{"id":90,"date":"2015-06-27T00:53:01","date_gmt":"2015-06-27T04:53:01","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/nehsjc.org\/zephyr\/?p=90"},"modified":"2015-06-27T07:59:11","modified_gmt":"2015-06-27T11:59:11","slug":"talk-nerdy-to-me","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/nehsjc.org\/zephyr\/talk-nerdy-to-me\/","title":{"rendered":"Talk Nerdy to Me"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Graphic <\/a>
Graphic novel version of “A Wrinkle in Time.” (Photo by Catherine Monroy) <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>
\"Popular <\/a>
Popular culture section of the Bentley University library. (Photo byCatherine Monroy) <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>
\"Amy <\/a>
Amy Galante, a librarian at Bentley, holds up one of her favorite graphic novels. (Photo by Catherine Monroy) <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>
\"Newly <\/a>
Newly installed Graphic Novel section at the Bentley library. (Photo by Catherine Monroy) <\/div> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>\n

 <\/p>\n

By Catherine Monroy<\/strong><\/p>\n

Nerd: An unstylish, unattractive, or socially inept person. Though this may be the common perception of what a nerd is, this is not always the case, and some are trying to change that definition. Nerd culture is up and coming in Boston, a city that is home to many colleges, universities, and tech startups.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a hub for where that innovation takes place,\u201d says Ethan Gilsdorf, author of Fantasy Freaks and Gaming Geeks<\/i>, which is a novel that discusses Nerd culture. At schools like the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and Northeastern University, students are known for building robots and hacking into each others computers.<\/p>\n

In Boston, nerds seem to fall into two categories.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere are people who are into comic books or manga<\/a>, or the science section,\u201d says MIT professor Scott Aaronson. The comics, cosplay<\/a>, and graphics are representative of one side, while the other gravitates toward the intellectual.<\/p>\n

The tech-oriented group consists of the academics like mathematicians, engineers, and scientists. Tufts University professor Karen Panetta, who holds a doctorate in Electrical Engineering, is the founder of the organization \u201cNerd Girls\u201d, where she recruits female college students who plan on pursuing engineering careers.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe celebrate individuality. We celebrate you,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n

Organizations and clubs like \u201cNerd Girls\u201d serve as outlets for young students to freely express their interest in engineering, science, or math. Students are becoming more involved with the maths and sciences, and go on to pursue careers in medicine, mechanics, or civil engineering and more. Panetta and her \u201cNerd Girls\u201d have built solar panels, assembled solar cars, and installed LED lights in lighthouses, which are used as their main power source.<\/p>\n

On college campuses, Nerd culture has also made its way into academic curriculum. At Bentley University, comic books have been used by professors as course material. The decision by Bentley, a business-oriented university, to add Nerd culture into its curriculum is a step in a different direction from past years.<\/p>\n