CATEGORY 6. Physical and Engineering Sciences

No Entries

CATEGORY 7. Social Sciences

1st Place
NAME: Michelle Elison
TITLE: We Can Do It! Woman Power: Lexington's Driving Force During WW II

Taken from hours of oral interviews with Lexington native Ms. Etta Bietz, this historical perspective delves into the immense changes brought to Central Kentucky during WWII, especially for women.

Wartime industry was in desperate need of production workers, and pioneering women all over America answered the government's call to war jobs. The construction of the Blue Grass Ordinance Center and the Lexington Signal Depot created manufacturing jobs for women throughout Central Kentucky.

As a result of contributions to the war effort made by women like Etta Bietz, Lexington emerged as a forerunner of defense industries in the South.

CATEGORY 7. Social Sciences

2nd Place
NAME: Casey Holland
TITLE: The Carnivore Internet Monitoring Device: Capabilities, Statutory Framework, and Constitutional Considerations

As America has rapidly become aware, the Internet is a powerful tool for research, shopping, and entertainment. However, it has also become a tool for criminals and terrorists. Child pornographers, con men, and financial hackers have found refuge in the anonymity of the World Wide Web. 1 It was also rapidly revealed that the horrific terrorist attacks on September 11 were planned and implemented in large part through e-mail and the Internet. 2 This boom in online criminal activity has thus far not coincided with an effective response from the law enforcement and intelligence communities. One possible solution is the device

known by the name “Carnivore,” 3 developed by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) sometime prior to October of 1999 (the exact date of development has not yet been made public). 4 To date, Carnivore usage has been made public only sparingly, with only a few deployments revealed during 1999 and none since then. 5 However, given recent terrorist activity, it is safe to assume that Carnivore will take on a more active role in investigations.

“Carnivore is essentially a commercial ‘sniffer,' which is a program that Internet service providers (ISP) employ to intercept digital information passing through their servers. Consisting of both hardware, referred to as a ‘black box,' and software that the FBI attaches to an ISP's system, Carnivore filters all the digital code that passes through the ISP's server… Carnivore can collect any digitally transmitted information such as the suspect's e-mail, instant messaging, chat-room discussions, financial transactions and websites visited.”

When Carnivore was revealed to the media, it caused an instant controversy. Law enforcement heralded the device as essential to its capability to stay on top of changing technologies, while privacy advocates were immediately concerned with the sweeping nature of Carnivore and its threat to individual rights. 7 Even the independent technical reviews of Carnivore have been forced to recognize the significant threat that the device can pose to individual freedom and privacy. 8 However, despite, or perhaps because of, the rhetoric often used both for and against Carnivore, the basic facts of the government's capability to conduct electronic surveillance via the Internet have become somewhat obscured in the public eye.

Part I of this paper examines the true capabilities of Carnivore as it relates to electronic communications. Part II examines the technical problems with and failings of Carnivore, as well as the efficacy of the Illinois Institute of Technology Research Institute (IITRI) review. In Part III, the statutory framework allowing for the implementation of Carnivore is covered, specifically focusing on the recent antiterrorism legislation. This section also addresses the evolution of that framework as it relates to Internet communications. Part IV of this paper addresses concerns over Carnivore's constitutionality under the Fourth Amendment, especially in light of how terrorism has changed law enforcement and intelligence gathering forever. Finally, Part V examines how Internet surveillance is approached in the international community, and how invasive Carnivore is when compared to some of these other efforts.