JACK CHAU
’22
A quick scroll through current junior Jack Chau’s personal website will showcase that he is a multidimensional student. As a student in the School of Engineering, researcher at the Department of Urban and Environmental Planning, and avid weightlifter, among other talents, Jack Chau is limitless. Chau is no stranger to change. He is originally from Vietnam and attended high school in New Jersey before coming to Tufts as a computer science major. This past March tested his ability to adapt, as Tufts students were abruptly sent home due to COVID-19. The pandemic prompted Chau to inquire about how his research skill set could advance knowledge of the spread of COVID-19. After becoming interested in the big data work that Adjunct Assistant Professor Dr. Shan Jiang in the Department of Urban and Environmental Planning is known for, Chau reached out to her. After different iterations of research ideas, Jack and Jiang finalized a novel research project. The project entails looking at streaming data from Twitter in the form of geotagged tweets, and then mapping different attitudes toward COVID-19 and state guidelines/protocols in different regions. In mapping where attitudes toward COVID-19 guidelines might trend positive or negative, he hopes to use this data to predict COVID-19 spreading patterns in the US. Jack, along with his mentor, presented this research at the International Conference of Complex Systems at the beginning of the summer. As I’m still recovering from my sheer amazement at his work, Jack gushes to me about his more recent project, this time at the Friedman School of Nutrition. He reached out to Elizabeth Marsh ’21, a graduate student, whose work centers on bike 16
share data. Jack is now looking at bike share data through a unique lens. His goal is to try and trace segregation patterns from the data. Still in the early stages of research, he shies away from giving conclusions (as a good scientist does), but he hopes his research can aid in the discussion of whether an expansion of bike share resources can ameliorate the effects of segregation. Jack, like most Tufts students, is multifaceted. Sitting outside of the Science and Engineering Complex, I ask him about his favorite course he’s taken thus far, and expect something within the field of engineering or data science. To my surprise, he replies with “Love and Sexuality” taught by the beloved Professor Greenwood. “His perspective is really unique,” Jack says. He specifically recounts how he would sit beside Professor Greenwood as he analyzed the essays “line by line.” Jack is an engineering student but wholeheartedly enjoys studying the humanities and arts at Tufts. “I jump around a lot," he laughs. Jack and I talk about the perks of living uphill and downhill, how to best use the unlimited meal plan to one’s advantage, and how to circumnavigate the new rules of the fitness center. Jack enrolled in a weightlifting class so that he could use the equipment that is now off limits. He admits that working out this semester will be difficult, but he’s determined to find his new sense of normalcy. From research projects to weightlifting class, Jack is excited for what his future holds at Tufts. Complex problems require complex solutions, and that is exactly how Jack Chau has approached all of the recent change that has come his way. —MARIE KAZIBWE ’24
PHOTO BY KATHLEEN DOOHER
COMPUTER SCIENCE MAJOR FROM SAIGON, VIETNAM
