Meet Lawrence Luo: BU Spark! Consultant

Lawrence Luo, a CAS junior majoring in Computer Science, is quite busy. In addition to his studies, he is the co-president of Open-Web, an app incubator, he is currently working with a local newspaper to help reporters with tech issues, he helped develop a STEM-focused vocabulary for students who use American Sign Language, and he works as a Student Consultant for BU Spark!, a new initiative at the Hariri Institute for Computing designed to support student driven innovation and entrepreneurship in computer science, computer engineering and related disciplines. With such a variety of experience and expertise, Luo finds countless opportunities to collaborate with students, staff, and faculty at BU.

Open-Web, Luo’s app incubator, brings students together to develop projects and apps. Through the closed organization (an application is required), members pitch apps to be built, and upon selection, leave with real work experience. After selecting projects to be pursued, teams spend a semester bringing their work to life. Through relationships built at Open-Web, Luo has also developed a sharing economy platform, Bazaar, to help redistribute expiring food in dorms. The platform will give students the opportunity to be part of an ecosystem for meal and ingredient sharing. By finding solutions to redistribute food and resources, Luo, in his own way, is helping the University’s sustainability objectives while also helping students find manageable ways to use and locate food.

This work coincides with CS 506, “Computational Tools for Data Science,” a class focused on using data collection and analysis to solve real-world problems. The class teaches students techniques for collecting and analyzing data in order to create innovative tech solutions. Luo is currently working with a local newspaper team to help reporters learn basic computer science skills while also providing them with solutions that will help them maintain the upkeep of their work and data.

Luo’s work pays off as a student consultant for BU Spark! For those who are just starting out with an idea and want feedback on how to develop their innovation, BU Spark! holds office hours, in which students can flesh out any ideas they may have and receive feedback on how to move forward. As a consultant, Luo provides advice on developing and creating apps and softwares solutions. His role is to help students move their ventures into the next phase. With several successful apps and websites launched by Luo and his teams, the approach seems to be working.

Students interested in BU Spark! are encouraged to visit the initiative’s offices at 111 Cummington Mall to discuss ideas and learn more about available resources.