An Internet Pioneer Discusses Internet Security: Standards-Past, Present and Future
Next week’s talk at Loyola is free and open to the public
(New Orleans - Oct. 3, 2019) Technology experts, business leaders, residents, and the campus community are invited to a scintillating lecture at Loyola next month that centers around Internet security standards past, present and future – and will be delivered by a key architect of the Internet as we know it.
Loyola trustee and Internet pioneer Dr. Stephen Kent, ‘73, will speak from 6:30 to 8 p.m. on October 8, 2019, in Nunemaker Auditorium at Loyola, 6363 St. Charles Ave., New Orleans, La. 70118. The talk is free and open to the public, and free parking is available in campus garages.
The talk, Internet Security: Standards — Past, Present and Future, is sponsored by Lucid, and co-hosted by the Department of Mathematics and Computer Science and the Center for Entrepreneurship and Community Development at Loyola. The presentation will begin with a quick overview of early Internet history, establishing the context in which security concerns began to evolve and explores the evolution of Internet security standards, from the 1980s to today — including little known R&D research and the evolution of some of the more significant security standards over the last few decades. Dr. Kent will examine the past, present and future of network security research, the current state of security standards and one area where major improvements are still needed.
“He helped create the Internet as we know it,” said Kate McCrery, director of the Center for Entrepreneurship and Community Development. “The entire world operates on the Internet. Warfare and competition as we know it is becoming more and more about cybersecurity. Dr. Kent will be talking about ways in which the internet and cybersecurity evolved, how the Internet has transformed the world and issues we still face today.”
Dr. Kent graduated summa cum laude from Loyola in 1973 with a B.S. in Mathematics and went on to earn several advanced degrees from Tulane and M.I.T. He also served on the Internet Engineering Task Force, an international body responsible for developing global standards for a wide range of Internet technologies staffed by network designers, vendors, and researchers concerned with the evolution and operation of the global Internet.
Known especially for his contributions as a network security expert and his role in developing Internet standards, Dr. Kent has chaired IETF working groups focused on privacy-enhanced email, public key infrastructure and Internet privacy and security research. Through his work, he has been active with the National Research Council and the Federal Advisory Committee.
Dr. Kent was inducted into the Internet Hall of Fame in 2013. Currently retired, he most recently served as vice president and chief scientist for security technologies forBBN Technologies, which he joined in 1980 and was acquired by Raytheon in 2017.