RIT ‘nerds’ go on auction block

Self-proclaimed nerds auctioned off their brainpower and creative talents at the university’s first Nerd Auction, hosted Jan. 20 by the fellows of RIT’s Center for Student Innovation.

“The event was a great way to showcase our talents, as the fellows represent many of RIT’s colleges,” says Eliza Hammer, a fourth-year marketing major and lead fellow from Pennington, N.J.

In addition to auctioning off themselves, fellows sold items they made in their free time as well as services such as guitar lessons and a ride in a 1975 Corvette. Car enthusiast, entrepreneur and fellow Eric Irish auctioned off a spin in his sports car. His innovative skills were also in high demand. “The CEO of an innovative solutions company bid on me to build them an app prototype for a brainstorming aid,” says Irish, a third-year information science and technology major from Trumansburg, N.Y. “I was also bought by a professor to do some work on his website.”

The event raised $500 and the money will go toward developing the fellows’ projects. The group hopes to make the auction an annual event.