Tuesday 28 January • 15:15 – 17:15
Course Length: 2 hours
Course Level: Introductory
Instructor: Gaurav Sharma, University of Rochester
Learning Outcomes
This course enables the attendee to:
- Explain how the blockchain construction provides resistance against tampering.
- Distinguish between centralized and distributed ledgers and highlight their pros and cons.
- Describe the concepts of proof-of-work and proof-of-stake.
- Explain the utility and applicability of blockchains in diverse applications.
- Cite example applications of blockchains.
This course introduces attendees to blockchains, which have recently emerged as a revolutionary technology that has the potential to disrupt a range of diverse business processes and applications. Using a concrete application setting, the course illustrates the construction of blockchains as a distributed, secure, and tamper-resistant framework for the management of transaction ledgers. Necessary background in the technologies underlying blockchains, including basic cryptographic concepts, are introduced as required. Intended Audience
Engineers, scientists, students, and managers interested in understanding how blockchains are constructed and how they can be useful in a variety of business processes. The course includes an overview of necessary background information, such as cryptographic tools utilized in the blockchain; prior familiarity with these concepts is not required.
Gaurav Sharma is a professor of electrical and computer engineering and of computer science at the University of Rochester where his research span data analytics, machine learning, computer vision, color imaging, and bioinformatics. He has extensive experience in developing and applying probabilistic models in these areas. Prior to joining the University of Rochester, he was a principal scientist and project leader at the Xerox Innovation Group. Additionally, he has consulted for several companies on the development of computer vision and image processing algorithms. He holds 51 issued patents and has authored more than 190 peer-reviewed publications. He is the editor of the "Digital Color Imaging Handbook" published by CRC Press. He currently serves as the Editor-in-Chief for the IEEE Transactions on Image Processing and previously served as the Editor-in-Chief for the SPIE/IS&T Journal of Electronic Imaging (2011-2015). Sharma is a fellow of IS&T, IEEE, and SPIE.