62nd Annual STS (2002-2003)
Finalists
Alex Levin

NEW YORK
Alex Levin, 17, of Staten Island, blended his interest in cryptography with the need for improved computer user identification for his Intel Science Talent Search project in mathematics. Alex used a shuffling technique to construct an efficient scheme for electronic signatures, which confirm and protect the identity of individuals accessing computers using devices such as smartcards. His work could be used in designing smartcards and might also be applied to other public key/private key situations. Such research can have wide ranging implications in the banking and security industries. Born in the Ukraine, Alex credits his grandfather with passing on his passion for mathematics. The son of Leonid Levin and Zhanna Levina, he holds awards in French and math in addition to the Caltech Signature Award. He hopes to study math at Harvard. At Stuyvesant High School in New York City, Alex enjoys parliamentary debate, finance club and his work on the newspaper, the Stuyvesant Standard, which comments on world events in addition to those inside the school. Alex, who believes "there is a certain joy in entrepreneurship," would like to start his own company one day.