03-09-16 Encryption Technology Demystified 

Our March Presentation: Encryption technology is considered by many--including most presidential candidates on both sides--to be a "black art", more akin to witchcraft and alchemy than to mathematics and science. Dr. Baker will attempt to demystify the technology of consumer level encryption and show how it currently provides confidentiality, integrity, and authentication for consumers using the Internet for communications with their banks, friends, and families.

Encryption on consumer cell phones has recently been demonized -- most famously by FBI Director James Comey this past summer in his warning about "Going Dark". A similar battle over encryption on consumer PCs was fought in the 1990s, and courts found that the U.S. Government had overstepped its bounds in attempting to weaken consumer-level encryption.

Our Speaker: Dr. Henry Baker got his PhD from MIT in Computer Science (1978). Subsequent to teaching at the University of Rochester (NY), Dr. Baker was a founder of Symbolics, Inc., a manufacturer of high-end workstations for research, software development, and graphics animation. Dr. Baker has done extensive research in computer software languages, including functional languages and Lisp. For the past 20 years, Dr. Baker has been associated with the private equity/venture capital firm Baker Capital Corporation (principal: John Baker, Henry's brother) of New York City. Following the disclosures of Edward Snowden in 2013, Dr. Baker has focused on computer security and encryption.

Meal Choices: All meals are the same price. Please choose one when you register, to provide a count for the restaurant. Pay when you register or at the door.

• Tri-Tip Sandwich
• Smoked Turkey-Bacon Sandwich
• High Sierra Chicken-Apple-Pecan Salad
• Veggie Sandwich on Toast

Drinks: Lemonade, Coca-Cola, Pepsi, iced tea, water.

This meeting is sponsored in part by
Community West Bank

For information about the Science & Engineering Council.
visit the SEC web page at http://www.scieng.org

From our Co-Presidents Tim Murphy and Gary Kravetz:

Plan now for the SEC April 13 meeting, at which we honor our Science Fair Winners!
Also, plan now and save the date for our May 11 meeting. the presentation will be "Harvesting Ocean Wave Energy" by alex Fleming and Alan McCall of Ecomerit Technologies.