IEEE Women in Engineering Magazine - December 2011 - 32

WIE from Around the World

waited in line to buy tickets to something or stood in the lobby during an
intermission." Nakra also designed a digital system for Arizona State University
Nakra conducting new media research
that allowed students to receive feedback
while they were doing their conducting
exercises and has produced live music
events with digital enhancements that
attract attendees by the thousands.
"We fit six conductors in the Boston area
Like many who have come before her,
A lot of Nakra's work is done in
with the jacket," she explains. "Then we
Teresa Nakra was bit by the technology
conjunction with Immersion Music, a
tracked data such as heart rates, muscle
bug. "People who knew me in college
not-for-profit organization she founded
tension, and motion capture while they
can't believe where I've ended up," she
years ago while finishing her doctorate.
conducted." In particular, she looked to
laughs. A trained orchestral conductor,
Immersion Music provides an avenue for
understand what conductors were actuNakra grew up in New York and planned
people to get involved with music and
ally doing while they gestured.
for a future in classical music, which
performing arts. Interestingly enough,
Nakra has gone on to lead a career
she loved since she was a child. But after
the board of directors hosts a number
with many dimensions. "What I like
receiving an A.B. in music from Harvard
of engineers.
Though she met the
to do is be at the intersection of
University, Nakra looked at the path that
g
men on her board ("they're all
tradition and new media," shee
lay ahead of her and was concerned that
m
men!") through a shared love
describes. "We've found ways
classical music might not be around
m
of music, it's their engineerto take what was really good
in the same way for the length of her
ing expertise that she parin traditional music and
career. "I saw that audiences were aging
ticularly appreciates. "Music
bring it forward into the
and young people just weren't engaged
often challenges technology,"
modes of communication
with classical music," she recalls. "I
she says. "It's very differthat we have today." Technolwanted to do something that seemed
ent to make something that
ogy, she says, has helped her
socially vibrant and new."
Teresa Nakra
works on the page change to
make a traditional area loved
One of her conducting teachers then
work off of it." Having engineers who
by many into something more modern
suggested she try the program at the
are enthusiastic about music technoland relevant for others to enjoy. Along
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
ogy around is helpful because they can
the way, Nakra has experimented with
(MIT), where Nakra could study music
think theoretically about how to make
many different projects related to engitechnology. Once at the MIT Media
the project happen and then figure out
neering and music.
Laboratory, she pursued an M.S. and
practical ways to go ahead and do it.
One of her recent projects was a
a Ph.D. and had the good fortune to
"We're a diverse group, but every project
museum exhibit that allowed kids-
work with such industry visionaries
has so many different components that
wielding an infrared sensor "baton"-
as Tod Machover, Rosalind Picard, and
we need to work as a team" she says.
to actually conduct the famous Boston
Marvin Minsky. Still a lover of conductIn fact, Nakra cites collaborations
Pops orchestra on a large screen. The
ing at heart, Nakra's doctoral disserlike these with getting her from musiproject exhibited at the Boston Chiltation combined conducting with her
cian to music technologist. It was her
dren's Museum for five years before
new training in science: she designed a
role model, Rosalind Picard-an engitraveling to other museums around the
wearable device called "The Conductor's
neer and one of her doctoral dissertation
country. Then she designed a Nintendo
Jacket" that used signal analysis and
advisors-who helped her see herself as
Wii-based conducting system called the
sensor technology to gather physiologinot just a musician, but someone whose
Virtual Maestro that traveled to different
cal data on conductors as they worked.
skills transferred well to engineerorchestra halls and festivals around the
ing. "I imagine that's true for a lot of
United States and Europe. "It was cool,"
women," Nakra posits. "When you don't
she says, "because the idea was that peoDigital Object Identifier 10.1109/MWIE.2011.942428
see yourself belonging to one group,
ple could try out conducting while they
Date of publication: 14 October 2011

Music to Her Ears

IEEE WOMEN IN ENGINEERING MAGAZINE

DECEMBER 2011

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of IEEE Women in Engineering Magazine - December 2011