). do us all a favor and instead of being another hater because of what you saw on a commercial -- that was clearly great marketing to be catchy and attract even non-nerd types to talk about it (nice job ladies!) -- educate yourself on who they actually are, what they actually do. 3). research the facts on when women drop out of engineering, and find out why. educate yourself on what the major influences are on our youths minds and how that plays into career choice. find the data that shows why there's actually a need for something like this. Education will save us all. Thu, 3 Jun 2010 17:22:18 +0000 http://www.pinkraygun.com/2010/06/03/sexy-science-students-sought-for-sexy-nerds-reality-show/#IDComment78387462