diff --git a/bandersnatch/bandersnatch/Fr.cpp b/bandersnatch/bandersnatch/Fr.cpp
index 06fefe7..6f793cd 100644
--- a/bandersnatch/bandersnatch/Fr.cpp
+++ b/bandersnatch/bandersnatch/Fr.cpp
@@ -28,10 +28,10 @@ Fr::Fr(const uint64_t a[4])
     blst_fr_from_uint64(&m_val, a);
 }
 
-Fr::Fr(const uint8_t* msg, size_t len)
+Fr::Fr(const uint8_t* msg, size_t nbits)
 {
     blst_scalar scalar;
-    blst_scalar_from_le_bytes(&scalar, msg, (len+7)/8);
+    blst_scalar_from_le_bytes(&scalar, msg, (nbits+7)/8);
     blst_fr_from_scalar(&m_val, &scalar);
 }
 
diff --git a/bandersnatch/bandersnatch/Fr.h b/bandersnatch/bandersnatch/Fr.h
index cca2c57..49178f9 100644
--- a/bandersnatch/bandersnatch/Fr.h
+++ b/bandersnatch/bandersnatch/Fr.h
@@ -17,7 +17,7 @@ class Fr
 
     // deserialize
     Fr(const uint64_t a[4]);
-    Fr(const byte* msg, size_t len);
+    Fr(const byte* msg, size_t nbits);
 
     static Fr zero();
     static Fr random();
diff --git a/bandersnatch/test/unittests/FrTest.cpp b/bandersnatch/test/unittests/FrTest.cpp
index 48812ff..0cf8945 100644
--- a/bandersnatch/test/unittests/FrTest.cpp
+++ b/bandersnatch/test/unittests/FrTest.cpp
@@ -18,8 +18,8 @@ BOOST_AUTO_TEST_CASE(testFromBytes)
         0x8a, 0xdd, 0x2d, 0x50, 0x08, 0x7b, 0xda, 0x61, 
         0xe2, 0xf7, 0x02, 0xa0, 0x3c, 0xb8, 0xf1, 0x3e
     };
-    bandersnatch::Fr t1(a, 32);
-    bandersnatch::Fr t2(a, 32);
+    bandersnatch::Fr t1(a, 256);
+    bandersnatch::Fr t2(a, 256);
     BOOST_ASSERT(t1 == t2);
 }
 
diff --git a/ipa/CMakelists.txt b/ipa/CMakeLists.txt
similarity index 100%
rename from ipa/CMakelists.txt
rename to ipa/CMakeLists.txt
diff --git a/ipa/ipa/Transcript.cpp b/ipa/ipa/Transcript.cpp
index 4a82235..07cd7de 100644
--- a/ipa/ipa/Transcript.cpp
+++ b/ipa/ipa/Transcript.cpp
@@ -20,40 +20,39 @@ void Transcript::appendLabel(SeperateLabel label)
 
 void Transcript::appendScalar(const bandersnatch::Fr& scalar, SeperateLabel label)
 {
+    appendLabel(label);
+
     uint64_t out[4];
     scalar.serialize(out);
-    appendLabel(label);
-    for (size_t i = 0; i < 4; ++i)
-    {
-        m_buffer << out[i];
-    }
+    m_buffer.write(reinterpret_cast<const char*>(out), sizeof(out));
 }
 
 void Transcript::appendPoint(const bandersnatch::Element& point, SeperateLabel label)
 {
+    appendLabel(label);
+    
     byte out[96];
     point.serialize(out);
-    appendLabel(label);
-    for (size_t i = 0; i < 96; ++i)
-    {
-        m_buffer << out[i];
-    }
+    m_buffer.write(reinterpret_cast<const char*>(out), sizeof(out));
 }
 
 verkle::bandersnatch::Fr Transcript::generateChallenge(SeperateLabel label)
 {
-    // fetch buffer and reset it
     appendLabel(label);
-    auto str = m_buffer.str();
-    auto combined = str.c_str();
+
+    // fetch buffer and reset it
+    auto len = m_buffer.rdbuf()->in_avail();
+    byte* combined = new byte[len];
+    m_buffer.read(reinterpret_cast<char*>(combined), len);
     m_buffer.str("");
     m_buffer.clear();
 
     // use buffer hash to generate a challenge
+    m_state.update(combined, len);
+    delete[] combined;
     unsigned char hash[32];
-    m_state.update(combined, strlen(combined));
     m_state.finalize(hash);
-    bandersnatch::Fr ret(hash, sizeof(hash));
+    bandersnatch::Fr ret(hash, 32*8*sizeof(unsigned char));
 
     // add the new challenge to the state
     // which "summarises" the previous state before we cleared it
diff --git a/ipa/test/CMakelists.txt b/ipa/test/CMakeLists.txt
similarity index 100%
rename from ipa/test/CMakelists.txt
rename to ipa/test/CMakeLists.txt
diff --git a/ipa/test/TranscriptTest.cpp b/ipa/test/TranscriptTest.cpp
index f131dc6..83e1438 100644
--- a/ipa/test/TranscriptTest.cpp
+++ b/ipa/test/TranscriptTest.cpp
@@ -25,10 +25,10 @@ BOOST_AUTO_TEST_CASE(testChallengeScalar)
     challenge.serialize(out);
 
     uint64_t raw[4] = {
-        0xe9f26c96d15bb807,
-        0x6ad84e7137609152,
-        0xe193b5e1ce7d01c4,
-        0x27625b6a622c0518,
+        0x9c8ca8bdb2785ef8,
+        0x7f5c036bd7f1b221,
+        0x69d73d9566c4ea5d,
+        0x46d9ee65bc2da30d,
     };
     bandersnatch::Fr exp(raw);
     BOOST_ASSERT(challenge == exp);
@@ -54,10 +54,10 @@ BOOST_AUTO_TEST_CASE(testAppendScalar)
     challenge.serialize(out);
 
     uint64_t raw2[4] = {
-        0xe9f26c96d15bb807,
-        0x6ad84e7137609152,
-        0xe193b5e1ce7d01c4,
-        0x27625b6a622c0518,
+        0xa1458f845d64bdc,
+        0x6240c0aaf1ccf2c1,
+        0xaa1ea719e83b622c,
+        0x50a286aee96a8e8c,
     };
     bandersnatch::Fr exp(raw2);
     BOOST_ASSERT(challenge == exp);
@@ -77,10 +77,10 @@ BOOST_AUTO_TEST_CASE(testAppendPoint)
     challenge.serialize(out);
 
     uint64_t raw2[4] = {
-        0xe9f26c96d15bb807,
-        0x6ad84e7137609152,
-        0xe193b5e1ce7d01c4,
-        0x27625b6a622c0518,
+        0x3d7bcf250fbbd4ca,
+        0x2e34916fb1c77331,
+        0x342beba88f4caf1b,
+        0x165ec3c487655fc3,
     };
     bandersnatch::Fr exp(raw2);
     BOOST_ASSERT(challenge == exp);
@@ -102,10 +102,10 @@ BOOST_AUTO_TEST_CASE(testAppendLabel)
     challenge.serialize(out);
 
     uint64_t raw2[4] = {
-        0xe9f26c96d15bb807,
-        0x6ad84e7137609152,
-        0xe193b5e1ce7d01c4,
-        0x27625b6a622c0518,
+        0x65d00a1fd12c7f1a,
+        0x3fa282eb46713efa,
+        0x7103e2c705f23b7c,
+        0xe26e3e9526d325d,
     };
     bandersnatch::Fr exp(raw2);
     BOOST_ASSERT(challenge == exp);
diff --git a/utilities/verkleutils/Hash.cpp b/utilities/verkleutils/Hash.cpp
index db6d7bb..e52d2a6 100644
--- a/utilities/verkleutils/Hash.cpp
+++ b/utilities/verkleutils/Hash.cpp
@@ -21,4 +21,6 @@ void Hash::finalize(unsigned char out[32])
 {
     unsigned int _len;
     EVP_DigestFinal_ex(m_ctx, out, &_len);
+    EVP_MD_CTX_reset(m_ctx);
+    EVP_DigestInit_ex(m_ctx, EVP_sha256(), NULL);
 }
\ No newline at end of file