Pullman, Washington - October 16, 2007 - Tickets for the first annual Nerdy and the Greek "Nerd Auction" hosted by the Linux Users Group (LUG) at Washington State University are now available.  The tickets, which include a tax deductible gift, may be purchased by visiting http://www.nerdyandthegreek.com.

Six brave nerds from the LUG will hand themselves over to the women from several WSU sororities for complete makeovers—haircuts, new clothes, dance lessons, whatever it takes! The newly fashioned nerds will then be auctioned off to the general public, for homework help, computer help, or a dinner date. The makeovers will be filmed for behind-the-scenes clips and shown over dinner with the auction following immediately afterward.

The nerd auction has attracted international media attention and the project has grown so quickly that proceeds are likely to add up to figures significantly beyond the original amount expected. Proceeds will be used to establish an endowment for a “Women in Computer Science” scholarship that would fund one or more women to attend the WSU School of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science. A portion will also fund the philanthropic interests of each sorority involved.

Enrollment figures for women in computer science at WSU are less than five percent, and while the group is not expecting a sudden spike in those figures due to their efforts, they are hoping that the visibility and the image that computer science is fun and interesting—and not just for nerdy guys—will draw more women into computer science careers.

The dinner and auction, which will be open to the public, are slated for 6pm on Oct. 26 at the Schweitzer Engineering Laboratories Banquet Hall in Pullman.

Contact:
Ben Ford
Linux Users Group
509.592.7291
bford AT eecs.wsu.edu
http://www.nerdyandthegreek.com