Duncan Wilson: The life and work of the great explainer
At first glance, Duncan Wilson doesn’t fit the mold of a computer science major. When he sat for an interview inside the cold, professional atmosphere of the Reynolds School of Journalism’s Studio A, his energy filled the room. Thin and lanky, his shirt, three buttons undone, draped loosely over his frame while his black skinny jeans accentuated the casualness of the whole affair.
But his laid-back manner belies his passion for his work.
In three years at the University of Nevada, Reno, he’s managed to snag himself a spot in a research experience in Maryland, two different teaching assistant positions, his very own class to teach and even a meeting with Singaporean officials via Skype to discuss the ethics of genetic screening.
“I don’t sleep that often,” Wilson said with a chuckle.
Even without sleep, Wilson is relentless when he explains his work, his energy driving him to talk with a depth and clarity that can often elude scientists and engineers, making their work hard to comprehend. His hands move and his face emotes wildly as the words pour out of his mouth. Explaining is his art.
In the summer of 2015, Wilson was chosen by the National Science Foundation for a Research Experience for Undergraduates. There, he studied theoretical computer science — a broad field of algorithms, theories and all manners of computation.
“So you have applied CS like software engineering, which is what you want if you want to go work at Google, and then you have theoretical CS, which is what you want to do if you want to hole yourself away in academia and never get anything besides a tenure-track job,” Wilson said. “The work that we did there, wait, how in-depth do you want me to go on this?”
The question illustrates the way his mind works. Always cognizant of jargon and technobabble, he wants whoever’s listening to really understand what he’s saying. In this instance, he starts his explanation with game theory, defined by the New Oxford American dictionary as math aimed at analyzing strategies in competitive situations.
“So this is like this mix of economics and mathematics,” Wilson explains as he takes his two hands and meshes his fingers together. His hands never stop moving. Sailing through the air like a conductor’s baton, Wilson’s gestures work relentlessly to find new ways to help his audience understand what he’s talking about.
In Maryland, Wilson worked with others on the idea of algorithmic game theory, which takes game theory and applies it to the algorithms, or rules for computer calculations. He and his partner created a network game that tested how the algorithms made connections, though he was quick to add that it was not a fun game.
He explained that the model is sometimes used to justify the formation of the internet, but went on to note that he doesn’t like the justification.
“I’m not a big fan of trying to justify theoretical models because it doesn’t really matter and they’re not really applied,” Wilson said before a smile crossed his face. “No work that I was doing this summer is going to be the next billion dollar idea, this is just math for the sake of math.”
Nevertheless, Wilson’s work in Maryland was only one of his accomplishments. He works with graduate students on a daily basis as a teaching assistant and is preparing a curriculum for his very own class to be taught next fall. Through it all, Wilson did it as an undergraduate among graduate students — his youth surrounded by experience. Even so, Wilson dismissed the premise that his age has caused tension among colleagues.
“Maybe there could’ve been some animosity between peers, but I don’t experience any of that,” Wilson said with a shake of his head. “Honestly, people are just happy to have somebody that help them or knows what’s going on.”
For Wilson, the work must go on.
