ESP Biography

One of the central tenets of cryptography and more broadly, secure negotiations, is being able to prove to someone you know the solution to a problem that they desire without actually revealing the solution. This idea is prevalent through all of modern cryptography as well as confidential and critical decisionmaking processes. This class will provide an introduction to zero knowledge proofs and their roles in modern voting protocols, cryptography, and secure processes in businesses, the government, and science.

Ever wondered how Facebook lets you into your account with your password? Or maybe what happened in Bletchley Park back in World War II? (Ever watched Imitation Game?) Cryptography is the art (or science) of securely sending information; no eavesdropper should figure out what your message is! In this class, we'll discuss two main topics in cryptography. We'll start with classical ciphers, like the cryptograms in the newspaper. Then, we'll discuss password hashing and show you how to HACK a real website (our own website, of course).

What exactly is a puzzle? It's a mass of data from which you need to extract a word or phrase. The data can be a crossword with some hidden twists, an innocent-looking photograph, or a modified version of 2048. We will go over some tools to solve these puzzles, such as Morse, Braille, flag semaphore, or binary codes. Then, we will discuss some general strategies for solving puzzles. Lastly, we'll delve into tackling some fun challenges originating from various puzzlehunts.