UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Kathryn Frankenberg’s exemplary dedication and interest in the world of data privacy is highlighted throughout her experiences both inside and outside of the classroom at the College of Information Sciences and Technology (IST). That dedication was recently recognized through Frankenberg’s selection as a Westin Scholar.
The award, sponsored by the International Association of Privacy Professionals (IAPP), is given to future leaders in the field of privacy or data protection. Selected by a committee of IST faculty members, Frankenberg was the first Penn State recipient of the award.
“I am honored to be the inaugural recipient of the Westin Scholar Award for Penn State,” Frankenberg said. “Being recognized for my data privacy passion encourages me to continue researching and working in the privacy space.”
The IAPP will annually present a Westin Scholar Award to an undergraduate student in the College of IST, with a goal of encouraging students to pursue careers in privacy and data protection. The award is named after Alan Westin, a foundational scholar in the study of privacy and data protection.
Recognizing the critical role the internet and social media platforms play in daily life for her and her peers, Frankenberg was drawn to study security and risk analysis at the College of IST to help strengthen the sense of urgency around privacy laws and regulations.
“Growing up in the digital age, I developed this mindset that more data is always better; that there has never been a problem that knowing more could not help solve,” she said. “But as I grew up, I realized that this mindset does not consider the consequences mass data collection presents. My interest in how privacy effects all people, especially at-risk users, inspired my goal to work in data privacy and protection.”
A Schreyer Honors Scholar, Frankenberg’s senior thesis project combines her interests in social justice and technology by focusing on the patterns of behavior teenagers have when they are using the internet.
“I want to see how organizations can promote more transparency with younger users in ways that they can understand,” she said.
A social media user herself, with a data security background, Frankenberg has strengthened her understanding of how personal privacy takes new shapes and continues to evolve.
“I know the data that I’m giving to these companies,” she said. “I have Instagram and Snapchat stories, but I have some of them set for specific people because I don’t want everyone to see them.”
She added, “We put our information out there, but also know not to put too much out there. It is really interesting to think about with my generation because we grew up with the internet.”
Standing apart
Frankenberg hopes that her receipt of the Westin Scholar Award will help her stand apart from other job applicants, along with becoming a Certified Information Privacy Professional under the IAPP.
“Hiring bachelor’s degree graduates with privacy knowledge is hard to do,” she said. “But I will have the ability to get that foundation and have access to a network of professionals while learning the privacy landscape from their perspective, and will be able to connect that to what I already know.”
Frankenberg has gotten an early start on that professional experience through two summer internship positions with Google. There, she served as a privacy engineering intern, developing a structural understanding of privacy from one of the largest data collection companies in the world.
“Those internships provided me with a really good experience (and understanding of) how organizations view collected data, what steps they have in place, and what procedures or protocols or laws that they're compliant with,” Frankenberg said. “I also saw how they build new technology to be combined with those laws.”
Drawing on her group project experience from her IST classes, she was able to easily transition into the workplace and assuage some of her concerns regarding how much data is collected on users.
“I think it was a really good experience to see how organizations are safeguarding your data outside of the academic research world,” Frankenberg said.
After graduation, Frankenberg is open to working anywhere in the world where she can start implementing everything she has learned in the privacy and cyber risk spaces.
“I'm excited to be able to start taking action and doing things that can make a large difference,” she said.
Further, she’s pleased to represent Penn State as the University’s first recipient of the Westin Scholar Award and hopes to set a foundation for the future of the annual award.
“It’s really cool to see Penn State getting involved in this privacy space and encouraging professors to get more students involved in this,” Frankenberg said.