STEM Careers at the NSA and Quantum Computing

(sponsored by the Women in Math Society of the National Security Agency)

Friday, 9 February 2024
11:00 - 12:00
H. L. Griffin, room 215
Sean Nemetz
National Security Agency

Sean Nemetz is a mathematician at the National Security Agency. He has been at the NSA for two years. Sean obtained his MA in Mathematics at Saint Louis University and his BS at the University of Missouri, Kansas City. After doing a summer internship at the National Security Agency, he knew he wanted to stick around to work on complex problems.

Sean will discuss opportunities for a STEM career at the agency. This will be followed by a more technical talk about quantum computing, its immediate application in public key cryptography, and the potential impact of quantum computing on the NSA's mission.

Women in Math Society

In November 1993, responding to the dearth of competitive employment applications from women mathematicians, senior mathematicians at the National Security Agency (NSA) sponsored the Women in Mathematics Symposium, a two-day workshop attended by approximately 60 female mathematicians from the U.S. academic community. Not only did the Symposium give the participants a better understanding of NSA's mission and its mathematics community, but it also enabled the academic visitors to share insights on how NSA could better attract qualified female mathematicians to its ranks. After the Symposium, the organizers continued to meet regularly to work on ways to improve NSA's outreach to colleges and universities, as well as to enhance career opportunities for women in mathematics. The original group of conference organizers grew into a vibrant group of energetic mathematicians who are now collectively known as the Women in Mathematics Society (WiMS).

Through its outreach activities and contributions to NSA's mathematics community, WiMS is thriving as an organization. As more women enter the mathematics profession, whether in government, industry, or academia, the role that WiMS plays in the development of mathematics careers will continue to be a crucial one.