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I came to MIT to study physics, and have enjoyed my physics work.  I
also became very involved in computers and their applications.  Over
the course of my academic career I have been somewhat torn between my
interest in physics and my interest in software, as the primary
overlap between those fields involves using computers as a tool for
physics, with little real focus on the software, theory or interface
aspects of computer science.

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As a junior, I was fortunate to start work with Neil Gershenfeld in
the Physics and Media group, and was pleasantly overwhelmed by what I
found.  The group not only studied some of the ways that computers are
a tool for physics, but many of the ways in which physics can be a
tool for computers.

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This kinds of research is what I hope to pursue in graduate study at
the Media Lab.  Specific interests that I have include continuing
study of the intrabody signalling system I have worked on as an
undergraduate (if warranted, following my thesis work), developing and
implementing practical algorithms for self organization of identical
entities, obtaining a more general understanding of the interaction
between electric fields and arbitrary conductors in those fields, and
pursuing possible computational architectures for structuring and
using information gathered and distributed by these kinds of
technologies.

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Upon finding the Physics and Media group I have realized that there
are a great many applications and research directions which interest
me a great deal, and I genuinely have not yet decided what I want to
focus on.  I am certain I want to continue research in physics and
computing, but beyond that, I cannot honestly specify.  The Media Lab
seems, to me, the ideal place to explore these areas and find
particular areas that fascinate me the most.

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While I can't be certain which areas will demand my interest the most,
research into technologies needed to develop ubiquitous inconspicuous
networked computing systems are of particular interest.  Particularly,
a few of the topics that I would be interested in pursuing, I
mentioned above.  First, the communications protocols and encoding
strategies, such as those in the intrabody signalling system I have
been researching, are very interesting.  I hope to examine
alternatives and novel approaches to traditional wireless
communication.  Second, given a large number of computing devices in
an environment, there needs to be a strong set of algorithms and
strategies for organizing and structuring communications and other
tasks.  I am eager to pursue more detailed research into this area.
Third, a general understanding of electric fields, its measurement
limits and how this can apply to both communication and sensing is
valuable.  Clearly I will not be able to thoroughly explore all of
these avenues, however I believe the Media Lab will give me the
opportunity to approach all of them and best determine what most
deserves further study.

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As for my longer term professional goals, I have a number of thoughts.
I was fortunate enough to become involved in the WWW very early
(1993), and started a web software company with a number of other MIT
students in 1994. I left MIT temporarily, and pursued that for two
years.  This gave me a taste of entrepeneurship and of the business
world.  It also helped me realize some of my professional goals.
Specifically, I enjoy research and development above other business
activities.  I enjoy the management, sales, and marketing components
of running a business as well, more than I expected, but I realize
that research and development activites hold far more interest for me.

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Overall, in pursuing graduate study at the Media Lab, I hope to
further explore the applications of physics to computing, particularly
from an interface and sensor point of view.  Beyond that, I aim to
identify an area of particular interest and study that rigorously.

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