Deutsch am Mittag: How Secure Are Text Messages?

Sprechen Sie Deutsch? All who wish to hear and speak German are invited to bring their lunch to our monthly presentation and discussion. A topic of interest from German culture, history, or contemporary affairs will be presented, in German, by a selected speaker. Discussion on the topic will complete the Mittagstisch.
 
This Deutsch am Mittag discussion is organized in conjunction with the opening of the exhibition Math to Touch. Designed by the Mathematikum in Gießen, Germany, all elements of Math to Touch encourage you to touch, manipulate and explore.
 
But math can do much more than calculate surfaces, explain the Pythagorean Theorem or simply puzzle us. As the FBI tries to find ways to crack iPhones, a heated discussion is ensuing related to privacy rights and the possibilities of data monitoring and data protection. What exactly is data encryption, and how does it work? How does math fit into the equation?
 
Dr. Hans Engler will talk about cryptology and developments in encryption technology ranging from Enigma machines in the early to mid-20th century to today’s technologies, which are being used by ubiquitous apps such as the popular WhatsApp instant message service.
 
Engler has been a professor of Mathematics at Georgetown University since 1984. He is an applied mathematician and statistician by training, with a special scientific interest in applications in climate science, physics, and engineering, as well as data science, computational methods and machine learning.

Engler studied at the universities of Münster and Heidelberg in Germany before teaching at the University of Wisconsin – Madison, Northwestern University, the University of Texas at Austin and the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST).
 
Originally from Lengerich, Germany, Dr. Engler is an avid cyclist and a member of the American Mathematical Society, the Society for Industrial and Applied Mathematics, and the American Statistical Association.
 
Tickets $5/No charge for Friends of the Goethe-Institut.

Beverages and sweets will be provided.
 
Supported by Friends of the Goethe-Institut.