Organizer(s):

Melanie Brown, Champlain College

Margaret (Midge) Cozzens, DIMACS

Greta Pangborn, Saint Michael's College

Contact(s):

Margaret (Midge) Cozzens, DIMACS
CoRE Building
96 Frelinghuysen Road
Piscataway, NJ 08854
E: mcozzens@dimacs.rutgers.edu
V: 848-445-4573

Isha Deen-Cole
CoRE Building
96 Frelinghuysen Road
Piscataway, NJ 08854
E: ishadc@dimacs.rutgers.edu
V: 848-445-4521

Description

The workshop will expose faculty teaching undergraduates to current applications of mathematical and computational sciences and provide an opportunity for government or industry professionals to learn about recent research in related areas. The topic will be presented over the course of 3.5 days in series of lectures and activities; participants will be involved in research activities that they and their students can continue with after the workshop.

The featured topic for Reconnect changes each year. This year's topic is Cryptography.

Cryptography explores how mathematical and computational tools can be developed to meet current and future encryption and privacy need. The invention of RSA and Rabin’s cryptosystem in the late 1970’s pushed cryptologic technology forward and laid the foundation for many of the cryptographic methods in use today. Armed with a variety of new techniques, cryptography is once again on the forefront of important discoveries aimed at addressing new challenges. A fast-growing world-wide trend is to view storage and computation as commodities raising questions such as: how to perform computations on encrypted data stored in multiple locations; how to outsource computations to a third party and verify the correctness of the results with minimal overhead; how to provide selective access to parts of the encrypted data on a need-to-know basis; and how to ensure the availability of data when it is needed.

The workshop will provide background in basic cryptographic techniques from ciphers to codes, the basics of RSA, steganography, and quantum cryptography.  It will address the current status of the above referenced questions.

List of Confirmed Speakers:

Steven Miller, Williams College and Fellow of the American Math Society

View the event flyer.

Call For Participation

Anyone may apply to attend Reconnect. Preference will be given to faculty whose primary job is undergraduate teaching and those working at government labs. Two-year college faculty are welcome to apply. Participants from groups not well represented in computer science and mathematics are especially encouraged to apply.

Accepted participants from US academic institutions receive lodging in a single room and meals at no charge. Limited funds are expected to be available to provide partial support for travel or for international participants. Such support can be requested when you apply.

The deadline to apply is April 2, 2019 or until all slots are filled. Applications will be reviewed as they are received. Applicants who are selected to attend are expected to stay for the entire duration of the program. To apply to attend, complete and submit the online Reconnect 2019 application.

Go to Reconnect Application.

Presented in association with the Special Focus on Cryptography and the Reconnect Program.