Publication Date

Fall 2018

Degree Type

Master's Project

Degree Name

Master of Science (MS)

Department

Computer Science

First Advisor

Jon Pearce

Second Advisor

Thomas Austin

Third Advisor

Chris Pollett

Keywords

Blockchain, Bitcoin, Crypto Currency, Ethereum, Smart Contract

Abstract

Blockchain has been widely adopted in the last few years even though it is in its infancy. The first well-known application built on blockchain technology was Bitcoin, which is a decentralized and distributed ledger to record crypto-currency transactions. All of the transactions in Bitcoin are anonymously transferred and validated by participants in the network. Bitcoin protocol and its operations are so reliable that technologists have been inspired to enhance blockchain technologies and deploy it outside of the crypto-currency world. The demand for private and non-crypto-currency solutions have surged among consortiums because of the security and fault tolerant features of blockchain. To introduce blockchain concepts, we survey the three most popular blockchain architectures: Bitcoin, Ethereum, and Hyperledger Fabric. We then build Gradubique, a blockchain network built on top of Hyperledger Fabric. Gradubique allows instructors from any school to post exam and course grades to the Gradubique network. Employers and graduate schools can extract transcripts from Gradubique. Security is guaranteed by the blockchain technology. Standardization and translation of transcripts can be built into the network, and the distributed nature of the network can make it virtually cost-free.

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