The Utah Chapter hosted a kick-off meeting on the University of Utah campus on September 30th, 2022. The gathering was the first since the spring 2022 meeting, with the goal of bringing community members together as well as promoting the membership drive. Prof. Chang of the Department of Mechanical Engineering at the University of Utah was inaugurated as the chapter president for the academic year 2022/23.
The Utah chapter is not big, but it has consistently had highly successful meetings throughout the years by providing a wide range of technological and educational seminar series as well as hosting student poster sessions. During the meeting, a basic introduction to the Utah chapter was provided by the chapter president followed by a research presentation by Dr. Tae-gon Kim, a distinguished researcher at the Korea Institute of Industrial Technology, at this first meeting. Dr. Kim gave a very fascinating seminar that included not only scientific topics but also an introduction to research institutes in Korea. Dr. Kim also introduced numerous projects that connect his research group with Korean faculty members at universities in the United States, which received a lot of attention from the seminar’s faculty attendees. Many of the graduate students who attended the seminar appreciated his explanation of the structures of Korean research institutes, as this information is not easily accessible. We believe it was an excellent opportunity to learn about research activities in Korea Research Institutes and future employment opportunities for graduate students and postdocs. Dinner was served at the facility following the seminar. It was great to observe that the majority of attendees proceeded to a nearby cafe and talked until late. Overall, the meeting was very successful. The Utah Chapter will continue to listen to its members’ interests and organize more informative seminars and activities in order to become a focal point for Korean scientists and engineers in Utah.
Reported by
Prof. Jiyoung Chang
Utah Chapter President
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