Jason Jaacks was a statistic. He was one of the thousands left jobless after the housing and construction industry collapsed. But rather than sulk, the 38-year-old took the plunge and decided to return to college.
"It was a rare opportunity for me to reset my life in a sense," said Jaacks, who in 2009 lost his construction business, his house, and car. "My wife had a good job, and we could survive without my going back to work, and frankly, I hated what I was doing."
The thought of returning to college for the first time in 14 years terrified Jaacks. "I had underperformed in my first attempt at college and returning meant facing my fear of failure and the real possibility that I could fail again," said Jaacks, who had dropped out of the University of Iowa to work in the construction industry.
He came to UNLV to study computational physics and plans on becoming an astrophysicist, something he had been obsessed with since moving to Las Vegas in 2002. He soaked in all he could about astronomy and the universe through books, the Internet, and television.
"I never had much exposure to astronomy, cosmology, and the universe, but it fascinated me to know more," said Jaacks. "I've always had a need to know how things work. As a kid I would take apart my toys just to see what was inside. At the heart of physics and astronomy are the fundamental building blocks upon which everything we see is built. Understanding these core principles is the only way to truly satisfy my need to know how things work."
While construction and astrophysics are worlds apart, Jaacks uses many of the lessons he learned in the construction world, such as working as part of a team, motivating others, working under pressure, and systematically solving problems. "The difference is now I use super computers and space telescopes instead of hammers and shovels."
Making Up For Lost Time
In three years, Jaacks has gone from not knowing if he would pass his first summer courses to being two semesters from graduation. He has worked with professor Ken Nagamine since 2009, studying young galaxies in the early universe using cosmological hydrodynamic simulations. Jaacks already has published his research in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, one of the most prestigious journals in astronomy, and is working on more.
"Jason is a great student and works very hard," Nagamine said. "It's like he is trying to make up for lost time."
Jaacks admits that he couldn't have done what he is doing when he was 18. "I wouldn't have been willing to put in the effort. The construction culture is to work long hours until the job is done. Having gained that mentality has been a huge advantage for me now."
Jaacks has received two NASA EPSCoR Nevada Space Grant Undergraduate Scholarships as well as the NASA EPSCoR Undergraduate Research and Technology Development Researcher Award. Nagamine noted that Jaacks is working at the level of a graduate student.
"It is difficult to publish a paper as a graduate student, and Jason has done it as an undergraduate," Nagamine said. "I think his experience and research will help him get into one of the better graduate programs at Stanford, Harvard, or Cal Tech."
Jaacks eventually wants to become a faculty member at a college and mentor others the way Nagamine took him under his wing.
"I have been incredibly lucky that Ken has been willing to put in as much time as I am willing to put in," said Jaacks. "It has made my undergraduate experience that much more rewarding."
