Where were you when you found out you had won the scholarship?
I got a call in the airport on the way back from D.C. from the folks at the Mitchell that I had won it. I was so, so excited. At the reception, I got the chance to meet all the other finalists and they all seemed really intelligent and interesting, and I'm really thrilled to be able to spend time with them next year.
What was the selection process like?
It entailed a two-hour reception at the Irish embassy with the 20 other finalists and the other judges on the panel. The next morning, we were all interviewed for 15 to 20 minutes by a panel of judges. We all got phone calls later that day with our status.
I was surprised by how non-confrontational it was. You hear about Rhodes Scholarship interviews that are almost hostile and belligerent, and it was not at all like that.
Tell me a little bit more about your work in cryptography.
Over the past year or so, I've been involved in a project devoted to deciphering some 250 pages of handwritten notes in the margins of a book they have at the (John Carter Brown) library. These notes were written some time in the late 17th century by Roger Williams, Rhode Island's founder.
About 10 months ago, I was able to crack the code and in essence translate about 200 pages of marginalia, revealing, among other things, an unpublished theological essay by Williams.
What will you be studying in Dublin?
I plan to pursue a one-year master's degree in Mathematics at Trinity College in Dublin.
What do you plan to do when your scholarship is finished?
I plan to get a PhD in Mathematics. Probably number theory.
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