This summer eleven Honors students traveled with Drs. Rick Klima (Honors Academic Mentor and Professor of Mathematical Sciences) and Holly Hirst (Professor of Mathematical Sciences) to Washington, D.C. and London for an eleven-day course, "Secret Codes through World War II." The theme of this faculty-led study abroad program was cryptography, focused from the 20th century through World War II. All eleven Honors students who participated were supported by travel scholarships from the Honors College.
The group spent the first two days in Washington, D.C. where they visited the U.S. National Cryptologic Museum. In addition to a guided tour, they were treated to an exclusive presentation by the Museum Curator on the German Enigma cryptographic machine. While in D.C., they also visited the International Spy Museum and the U.S. Capitol. At the Capitol, the group took a guided tour and visited the floor of the U.S. Senate. This was arranged by Honors sophomore Allison Staley, one of the students on the trip, who had previously worked as a U.S. Senate Page. To learn more about Allison's busy and productive summer, check out this story from Honors news.
After traveling from D.C., the group then spent six days studying codebreaking in London. On the first day they went to Windsor Castle for a guided tour. On day two they took a tour of the Churchill War Rooms, a complex of underground bunkers from which the British World War II effort was directed. They also saw Westminster Abbey and the London Eye. On day three they visited Bletchley Park, an expansive complex that served as the home of Allied codebreaking during World War II. It has been mostly restored to serve as a museum in celebration of the accomplishments made there. For their fourth day, they traveled to the British Museum and Imperial War Museum, which is devoted to the British contributions to World Wars I and II. On day five they saw the HMS Belfast, a World War II-era British battleship that has been restored to serve as a museum, and the Tower of London. For their sixth day in London, students were encouraged to explore on their own a part of the city that interested them had not yet seen; some went to the Portobello Road street market, others took a day trip to Oxford University.
Photo below by Dr. Holly Hirst shows the students in front of Windsor Castle. From left to right: Paige Spell, Vicky Anderson, Elisabeth Moore, Elizabeth Vaughan, Amber Daniel, Catherine Lattimore, Maggie Steranko, Andi Olivet, Kathryn Pryor, Emma Wingerd, Allison Staley, and Lydia Harris.
Photo below by Dr. Holly Hirst shows the students at the Imperial War Museum in front of a piece of the Berlin Wall. From left to right: Elizabeth Vaughan, Lydia Harris, Catherine Lattimore, Emma Wingerd, Andi Olivet, Vicky Anderson, Kathryn Pryor, Allison Staley, Maggie Steranko, Elisabeth Moore, Amber Daniel, and Paige Spell.
Photo below by Dr. Rick Klima shows the students in front of the Tower Bridge. From left to right: Catherine Lattimore, Elizabeth Vaughan, Vicky Anderson, Kathryn Pryor, Emma Wingerd, Lydia Harris, Paige Spell, Allison Staley, Andi Olivet, Maggie Steranko, Amber Daniel, and Elisabeth Moore.
Overall, the trip was a most rewarding. Students like Amber Daniel, have shared that they enjoyed the experience and learned a ton in the course. Dr. Klima reports, "The program far exceeded my own expectations, and I am anxious for the chance to run it again. The sites we visited were breathtaking and the knowledge we gained invaluable, but the best thing was being able to experience it all with such a wonderful group of students."
Current Honors students, keep your eyes peeled for this course to come up again as a future faculty-led study abroad opportunity!
Top Photo by Dr. Holly Hirst shows the students on the London Eye. From left to right: Elisabeth Moore, Kathryn Pryor, Amber Daniel, Emma Wingerd, Maggie Steranko, Elizabeth Vaughan, Andi Olivet, Allison Staley, Catherine Lattimore, Paige Spell, Lydia Harris, and Vicky Anderson.
Story by Garrett Alexandrea McDowell, Ph.D.
