When his graduate studies got challenging, Kevin Olenic (MSc \u201926) relied on his passion \u2014 and his support network \u2014 to carry him through.<\/p>\n
His drive to succeed saw the Master of Computer Science graduate presented with the 2026 Governor General’s Gold Medal at Brock\u2019s 119th Convocation on Thursday, June 11. The award, which this year also honoured Master of Science in Chemistry graduate Roxanne Dekeyser (MSc \u201926), recognizes the graduate students who achieve the University\u2019s highest academic standing.<\/p>\n
Like many graduate students, Olenic faced challenges balancing coursework, research and personal commitments. During his first year, he accidentally enrolled in three courses instead of the usual two, creating an especially demanding workload.<\/p>\n
He credits the support of his supervisor, Computer Science Professor Sheridan Houghten, as well as his mentor Michael Dub\u00e9<\/span> and family and friends for helping him succeed.<\/p>\n “Anytime I was not meeting a deadline or a goal I had set for myself, I’d always reach out for the help that I needed,” he said. “I would always receive it.”<\/p>\n Olenic’s research explored how artificial intelligence (AI) can be used to develop network connections that are both faster and more resistant to cybersecurity threats. His work focused on reducing the time it takes for information to travel across networks while improving their ability to withstand cyberattacks.<\/p>\n The research proved successful, resulting in two international publications and a recent Best Paper Award nomination for an upcoming conference.<\/p>\n “We found that it was indeed a viable way of going about this problem that we do face in current network environments,” Olenic said.<\/p>\n He hopes his research demonstrates that impactful artificial intelligence solutions do not always require large, expensive models.<\/p>\n “My hope is that my research will show that we don’t need super expensive AI models to do incredible things,” he said. “We can use these models to create safer and more secure environments that everyone can benefit from.”<\/p>\n Beyond his research accomplishments, one of Olenic\u2019s proudest experiences at Brock was serving as a teaching assistant and helping undergraduate students navigate their studies and learn more about computer science.<\/p>\n “I enjoyed helping students understand the field and what opportunities might be available to them in the future,” he said.<\/p>\n Having recently accepted a position in the technology sector, Olenic is preparing to begin the next chapter of his career later this month.<\/p>\n He encourages future graduate students to remain resilient when facing challenges.<\/p>\n “Stay calm and don’t panic when you hit a roadblock,” he said. “There’s always a way through. Talk to your friends, talk to your family and talk to your supervisors. They’ll be the support and help that you need.”<\/p>\n Reflecting on his graduate journey, Olenic emphasized the importance of pursuing one’s interests and passions.<\/p>\n “There’s nothing different between me and you,” he said. “It just takes finding what gives you passion, following that passion and then finding exciting things that come from it.”<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" When his graduate studies got challenging, Kevin Olenic (MSc \u201926) relied on his passion \u2014 and his support network \u2014 to carry him through.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":97,"featured_media":110334,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[7484,3319,55,41,1,5],"tags":[13643,97,156,567,1998,13641,15171,15172,1759,15157],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/brocku.ca\/brock-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/110287"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/brocku.ca\/brock-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/brocku.ca\/brock-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/brocku.ca\/brock-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/97"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/brocku.ca\/brock-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=110287"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/brocku.ca\/brock-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/110287\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":110335,"href":"https:\/\/brocku.ca\/brock-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/110287\/revisions\/110335"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/brocku.ca\/brock-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/110334"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/brocku.ca\/brock-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=110287"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/brocku.ca\/brock-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=110287"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/brocku.ca\/brock-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=110287"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}