On Saturday, October 21, 2023, from 4:00 PM to 7:00 PM, the Korean-American Scientists and Engineers Association (KSEA) – New York Metropolitan Chapter (NY Metro Chapter) hosted the “Young Scientists’ Night (YSN)” event in Manhattan, New York. YSN has been the annual flagship event for the NY Metro Chapter since 2017, bringing together approximately 75 passionate and intelligent young scientists and engineers for networking, idea-sharing, and expertise exchange. One of the purposes of this event was to attract new members, and it successfully recruited 46 new members and membership renewals. The event was a success, featuring a significant number of new members, as well as active participation from both graduate and undergraduate students this year. It also served as a great event to connect returning members with new members and encourage the re-engagement of previous members with KSEA.
The event concluded successfully with 75 participants from various institutions. Among the attendees, 51.5% held Doctoral Degrees, 21.2% were graduate students, 12.1% held Master’s Degrees, 7.6% were undergraduate students, and another 7.6% held Bachelor’s Degrees. Furthermore, 31.4% of the attendees were from Stony Brook University, 31.4% from Columbia University, 17.1% from Cornell University, 14.3% from Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, 11.4% from St. John’s University, 11.4% from Mount Sinai, and 8.6% from New York University. In terms of academic backgrounds, 29.3% of the attendees were from the Life Sciences, 22.7% from Engineering, 16.0% from Health/Medical fields, 8.0% from Math/Statistics, 2.7% from Finance/Business, and 2.7% from the Physical Sciences.
The event was held at a bar with an open bar included. The program of the event was led by Keven Kim, Young Professional Director, Joanne Lee, Vice President of NY Metro Chapter, and Hye Min Kim, Young Generation Director. Hye Min Kim and Joanne Lee led the welcoming program, welcoming participants with remarks from Dr. Keun Woo Park, President of NY Metro Chapter, followed by networking events along with coffee time. After the official start of the bar and cocktail hour, it proceeded to guests spotlight sessions. The event featured guest speakers, including Dr. Sehyun Kim, Dr. Hwasoo Lee, and Dr. Heeyoung Kwon, who shared valuable insights and experiences from both industry and academia under the theme of ‘Why Industry?’ and ‘What advice would you give to young professionals aspiring to follow in your footsteps?’. The guest speakers also had time to answer participants’ questions. Throughout the afternoon program, attendees were able to connect with more people during the networking game, and there were raffle prizes sponsored by KSEA NY Metro Chapter and Ridge Rehab. Pain Clinic.
Participants enjoyed both the open bar and networking session, leading to positive feedback and a great success. Moreover, the relationships formed during this event will contribute to the growth and development of the young generation and young professional group. Additionally, the connection between KSEA and the young generation from this event is expected to enhance and strengthen other KSEA events such as KSEA Math and Science Olympiad (KMSO), North Regional Conference (NRC), Y-gnite, US-Korea Conference (UKC), and others. The annual event Young Scientist’s Night will continue to grow and improve, becoming an essential event for not only young generations and professionals in New York but also on the East Coast and throughout the entire United States.
Reported by Il-doo Kim
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