Computer science undergrad's scroll-decoding discovery grabs world's attention

Luke Farritor, a senior majoring in computer science and part of the Jeffrey S. Raikes School of Computer Science and Management, recnetly became the first person in almost two millenia to read a word from a scroll that was charred in the aftermath of the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 A.D.

Farritor used artificial intelligence to develop an algorithm to detect minute differences in the surface texture of the carbonized papyrus scroll, which is too delicate to unroll. The Vesuvius Challenge, a global contest organized to decode the scroll and others like it, awarded Farritor $40,000 for his efforts.

Since the Oct. 12 announcement, more than 70 media outlets around the globe have covered Farritor's achievement.