Sarah Mackey Participates in Buena Vista University's Twelfth Annual Scholars Day

2016 May 6

Buena Vista University's (BVU) twelfth annual Scholars Day was held Friday, April 22. The event provided students from all disciplines an opportunity to present their best presentations, original research, academic posters, artistic creations and performances to their peers, professors and the public.

This year's Scholars Day event featured 38 presentations from 66 students, exploring topics from literature and business to science and history.

Sarah Mackey, a junior mathematics and computer science major from Center Point, was one of the students who participated. Mackey's presentation was titled Cryptocurrency and the Mathematics Behind Online Transaction Security, and the project's abstract is as follows:

Cryptography is the science of coding and decoding messages to maintain privacy over unsecure communication channels. The further integration of technology in daily life has increased the prevalence of these channels, which in turn increases the need for cryptographic processes to maintain information's confidentiality. The act of writing and tearing checks has been replaced by simple card swipes or entering a 16-digit number into a computer. Though these now BVU Scholars Day 2016 PAGE 9 commonplace processes provide consumers with extreme convenience, they also leave bank accounts vulnerable. Cryptocurrency provides a digital platform for monetary transactions that rely on encryption. These encryption processes that ensure the security of online monetary exchanges are derived from mathematical processes. From public key algorithms to Bitcoin, mathematics has become an essential component in maintaining information security for all internet consumers. In this presentation we will discuss some of the mathematics behind cryptocurrency.

The keynote speaker for the event was Grant Gerlock, BVU Class of 2004, who is a Harvest Public Media reporter at NET News. Gerlock is recognized as a great storyteller and has visited coal plants, dairy farms, horse tracks and hospitals to cover a variety of stories.

"The students put so much into their research-time, effort, resources-that it becomes a part of them," said Dr. Steven Mills, assistant professor of Spanish and chair of the events committee who organized the event. "As they give their presentations and share their knowledge with the audience, their countenance brightens, their confidence rises and their eyes light up. What has become a part of their identity flows out with energy and enthusiasm; they feel like they have truly succeeded, and this success can be valuable to others, as well. I have seen every student walk away with a firmer step and a deeper desire to turn his or her academic work into something more."

A photo gallery from the Scholars Day event is available at www.bvu.edu/scholarsday.