DJ duo NERVO created a music video to encourage more women in engineering by showcasing how “kickass engineers are behind a lot of the things you love.”
Eight universities have launched a song and music video by Australia’s twin-sister DJ duo NERVO to highlight women in engineering and paint it as an attractive career.
NERVO, made up of 29-year-old singer-songwriters and sound engineers Miriam Nervo and Olivia Nervo, have launched a video clip for People Grinnin’ worldwide.
In the futuristic music clip, a group of women in engineering create android versions of NERVO in a high-tech lab, using glass touchscreens and a range of other technologies that rely on engineering, highlighting how it is embedded in every facet of modern life.
The song and video clip are part of Made By Me, a national collaboration between eight universities together with Engineers Australia.
It aims to challenge stereotypes and show how engineering is relevant to many aspects of our lives. It’s an effort to change the way young people, particularly girls, see engineering. Although a rewarding and varied discipline, it has for decades suffered gender disparity and chronic skills shortage.
NERVO, the Melbourne-born electronic dance music duo, pack dance floors from Ibiza to India and, according to Forbes, are one of the world’s highest-earning acts in the male-dominated genre. They said the Made by Me project immediately appealed to them.
“When we did engineering, we were the only girls in the class. So when we were approached to get behind this project it just made sense,” they said.
“We loved the chance to show the world that there is engineering in every aspect of our lives. We’re sound engineers, but our whole show is only made possible through expert engineering – from the makeup we wear, to the lights and the stage we perform on. Engineering makes it all possible, including the music that we make,” the duo added.
Alexandra Bannigan, UNSW Women in Engineering Manager and Made By Me spokesperson, said the project highlights the varied careers of engineers and the ways in which engineers can make a real difference.
“When people think engineering, they often picture construction sites and hard hats, and that perception puts a lot of people off,” she said.
“Engineering is more than that. This campaign shows how engineering is actually a really diverse and creative career option that offers strong employment prospects.”
She noted that the partner universities, which often compete for the best students, see the issue as important enough to work together.
Made By Me includes online advertising across desktop and mobiles, a strong social media push, a website telling engineering stories behind the video, links to career sites, as well as the song and video. The campaign endeavours to change the way young people see engineering.