Author Archives: Stephanie Blanda

About Stephanie Blanda

Stephanie is a math Ph.D. student, with a minor in Computational Science, at Penn State University. She obtained a B.S. from Lebanon Valley College, where she double majored in Mathematics and Computer Science. Currently, Stephanie is studying the interface of two viscous fluids under a shear flow, specifically with applications to wind generated ocean waves.

Shor’s Algorithm – Breaking RSA Encryption

Posted on April 30, 2014 by Stephanie Blanda

In my previous article, I talked about the RSA cryptosystem which is widely used on the Internet for secure data transmission. The power and security of the RSA cryptosystem derives from the fact that the factoring problem is “hard.” That … Continue reading →

Posted in Math, Technology & Math | 3 Comments

RSA Encryption – Keeping the Internet Secure

Posted on March 30, 2014 by Stephanie Blanda

  We use the Internet for many things, from reading news articles, to keeping in touch with friends on social media, to shopping from the comfort of our own homes. Many of these tasks involve sending sensitive personal information (such … Continue reading →

Posted in Mathematics in Society, Mathematics Online, Technology & Math | 2 Comments

The Journey to Hosting the Olympics

Posted on February 21, 2014 by Stephanie Blanda

As the 2014 Winter Olympics begins to wind down, you may wonder how the Olympic host city was chosen. The process began all the way back in 2005, when potential host cities were asked to submit their applications to the … Continue reading →

Posted in Math, Math in Pop Culture, Mathematics in Society, News, Voting Theory | Comments Off on The Journey to Hosting the Olympics

Top 6 Resumé Tips

Posted on January 30, 2014 by Stephanie Blanda

The Joint Mathematics Meetings feature many interesting talks and panel discussions. JMM 2014 in Baltimore, Maryland was no exception. One of the panel discussions I attended was “What experiences matter on your resumé?” This panel featured a mix of representatives … Continue reading →

Posted in Advice, Conferences, Jobs | 1 Comment

Koch Snowflake

Posted on December 21, 2013 by Stephanie Blanda

With the the official start of winter, many of us are going to be seeing more snow. But not all snowflakes are cold and wet. The Koch snowflake, first introduced by Swedish mathematician Niels Fabian Helge von Koch in his … Continue reading →

Posted in General, Math | Comments Off on Koch Snowflake