My name is RJ Ryan and I'm currently a student at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. I'll graduate in 2009 with a BS in Computer Science and Electrical Engineering. I grew up in Indianapolis, IN, with my mother Claudia, father Tim, and brother Will.

I'm having a blast at MIT, the school of my dreams. I've been doing a lot in addition to taking lots of courses. I'm a Linux enthusiast, and I've done a good bit of work on various things like 2D/3D programming, parallel processing, cryptography, operating systems, open source dj software, MUDs, and more.

Hardware hacking is another hobby of mine. I've worked on various embedded projects using both microcontrollers and FPGAs. My main interest in this area is finding how we can create tangible user interfaces to software that are meaningful and useful.

In my spare time away from the computer I'm most often found on the Charles River. I started rowing in 2002 and I haven't stopped since. I'm currently on the MIT Lightweight Varsity, and have raced multiple times in the Head of the Charles, Eastern Sprints, and the IRA National Championship Regatta. During the season practice consumes over 16 hours per week. These are my most treasured hours of the week as they provide me with a release valve for the pressure that builds up during the schoolyear.

I live in East Campus, a dorm at MIT, on the second floor of the west parallel. This floor, known simply as putz, is a close knit community of builders and hackers. Sleepless nights and the sound of power tools at 4am are par for the course.