News
Computing Graduate Student Wins Outstanding Thesis Award
November 28, 2022
The Grand Valley State University Midwest Association of Graduate Schools (MAGS) Thesis Review Committee has selected School of Computing alumnus, Kevin Kredit’s master’s thesis: “Confronting Wicked Crypto Wicked Problems, Encryption Policy, and Exceptional Access Technology” as the GVSU nominee for the 2023 MAGS Master’s Thesis Award competition in the Mathematics, Physical Sciences, and Engineering category. The review committee deemed his work to be the strongest representation of GVSU’s graduate student thesis work from the past two academic years.
Kredit earned a master's in Computer Information Systems in the Fall of 2020. In deciding on what topic to choose for his thesis, he asked himself, “What do I want to read that hasn't been written yet?” which led him to the area of technology and policy. “Because of the rate of technological change, many of the most interesting problems in tech are not about technology itself, but how it interacts with society. Encryption was a particularly good focus because it was an area of active political debate but was still technical enough for a computer science thesis.”
The process of developing the thesis included conducting research, determining an appropriate contribution to the discipline, understanding the challenges of the problem space, and of course, writing. “My goal was to write a paper I wanted to read, and by that measure, it was a success. I learned a lot at GVSU and credit the ACS master's program with helping me advance in the tech industry. While there are so many options online, I really valued the in-person experience with professors and classmates.”
His advice to current students is, “Follow your curiosity and take in-person classes when you can. For master's students -- go the thesis route. It's rewarding!”
Congratulations, Kevin!