MIT senior Janabel Xia is on a roll, blazing a trail where tech meets environmental consciousness without missing a beat on the dance floor. A math major with a knack for problem-solving, Xia has her eyes set on revolutionizing urban transportation with her work on a traffic control system for driverless vehicles. According to an article from MIT News, she's making moves in the lab and in multiple dance clubs at once.
From an early age in Lexington, Massachusetts, Xia has found herself immersed in complex math problems, rising up to math team captain in high school and attending the Math Olympiad. Her work isn’t just theoretical. Always on her toes, she's created zkPoll, an app that promotes fairer voting methods while keeping personal information secure. This voting anonymity could help cut down the influences of public perception on individual choices, Janabel Xia told MIT News.
Community service is another essential routine for this skilled mathematician. After engaging with local organizations through the PKG Center’s pre-orientation program, Xia leveraged her knowledge of cryptography for social justice, tackling issues from food security to housing solutions for the previously incarcerated. Her academic ventures have also led her to the Institute for Data, Systems, and Society, where she's working on optimizing the eco-driving system that could see carbon emissions at traffic intersections drop by up to 21 percent.
Don't think Xia's got tunnel vision focused only on algorithms and social activism. As a dedicated member of multiple dance clubs including Fixation and Ridonkulous, Xia manages a grueling schedule seamlessly. According to Xia, "Production weeks are always madness, with dancers running straight from class to dress rehearsals and shows all evening," she said in a statement obtained by MIT News. Her passion for dance doesn't just serve as a creative outlet but instills a sense of discipline and teamwork that, she feels, is essential to her success.
Living at the off-campus Women's Independent Living Group (WILG), Xia appreciates cultures of independence and questioning the status quo. With graduation looming, she's searching for ways to merge her love for mathematics and urban studies, citing MIT's rich environment for exploration and continuous learning. Janabel Xia's efforts seem to be a rhythmic blend of academic excellence, environmental consideration, and cultural commitment, setting the stage for a future where interdisciplinary approaches to today's challenges dance gracefully with innovation.
