Back in the days when computers were for the introverted and unfriendly, several industry associations and organizations in the academic world joined forces to resuscitate the humdrum image of the engineer. There was a pressing need to do so. According to a 1998 Information Technology Association of America report, there were about 190,000 unfilled IT jobs in the nation due to a shortage of qualified workers. Many felt that the negative stereotypes associated with technology workers had discouraged several teens from pursuing careers in science, technology and engineering. The dearth of engineers from minority backgrounds was of particular concern to industry bigwigs.
Diversity is of vital importance in the engineering profession as it fuels creativity.
Without diversity, engineering teams are limited in their efficacy. Thus, the campaign to expand and diversify the profession began. Reinventing the nerd was no easy task. It was also awfully pricey. First, the engineer's workspace had to look cool.