Ricardo Corin considers himself fortunate to be out of his native Argentina and pursuing a PhD in the Faculty of Computer Science.
When Ricardo completed his five-year study program in Computer Science at the University of Córdoba in July 2001, Argentina was steeped in a deep economic crisis, and the future seemed precarious to most of its citizens. Says Ricardo, `In 1991, the peso was pegged to the US dollar to combat hyperinflation. At that time this strategy worked, but in time we suffered because we had adopted a currency whose exchange rate had little relation to our own economic conditions. Also, we continued to borrow until our debt reached dangerous levels - nearly $140 billion - and the government eventually defaulted on this debt.' Millions of Argentineans were plunged into poverty as the government devalued the peso and froze bank accounts. This began a spate of demonstrations and protests which culminated into violence by December 2001.
In the midst of this brewing trouble, Ricardo wished to pursue a PhD. `But in Argentina a PhD student does not get paid as in the Netherlands. One has to find a job and fund one's own research. However, at that time unemployment was abysmally high at 20 percent. Chances of finding a job were very slim. So I started exploring opportunities abroad. When I came here, it felt like a haven.'
Ricardo and the Dutch did not exactly hit it off well as he found them to be very formal. `But then every country has its own strange ways,' he reasons. He cites an example from back home in Argentina: `I find it rather odd that on the 12th of October, we celebrate the “Day of the Race.” It was on this day over 500 years ago when Spanish invaders landed on the shores of the Americas. It was the end of the land's indigenous inhabitants; in just 150 years they were nearly wiped out, and looting, pillaging and rape occurred on a large scale. Frankly, I don't see much reason to celebrate.'
As the conversation drifts to his research, Ricardo explains, `My research focuses on verifying security of systems. I study ways to determine whether computer programs are secure. Here "secure" means that they behave as expected, and nothing can alter their intended goal. Such computer programs can be "distributed" in a network. This means that a computer program can consist of many parts, and each one can be located in a different part of the network. For instance, in a phone conversation, the "program" consists of the two parties communicating, each at the end of the line. We use cryptography in such programs to try to achieve security. These programs are known as "security protocols." The problem is that verifying whether a protocol is secure or not is difficult, even for very small ones. To quote the famous researcher, Roger Needham: “Security protocols are three-line programs that people still manage to get wrong.”`
Ricardo lives with his girlfriend Laura - also Argentinean - who is a PhD student in the same faculty. The future? Ricardo is still weighing his options - pursuing a Post-doc, working in industry or going back to Argentina. Certainly the economic state of his homeland will influence his decision.
Hometown: Córdoba, Argentina
Favorite food: Barbecued Argentinean meat
Favorite rock group: Massive Attack
Favorite movie: Futurama: the series
Last book read: Aztec, historic novel on Aboriginals
Best part of living in NL: Sense of independence
Worst part of living in NL: The weather
