24 November 1999. A Puffer inventor says that the team prefers to wait until after the Siemens national competition December 4-6 to publish the details of their algorithm. We wish them best of show. Meanwhile, here's a news report on the pair: http://oakridger.com/stories/112499/new_1124990039.html
22 November 1999: Esra Ozer <esra.ozer@sc.siemens.com> (212-258-4348) of The Siemens Foundation will ask Bauer and Dunstan about an interview by Cryptome.
21 November 1999. Kent Briggs, inventor/owner of the Puffer of Briggs Softworks encryption program, writes that the Puffer described below is news to him. He has a trademark for "Puffer."
20 November 1999. Thanks to DA.
11/20/1999 19:04 EST http://www.prnewswire.com
Winners Are Named in the Siemens Westinghouse Science & Technology Competition
AUSTIN, Texas, Nov. 20 /PRNewswire/ -- The stars were shining today in Texas, as the brightest kids in the Southwest competed for scholarships. Nine regional high school students competed for scholarships in the Southwest Regional Finals of the Siemens Westinghouse Science & Technology Competition. They presented research on topics such as computer encryption, sensor technology, shark cartilage extracts and nuclear fusion. And after several hours of presentations before judges from the faculty of the University of Texas at Austin, three students emerged as scholarship winners.
Lizhou "Lisa" Wang of Honolulu, Hawaii, won the individual competition and a $20,000 scholarship for her project, "Grafting of Polymers onto Gold by Surface-Initiated Polymerization: A Novel Approach to Sensor Technology." David Bauer and Roshitha Dunstan of Oak Ridge, Tennessee, won the team competition and will divide a $30,000 scholarship for their original research on cryptographic algorithms for computer security.
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David Bauer and Roshitha Dunstan, seniors at Oak Ridge High School in Oak Ridge, Tennessee, won the team competition with an original research project entitled, "Puffer: Security for the Future." The pair developed a new encryption algorithm, which can be used to secure data, such as credit card numbers and files, during online transactions.
Mr. Bauer and Mr. Dunstan, both students at Oak Ridge High School, have been interested in cryptography and computer security for several years. Research through the Internet and from cryptography books enabled them to complete their project.
Dr. Matzner, speaking for the judges, said that the team "has a very clear understanding of the importance that computer security will have for e-commerce, communications and information exchange into the next millenium. Mr. Bauer and Mr. Dunstan have developed a novel means of encryption that is competitive with the best commercially available technologies that exist today. They are an outstanding team of equal partners, and they have demonstrated an extremely good understanding of the technological background, the problems that may arise, and the path they must follow to improve encryption techniques."
The students are very active in school and enjoy most of the same subjects. Mr. Bauer is president of the Computer Club and a member of the National Honor Society, the Science Club, Odyssey of the Mind, the Physics Club, the Scholar's Bowl and Liberal Religious Youth. His favorite subjects are chemistry, physics and computers. Aside from school, he enjoys computer programming and reading. He intends to study computer science or computer engineering in college.
Mr. Dunstan likes physics and chemistry. He is the vice president of the Scholar's Bowl, president of the Science Club and Physics Club, secretary of the Computer Club and Monopoly Club and a member of the National Honor Society, Math Club and the International Relations Club. Outside of the classroom, Mr. Dunstan works on computer systems, enjoys soccer and playing the piano. He intends to study chemistry, physics or computer science.
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More: http://www.siemens-foundation.org .
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