Cryptography is used to send or store information securely. Sometimes a cryptographer will use a coding method in which data is encrypted (translated into an unreadable format) and then decrypted (translated back into a readable format by someone with a secret key) using math equations.
Cryptography is an exciting research field. A cryptographer can find work as a university professor, and some large companies even employ them full-time. Studying math and computer science is a good place to start if Cryptography is a career that interests you.
Dr. Karen K. Uhlenbeck Mathematician, National Medal of Science Winner
Meet Dr. Karen K. Uhlenbeck, Mathematician and National Medal of Science winner! Karen is one of only a few mathematicians in the world who are experts in the geometry of theoretical physics. What's that mean in everyday language? Dr. Uhlenbeck works on complex mathematical equations that are used to look at the shapes of space. She has solved equations that predict the existence of new particles in the universe that have not yet been observed by physicists. Karen says that everybody needs math and everybody can do math. The key is to demand that your teachers keep explaining again and again until you get it – no matter how long it takes!
For more information on Dr. Uhlenbeck visit her web page: http://www.ma.utexas.edu/
users/uhlen
