Hello all! As promished, I am kicking off my blog with a countdown of some of my all-time favorite sexy nerds. These women define what it means to be smart, quirky, and incredibly hot all at once. They project strong, positive role models to the public, and emphasize that being a geek and loving it isn’t only okay, it’s amazing.

10. Jewel Staite:

Coming in at number 10 is the adorably geeky Jewel Staite. If her space-age time on “Battlestar Galactica,” as well as the cult classics “Firefly” and adapted film “Serenity” don’t give her due credentials, the girl has a history of going for the final frontier. She got her start on the kids’ Nickelodeon 90’s series “Space Cases,” playing an alien with an imaginary friend. She also starred with Ben Foster “who played Archangel in ‘X3: The Last Stand’ on the popular 90’s Disney show “Flash Forward.” This space cadet cutie just had to be on our list!

9. Alexis Bledel :

When she’s not being classically beautiful, with that old Hollywood Audrey Hepburn softness, Bledel is paving the way for nerds everywhere. She started off starring alongside Lauren Graham on the CW’s “Gilmore Girls” playing Rory; the quiet, quirky bookworm who made reading very, very sexy. She also played shy, artsy Lena in “Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants,” and has since joined the cast of “ER” in the final season. On top of her amazingly brainy characters, Bledel attended NYU’S Tisch School of the Arts, has AMAZING music tastes (Radiohead, Incubus, and Less than Jake are among her favorites), and was an extra in the uber-nerd film of this generation, “Rushmore.

8. Kate Beckinsale :

: A countdown wouldn’t be complete without our vampire sexpot, Kate Beckinsale. While “Twilight” may have grossed bajillions in the box office, “Underworld” grossed over 5 million at its release, not bad for a vampire movies “that is, when vampire movies aren’t a pre-teen trendy money factory.” Kate also co-starred with hunky Hugh Jackman (who ALSO had his own nerd creds as Wolverine) in “Van Helsing.” Our bloodsucking queen is also a smarty pants; she attended Oxford University and is fluent in French, German and Russian. I imagine that makes her smarter than Bella Swan…

7. Danica McKellar:

America’s sweetheart of the VERY early 90’s (pre-Topana Lawrence) was Winnie Cooper, aka Danica McKellar of “The Wonder Years.” McKellar vanished from the limelight for almost twenty years before resurfacing as a published author of “Math Doesn’t Suck.” The woman is a powerhouse: filmmaker, actress, lingerie model…she graduated from UCLA with a BS in Mathematics, and even proved a new math theorem, the Chayes-McKellar-Winn Theorem. And after almost two decades, the girl still looks gorgeous. Maybe if she’d been MY math teacher, I wouldn’t think that math sucked.

6. Mila Kunis

Ukrainian-born Mila Kunis is hands-down one of the sexiest chicks in Hollywood today. But her love of World of Warcraft, her role as Meg on “Family Guy” and her frequent appearances on Comedy Central’s “Robot Chicken” make her a must-have on this list. Not to mention her role in adapted graphic novel “Max Payne” where she learned to shoot a gun. There’s nothing sexier than a nerd with a firearm.

5. Thora Birch

When I look at Thora Birch, I still see the precocious little Danny from “Hocus Pocus.” Although seeing Thora get nude in “American Beauty” can kind put the term hocus pocus in a whole new light. That cult classic role, plus her myriad of roles in independent films and her vegetarian advocacy, gives her a spot on the list. Plus, the girl played Empress Savina in “Dungeons and Dragons.” I mean, if that doesn’t seal the deal…

4. Felicia Day

What can I say about Felicia Day? Other than amazingly gorgeous, brilliant, adorably quirky, and overall awesome? That probably sums it up. Day started off with an assortment of small roles, including a spot as a potential slayer on the last season of “Buffy the Vampire Slayer.” Since, she has become an internet powerhouse; starring in “Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog,” “The Legend of Neil,” and her own created internet show “The Guild.” Day is writer, director, and actor, as well as an avid blogger and Twitterer. On top of everything, the girl got a BA in mathematics from the University of Texas. It’d be an insult not to put her on this countdown.

3. Anna Paquin

Paquin defined this generation’s sexy superhero as Rogue in the X-Men trilogy. Now she’s playing psychic/waitress Sookie Stackhouse in HBO’s “True Blood.” A gorgeous tribute to fantasy lovers everywhere, the youngest-ever Oscar winner also attended Columbia University, and had childhood dreams of becoming the Prime Minister of New Zealand. I don’t know who the Prime Minister is now, but I’m pretty sure sexy nerd Anna is far more qualified to fill those shoes.

2. Alyson Hannigan

Just look at Alyson Hannigan. The girl defines nerd (and I mean that in the most flattering way possible). A sexy, adorably cute redhead with a quirky sense of humor, the girl pretty much defines what it means to be a sexy nerd. She played a bookworm-turned-hot lesbian wicca in “Buffy the Vampire Slayer,” as well as the role of nymphomaniac band geek Michelle in “American Pie.” She majored in Psychology at California State University, and is married to “Buffy” co-star Alexis Denisof (Wesley Wyndam-Price on both ‘Buffy’ and its spinoff ‘Angel’), who was named number 2 on the sexiest men in the Buffyverse list. An inspiration to aspiring sexy nerds everywhere, we bow down to thee, Alyson.

1. Eliza Dushku

Rolling in at number one on the countdown is our newest inductee into the sexy nerds coven, Eliza Dushku. Dusku is a rising star in the cult art of the hot geek. She built up her creds as the bad slayer on “Buffy the Vampire Slayer,” and has now rejoined Joss Whedon on the new smash hit show “Dollhouse,” where she plays a girl whose mind has been erased and re-programmed to be the perfect woman to any high-paying client of the business known as the Dollhouse. She’ll also be starring in the upcoming horror flick “Open Graves.” In my opinion, Dushku only has more incredibly nerdy roles to come (can anyone else see her reprising Wonder Woman?)