Upcoming UCLA extension course: Biometric Identification Technology

Published 4 June 2008

UCLA Extension course offers comprehensive review of major biometric technologies and issues; the course is designed for both people already in the field and for newcomers

Biometric Identification: Theory, Algorithms and Implementation,” to be offered 28-30 July by UCLA Extension in Los Angeles, will examine the role of biometric information technologies in safeguarding the security and integrity of the articles of personal identification: passports, credit cards, driver’s licenses, access cards. These and other credentials are essential and commonplace, but also sensitive and vulnerable to theft and misuse.

The course will provide a comprehensive overview of biometric identification, from system design and error rate prediction to personal privacy concerns. Topics will include voice, iris, face, hand, and fingerprint recognition technologies, and will address the major questions about this emerging and complex field: How do these technologies work and how do they fail? What are the implications for personal privacy? What international technology and privacy standards exist? How are biometric recognition systems evaluated for accuracy? Where are the business opportunities for their development and deployment?

The course has been designed for CEOs, CTOs, and senior scientists familiar with biometrics, but also for newcomers to the field, and will accordingly present advanced technical material in readily accessible and comprehensible form. The course will be taught by Dr. James L. Wayman, former director of the U.S. National Biometric Test Center and a member of the International Standards Committee on Biometrics, the National Research Council Committee on Biometrics, and co-editor of Biometric Systems: Technology, Design, and Performance Evaluation.

Biometric Identification: Theory, Algorithms and Implementation” will meet Monday through Wednesday, 28-30 July, 8 a.m.-5 p.m., in the UCLA Extension Building, 10995 Le Conte Avenue, in the Westwood Village section of Los Angeles. The course fee is $1,795.

Visit uclaextension.edu/shortcourses. Or, for a complete course description, visit the UCLA website

For more information, call the Short Course Program Office at 310-825-3344.