Chen Han (MET’24) knows what she wants long-term: to secure employment as a marketing or data analyst at a company she feels invested in. She hopes to make a positive difference with what she does—particularly for women in the workplace. But first, the MSCIS alum has some work to do—work that stands to make a real impact on the long-term quality of life of BU students.
Han and a band of classmates recently got involved with the BU Campus Climate Lab after initially hearing about the lab’s research opportunities via email and getting subsequent support from professors. The group has even secured fall funding for a research endeavor.
“Our project, ‘Identifying High-Risk Residences of Interest for Climate-Responsive Technologies,’ aims to identify high-risk residential units to recommend cooling technology implementations to the university,” she says. “By targeting the most vulnerable housing units—those with high student density, inadequate cooling infrastructure, and addressable facility needs—we aim to improve living conditions and support the university’s sustainability goals.”
With the help of Manpreet K. Singh, the coordinator of the Campus Climate Lab, Gabrielle Brewer, who helped provide access to BU residential hall data, and CAS Master Lecturer James G. Baldwin, who advised on environmental studies and GIS mapping techniques, Han and her cohort will be hard at work using data to solve a pressing climate problem. She’s passionate about this kind of work, she says, and hopes to make a “lifelong commitment” to sustainability research as she continues the efforts even after her graduation.
She couldn’t conduct this project, however, without key lessons learned in her BU MET program. “I applied data analytics and visualization skills from courses like Data Structures and Algorithms (MET CS 526) and Foundations of Analytics and Data Visualization (MET CS 544),” Han explains. “Courses such as Information Systems Analysis and Design (MET CS 682) helped me understand data from a broader perspective, especially when dealing with large datasets and unfamiliar systems.”
Now actively seeking further opportunities to contribute to climate change research, Chen Han is looking to the future. And she’s grateful to her alma mater for the vital preparation it offered to embrace what challenges come next. “The most valuable thing BU MET has provided me is the courage to embrace every aspect of my life and the confidence to pursue what I love, regardless of others’ opinions,” she says.