Abstract

This talk traces the recent history of cryptography and discusses the mathematical ideas that have contributed to breaking coded messages. The accelerated evolution of cryptographic techniques over the last century is particularly remarkable, and it is an evolution that is still being undergone today. The talk gives an overview of cryptographic methods and highlights various mathematical concepts that have led to the development of the algorithm of encryption and decoding.

Brief Biographical sketch: Dr. T. L. (Kate) Kitagawa

Dr T. L. (Kate) Kitagawa studied mathematics at the University of British Columbia, and received her Ph.D. in history from Princeton University. She taught history classes at Harvard University, including a seminar on the history of East Asian mathematics. Her classes were well-received and she was cited as one of the students’ favourite professors at Harvard by the class of 2012. Her first book in Japanese became a national bestseller in 2012. She conducted her academic research at the University of Cambridge, the Max Planck Institute for Mathematics, and the University of California, Berkeley. Based in Oxford, she is currently working on a research project concerning a global history of mathematics