Before anyone freaks out, let us unequivocally state that we heart the computer geeks. Apparently toymaker Mattel Inc. is hoping that members of its Barbie target market do, too, as the company is debuting its own computer engineer version of the iconic blond doll, complete with a pink laptop and a stylish-yet-nerdy T-shirt. –KA

SFGate:

Barbie has a new career as a computer engineer, and technical women are cheering the development as another way to help attract girls to careers in science, high-tech, biotech and the other occupations of the future.

Backers include the likes of IEEE Fellow Dr. Karen Panetta, director of the NerdGirls program that aims to break down the negative sterotypes of women engineers and help young female students translate their interest into degrees.

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