Roger Williams Decoded

For more than a century a small, leather-bound book has been collecting dust in the John Carter Brown Library at Brown University. The margins of this book contain a mysterious handwritten code, long suspected to be the work of Roger Williams, the 17th century minister and founder of Rhode Island. Scholars have attempted unsuccessfully to decipher the script of the mystery book, until now. In 2011 a team of Brown University undergraduate students with the support of faculty members from Computer Science, History, Mathematics, and American Studies began the project of cracking the code, using a combination of statistical attacks and paleographic clues. Three members of the team will present the results of their research. Registration is not required but is encouraged. Light refreshments will be served.