A Match Made in Nerd Heaven

True love is supposed to be blind. On blind dates, it tends to be pretty awkward, too.

So it was with trepidation that FM’s Christina G. Vangelakos ’09 prepared for her shot at romance. Just as she set her eyes on Eric I. Lu ’09, the skies opened up and drenched the two romantic hopefuls. But it would take more than a torrential downpour to deter the pair, who received a 98% compatability rating after participating in Datamatch, the Harvard Computer Society’s (HCS) online dating survey.

Huddling under the same umbrella, Eric and Christina made small talk on their way to Cambridge’s Nine Tastes. The spicy meal engendered even spicier conversation as the couple’s chatter ranged from spring break plans to classes. In fact, the budding romantics discovered they were in the same Life Science section.

“What are the chances?” Vangelakos exclaimed. “It must be fate!”

The date’s perfect harmony hit a snag when the couple chose different flavors of bubble tea. “That must be the missing 2% in our compatibility,” Lu said. And while Lu didn’t score a goodbye kiss after walking Vangelakos back to Canaday, he parted by saying, “We can definitely hang out in section.”

The couple enjoyed the date, but probably won’t go much further. “I was not expecting to find my soulmate or anything,” said Vangelakos, who described the date as “refreshing.” “I made a friend out of it, which is always good.”

“I went into this with low expectations,” said Lu, “but I’m happy with the way things turned out.” He said that the similiarites he and his date discovered, along with the inclement weather, made the date interesting.

Grant W. Dasher ’09, HCS’s project manager, said that he has gotten positive feedback from this year’s Datamatch, in which almost 1300 Harvard undergrads and alums took part. But Dasher—who was also a participant in this year’s survey—could not explain the intricate workings of the Datamatch system. “It is a mathematical formula, but there are some random elements, too. It’s been passed down for so many years, though, that I don’t think any one person knows exactly how it works.”

While the specifics may remain a mystery, one thing is clear. For Eric and Christina, Datamatch offered a chance at something truly unpredictable: love. Only section will tell whether it will flourish.

Eric