RTG: Coding Theory, Cryptography, and Number Theory

Clemson University, Clemson SC

Investigators

Abstract

The goal of this project is to enhance the development of students in the fields of coding theory, cryptography, and number theory. Activities with strong vertical integration components are introduced at the undergraduate, graduate, and postdoctoral levels to improve recruitment, retention, and training of students in these areas, including those from historically black colleges and universities and small colleges in the region, and to provide research growth and facilitate professional development for postdocs and early career faculty. Activities supported by this grant will give broader access to the latest research methods and results in coding theory, cryptography, and number theory, areas replete with theoretical advances and practical applications. The research problems in this proposal center on automorphic forms and codes, modular forms and algebraic geometry codes, and cryptography and computational number theory. These topics allow entry for students via computation and exploration and offer the opportunity for both theoretical advances and practical applications. Activities in this Research Training Group project include curriculum and condensed research experiences designed to better prepare students transitioning from coursework to research; exam preparation modules to support students entering the graduate school admissions phase as well as those applying for candidacy; and working groups to broaden the research expertise of advanced graduate students and postdocs beyond their dissertation topics in addition to professional development and networking opportunities. The training through research involvement provided by this Research Training Group in Coding Theory, Cryptography, and Number Theory will develop a stronger and more diverse workforce.