카이스토리 박성진 대표님 인터뷰

* 오늘은 카이스트 동문들이 과학과 기술에 대한 흥미를 유발하며 최신 지식까지 배울 수 있는 학습만화를 무려 50권이나 제작하는 사업으로 화재를 모으고 있는 카이스토리의 박성진 대표님을 모시고 대화를 나누려고 합니다.<o:p></o:p><o:p> </o:p>인터뷰에 앞서, 카이스토리가 어떤 일을 하는 회사인지, 개략적인 소개를 부탁드립니다.-- 카이스토리는 2가지의 일을 합니다.첫 번째. KAIST에 존재하는 과학, 기술 콘텐츠를 만화라는 문화 콘텐츠로 변환합니다. ‘카이스토리’라는 회사명과 똑같은 이름을 가진, 학습 웹툰을 제작하는 거죠.두 번째로,  만화를 읽고 흥미를 가진 어린이들이 좀 더 쉽고 빠르게 학습할 수 있는 플랫폼 KAION을 제작합니다. 학습하고, 게임으로 자신의 단계를 측정하는 모든 과정에 흥미를 잃지 않도록 하려는 겁니다. KAION은 과학 학습의 필수 큐레이션 사이트가 되려 합니다.* 만화, 웹툰 산업은 요즘 매우 뜨거운 분야인데요, 만화를 학습에 도입하시려는 이유가 있습니까?-- 정보 전달에 이미지의 힘은 중요합니다. 특히 요즘 어린이들은 텍스트만을 통한 학습에 익숙하지 않습니다. 캐릭터가 나오고, 스토리가 전개되는 가운데 지식을 전달하는 만화는, 학습에 최적의 도구라 판단합니다.* 이미 만화를 통해 학습을 시도한 사례가 있었습니까?-- ‘Why 시리즈’가 가장 유명합니다. 상상할 수 없는 분량이 팔렸죠.* 기존에 학습 만화가 존재하는데, 새 책을 찍어낼 필요가 있을까요?-- 시장에는 늘 새로운 수요자가 등장합니다. Why 시리즈는 너무너무 유명하지만 책이 나온지 오랜 시간이 지났습니다. 종이책만으로 찍어, 그 내용을 업데이트하는 것도 용이하지 않습니다. 하지만 근래의 과학 지식은 무서운 속도로 변합니다. 새로운 분야도 빠르게 출현하죠. 웹툰으로 만들되, 학생들이 보기 쉽도록 종이책 출간도 병행하는 이유가 그것입니다.* 학습 만화 시장이 그 정도로 큰가요?--  사실 우리나라의 만화 산업은 일반 만화와 학습 만화가 양분하고 있다고 보아야 합니다. 지금 일반 웹툰이 엄청난 기세로 성장했습니다. 다음 차례는 학습 웹툰의 차례라 봅니다. 예를 들어, 설민석 작가의 <한국사 대모험>을 예로 들어 보자면, 2023년 중반 기준으로 약 600만부 이상의 판매고를 올리고 있습니다. 엄청나죠?* 시장이 크기에, 학습 웹툰을 제작해야 한다는 말씀인가요?-- 아닙니다. 만화를 제작하면서, 저는 원저자분들께 늘 이렇게 말합니다. ‘만약 내가 지금 알고 있는 것을, 어린 시절에 알았더라면’이라고 생각해 주시라고요. 어린아이들이 과학에 대해, 기술에 대해 이해의 폭을 넓히고, 그것이 어린이들의 꿈으로 연결될 수 있다면, 개인의 미래가 변할 겁니다. 나라의 미래도 변하죠.* 이를 테면, 사회 기여같은 긍정적인 부분도 검토하셨다는 거죠? 좀 더 자세히 말해 주세요-- 과거 우리나라 어린이들의 장래 희망 중, 과학자는 늘 상위 등수에 있었습니다. 2018년의 조사 결과는 달랐더군요. 10등 밖으로 밀려났습니다. 과학자는 존경할만한 직업이 아니라 힘들고 답답하게 보이는 직업이 되었습니다. 정말로 그럴까요?세계의 기업들 중, 가장 앞서나가는 기업은 모두 과학 기술에 기반을 두고 있습니다. 우리 나라를 살펴 볼까요? 헬스케어 산업 세계 1위! 누가 해냈습니까? 인바디의 대표이사 차기철 회장님의 공로입니다. 소형 인공 위성 수출 1위! ‘세트렉아이’의 ‘박성동’ 설립자가 없었다면 가능했을까요? 넥슨, 네오위즈, 싸이월드, 티스토리 외에도, 반도체, 바이오 등등 대기업이 약진하는 모든 부분에 공헌하고 있는 수많은 과학자 기술자들이 어떻게 길러졌습니까?과학은 어렵고 멀리 있는 것으로 보입니다. 하지만 카이스토리가 제작하는 학습 웹툰은, 과학이 우리들 가까운 곳에 존재하는, 매우 재미있음을 보여줄 겁니다.* KAIST라는 브랜드를 정면에 내세우려는 이유가 있습니까? 언론기사를 보니, 뾰족한 못이라는 표현을 쓰셨던데, 좀 더 자세히 설명해 주세요-- 폐쇄적으로 하나의 학교에 머물자는 뜻은 아닙니다. 학습 만화는 아이들이 보지만, 사 줄 때는 학부모와 어른들이 나선다는 특성을 갖고 있습니다. 많은 사람들이 과학과 기술이라는 단어에 막연한 경계심을 갖고 있습니다. 멀리 있는 것. 나와는 관계 없는 것이라 판단하죠. KAIST라는 이름이 그러한 경계심을 깨뜨릴 수 있는 ‘못’이라고 판단했다는 겁니다. 아! 카이스트 출신 사람들이 과학에 대한 웹툰을 냈어? 최신 트렌드도 공부되겠는데, 한 번 우리 아이에게도 사 줘 볼까? 라고 생각해 주시면 좋겠단 거죠* 그러니까, KAIST에서 한정 짓겠다, 라는 뜻이 아니라 KAIST에서 출발하겠다는 의미로 보면 되나요?-- 네. 똑같은 기획을 다른 학교에도 적용시키려 합니다. 저마다의 학교가 갖는 특별한 콘텐츠를 일반 대중에게 널리 알리는 만화를 활용하겠다는 의미로 생각해 주세요* 카이스트 인(人)이 원저자가 된다, 라고 써 놓았는데, 카이스트인은 정확히 어떤 의미인가요?-- 카이스트 출신의 전문가, 카이스트에 근무중인 교수님들, 기업가, 연구자들, 사실은 카이스트라는 과학 기술 특화의 이미지를 사랑하는 모든 이들이 카이스트인이라고 봅니다.* 카이스토리는 특별한 세계관을 갖고 있다고 들었습니다. 한 번 설명해 주실까요?-- 지구와 닮았으나 지구와는 다른 차원에 ‘지구2044’이란 행성이 존재했습니다. 그곳에는 우주의 모든 지식을 모으는 ‘베리타스 바벨’과 바벨이 만들어 낸 ‘지혜의 바다’, 그리고 인공지능 컴퓨터 ‘판도라’가 존재했죠. 어느 날 알 수 없는 이유로 폭주한 블랙홀이 베리타스 바벨을 덮쳤습니다. 지혜의 바다를 삼켰죠. 판도라는 마지막 힘을 모아, 나노 생명체 ‘반디’를 만듭니다. 차원을 건너 지구로 온 반디는 자신의 복제품인 ‘반디 일족’을 세상에 퍼뜨리죠. 네트, 덤보, 방울이 등, 다양한 이름과 능력을 가진 반디들은 인간 아이들을 ‘선택자’로 삼아, 세상의 지식을 모으기 시작합니다. 아이들이 모은  ‘지식의 크리스탈’이 ‘판도라’로 번달되면, 지혜의 바다가 되살아날 수 있다 믿기 때문이죠* 카이스토리가 어떤 방식으로 일을 진행하는지, 간략하게 말씀해 주시겠습니까?-- 카이스토리는 우선 KAIST 전문가인 기업가, 연구원, 교수를 인터뷰하고 지식을 모읍니다.모은 지식을 카이스트 전문 대학원 출신, 혹은 과학 전문 기자들로 구성된 ‘스토리텔러’를 통해 시나리오 작가가 이해하기 쉬운 내용으로 바꾸죠.이를 바탕으로 시나리오 작가가 ‘재밌는 이야기’를 꾸며내고, 애초 지식을 모아주었던 KAIST 전문가들이 과학적 적합성 여부를 검수합니다.이후에 시나리오는 현업 그림 작가에 의해 웹툰으로 그려집니다. 결과물은 웹툰과 종이책 버전으로 동시에 출간됩니다.* 결과물이 웹툰과 종이책 버전으로 나온다고 말씀하셨는데요, 목표 시장은 그렇다면 국내에 한정되지는 않겠군요.-- 당연합니다. 현재 중국을 통해 일부의 그림을 그려서, 판호 문제도 해결하려 노력하는 이유가 그것 때문입니다. ChatGPT 등 다양한 인공지능의 출현으로 번역 이슈가 해결되면서, 해외 판매 시장의 길도 넓게 열려 있죠.* 끝으로 한 말씀을 하고 싶으시다면?-- 지식을 후대에 전달하는 일은 지식인의 의무라 생각합니다. 과학에 대한 지식과 그 지식에서 파생되는 지혜는 불확실한 세상에서 헤쳐나갈 수 있는 힘과 자신감의 근원입니다. 과학은 사회의 유지와 발전, 나아가 인류의 진전에 기여하죠. 카이스토리는 과학기술의 저변 확대를 꿈꿉니다. 그 확장의 근본에 어린이들을 두고 있습니다. 세상은 꿈을 가슴에 품은 어린이들이 자라날 때 바뀌게 됩니다. 어린이들이 제대로 된 ‘지식’과 ‘꿈’을 갖도록 만드는 것이 카이스토리가 사업을 시작한 목표입니다. 많은 분들이, 카이스토리를 도와주시기 부탁드립니다. 도와주시는 방법은 여러가지가 있습니다. 여러분이 지금 가슴에 품고 있는 과학, 기술에 대한 꿈을, 저희에게 건네 주십시오. 우리가 어린이들에게 예쁘게 전달하겠습니다.<o:p></o:p>

동문장학재단 차기철이사장의 통큰 1억원 기부

KAIST동문학술장학재단 차기철이사장은 2022년 증서수여식에서 매년 기부하는 학생 장학금 외에 장학재단에 추가로 1억원을 기부하였습니다.2020년부터 장학재단 이사장을 맡고 있는 차기철이사장은 KAIST 기계공학과 출신으로 체성분 분야의 최고기업인 인바디 창업자입니다. 차이사장의 통 큰 기부는 다른 기부자는 물론 후배들에도 귀감이 되고 있습니다. 동문학술장학재단은 차이사장의 1억원 기부금으로 장학금 수혜의 폭을 넓히고 다양화할 예정입니다.

조건 없이 베풀어주시는 선배님들을 보며- 동문학술장학재단 이수정 장학생

   1. 본인소개를 해 주세요. 안녕하세요. 카이스트 산업디자인학과 학부를 졸업하고 현재 석사 중인 이수정입니다. 결과물의 형태는 다양하지만 늘 사회적 임팩트에 관심을 두고 다양한 작업을 하고 있습니다. 2018년부터 총동문회 석림학술장학재단 장학생이었고 올해인 2021년 봄학기까지 고정식 선배님의 장학생으로서 석림학술장학재단의 지원을 받았습니다.  2. 동문장학금은 어떤 이유로 어떻게 신청하게 되었나요? 학비를 스스로 마련하고 싶어 고민하던 시기에 마침 학과 측의 추천 메일을 통해 동문장학금을 알게 되었습니다. 산업디자인학과 특성상 더 자유로운 학업 활동을 위해서는 재료비와 다양한 전시회나 디자인 페스티벌 참가를 위한 학비가 필요했습니다. 그러던 중 마침 카이스트 동문장학금을 알게 되었고 신청했습니다. 3. 동문장학금이 이수정학생에게 어떻게 도움이 되었고 어떤 가치가 있다고 생각이 되나요? 동문장학금은 실제로 제가 학업 활동만큼은 경제적 부담을 갖지 않고 자유롭게 할 수 있도록 도와주었어요. 진행하고 있는 디자인 프로젝트에 필요한 비용과 다양한 전시 참여비를 동문장학금 덕분에 채울 수 있었습니다. 그런데 지금에 와서 보면 장학금보다 더 감사한 것은 기부자 선배님들 그리고 장학생들과 만날 수 있었던 기회였던 것 같아요. 저희보다 앞서서 걸어가고 계시는 선배님들의 과거와 현재에 대한 이야기를 들을 수 있는 것도 너무 감사한 일이고요.또 후배들을 위해 조건 없이 베푸는 선배님의 도움을 받으면서 저도 받은 것 이상으로 돌려줄 수 있는 사람이 되고 싶다고 생각했습니다. 이 인터뷰를 빌려 저희에게 시간을 내어주신 선배님들, 만났던 장학생들, 그리고 그간 장학재단 프로그램과 네트워킹 기회를 만들기 위해 노력해주신 담당자 선생님들께 감사드리고 싶습니다. 4. 기부자선배님은 누구시고 장학금을 받으면서 어떤 교류가 있었나요? 제게 약 4년간 장학금을 주신 고정식 선배님께서는 70년대에 카이스트 화공과를 석사 5기로 졸업하시고 특허청장을 역임하셨습니다. 또, 선배님께서는 23대 동문회장이시기도 하셨어요. 장학금을 받는 동안 선배님과 종종 식사를 함께 할 수 있었는데요, 선배님을 떠올리면 웃음 지으시는 얼굴이 먼저 떠올라요. 한참 후배인 저를 늘 존중해주시고 따뜻하게 격려해주시는 분입니다. 선배님께서는 무엇보다 하루하루를 즐겁게 살라고 자주 말씀하세요. 고정식 선배님께서 제게 해주신 말씀 중 요즘도 종종 다시 들여다보는 메시지가 있는데요, 여러분들과도 공유하고 싶습니다. ‘이수정 후배에게, 어떤 길을 가든지 음양이 둘 다 있어요. 즐겁고 힘차게 살아가기 바랍니다. 굿럭!’  5. 동문장학재단 기부자선배님들께 드리고 싶은 말씀이 있다면 해 주세요.저희 같은 젊은 사람들을 위해 조건 없이 베풀어주시는 선배님들을 보며, ‘아 이런 일을 할 수 있구나, 이렇게 베풀 수도 있구나.’ 생각했습니다. 무언가 모르겠고 어딘가 막막해 올 때 여쭐 수 있는 분이 있다는 건 그 자체로 얼마나 감사한 일인지 모릅니다. 선배님들께 받은 도움과 사랑 잊지 않고 가진 것을 나누며 살아가는 사람이 되겠습니다. 감사합니다!     

KAIST Mechanical Engineering Dept. Professor Kyoungchul Kong

Angel Robotics CEO  “I have developed robotics technology to help the elderly and disabled.” When we think of wearable robots, we often think of robot suits in movies. However, KAIST Mechanical Engineering Department Professor, wearable robot developer, and winner of the international cyborg Olympics, Kyoungchul Kong, envisions robots that will help everyone enjoy everyday life including the elderly and people with disabilities.  From Cybathlon Victory to Patient RehabilitationByeong-Uk Kim of Korea won the powered exoskeleton race in the Cybathlon 2020, which can be called the international cyborg Olympics. Thanks to this victory, the “WalkON Suit” of the research team led by KAIST Mechanical Engineering Professor Kyoungchul Kong received worldwide attention. The technological prowess of the startup company, Angel Robotics, founded in 2014 by Professor Kong, was highlighted internationally.In a visit to Angel Robotics located in Seongsudong, Seoul, Professor Kong explained that, “although we researched wearable robots for the elderly for a long time, the true value of our technology was not recognized. The Cybathlon was an opportunity to show our technology to the world.” After developing the WalkON Suit for a year in 2015, the research team of Professor Kong took part in the first Cybathlon and won a bronze medal. Later, they took home the gold medal in last year’s Cybathlon after proper planning and development. The WalkON Suit is a wearable robot for people with complete paralysis.Research in the field of wearable robotics began when Professor Kong started his master’s in 2003. Kong said, “Actually, I had many opportunities to meet people with disabilities during community service in a community welfare center as an elementary school student. When I started my studies in robotics, I wanted my technology to be of direct help to people.” Currently, the robotics technology developed by Professor Kong is helping in the rehabilitation of patients at the Severance Rehabilitation Hospital together with Professor Rha Dong-wook.“When I announced that I would create a robot that will assist the elderly, there were many people who thought robotics technology for people with complete paralysis would be much more difficult. In actuality, they are two completely different technologies. The WalkON Suit incorporates humanoid technology while the robotics technology for assisting the elderly is a precision technology that only needs to provide support for the lack of muscle strength.”Today, at Angel Robotics, the Angel Legs and Angel Suit have been developed in addition to the WalkON Suit. Angel Legs is a wearable robot product that is being used in hospitals and Angel Suit is an orthosis device for daily life. Angel Legs is a medical robot especially used in hospitals for gait rehabilitation treatment of children and adults. Angel Legs for gait treatment was first introduced at Severance Rehabilitation Hospital last year and is planned for introduction in 10 additional hospitals nationwide this year.  - A view of the Angel Robotics office located in Seongsudong, Seoul. Wearable robots for the elderly and people with disabilities are developed here. - Employees of Angel Robotics are discussing about the components of wearable robots. These components must be manufactured with careful attention to detail as they will become part of robots used in the gait rehabilitation treatment of children and adults in hospitals. - At Angel Robotics, Angel Legs and Angel Suit are being developed in addition to the WalkON Suit. Angel Legs is a medical robotic device used in the gait rehabilitation treatment of patients in hospitals and Angel Suit is an orthosis device for daily life. “Robotics Technology for Everyone to Enjoy Everyday Life”What motivated Professor Kong to start Angel Robotics? “I thought that the technology I developed should not just end with the publication of a few academic papers. The final goal should be that the technology be delivered to users and especially patients. So, I was determined to start the company. I eagerly wanted to see the commercialization of the technology and not simply stop at journal papers.”The mission of Angel Robotics is to enable everyone to enjoy everyday life through robotics technology. The company explains that the goal of the company is neither the realization of wearable robots that we see in movies nor developing a few plausible products and selling them in the market. Professor Kong said, “This means that we want to give back everyday life to people who cannot enjoy everyday life due to old age, disease, or disabilities they were born with. To accomplish this, we are focusing on the development of robots necessary for support and patient rehabilitation treatment for people with disabilities and the elderly.” “Robotics Technology for Everyone to Enjoy Everyday Life”What motivated Professor Kong to start Angel Robotics? “I thought that the technology I developed should not just end with the publication of a few academic papers. The final goal should be that the technology be delivered to users and especially patients. So, I was determined to start the company. I eagerly wanted to see the commercialization of the technology and not simply stop at journal papers.”The mission of Angel Robotics is to enable everyone to enjoy everyday life through robotics technology. The company explains that the goal of the company is neither the realization of wearable robots that we see in movies nor developing a few plausible products and selling them in the market. Professor Kong said, “This means that we want to give back everyday life to people who cannot enjoy everyday life due to old age, disease, or disabilities they were born with. To accomplish this, we are focusing on the development of robots necessary for support and patient rehabilitation treatment for people with disabilities and the elderly.”  - Byeong-Uk Kim, who won a gold medal in the Cybathlon 2020, poses while wearing the WalkON Suit. Kim, who is paraplegic, wore the WalkON Suit to successfully carry out the tasks of sitting down, standing up, and walking up and down stairs in the competition.  With regard to the future development of robotics for the elderly and people with disabilities, Professor Kong explained, “Everyone eventually experiences walking disability. If you are in an accident, you will get a cast on your leg after surgery. If you’re lucky, you will have gait disturbance for a very short period of time. People who experience such walking disability are no longer disabled. Like wearing glasses when your eyesight diminishes, you can get help using a robot when it becomes difficult to walk.”Currently, Angel Robotics is developing an orthosis that can be worn like typical clothing but underneath other clothing so that the device is not distinguishable from the outside. The future is near when people will be able to wear stylish wearable robots like wearing fashion glasses. 

Advice from International Alumni: Sayyara Huseynova

 Please introduce yourself to our readers.  My name is Sayyara Huseynova. I enrolled in KAIST in September 2009. My major was Industrial and Systems Engineering. I  later decided to minor in management science. And also I wanted to mention that I was lucky to receive the KAIST scholarship and I was exempted from the tuition fee. Later, I decided to apply for a masters degree and again, luck was on my side and I was admitted to the Techno-MBA program.   You mentioned that you majored in Industrial Systems and Design and Business Management in KAIST when you were an undergraduate student. Why were you particularly decided on those two majors? The reason was that I am from Azerbaijan, one of the main gas and oil exporter countries. Back then, I decided that the most common and related major that I can do in KAIST to use it in Azerbaijan is Industrial Systems and Design, because it’s all related to the plants and the factories. That was the main reason why I decided to go that way.   What kinds of classes or activities did you take or pursue when you were an undergraduate at KAIST? The most important classes for me were Supply Chain Management and manufacturing classes. I believe that they all [helped me] understand the whole picture of what I wanted to do. Statistical analysis classes were also important to learn how to integrate numbers and to see how things actually work. Regarding extracurricular activities, I was part of the Korean classes in KI House (I hope it’s still the same). I attended the classes in Korean [there], and I think it was a wonderful experience for me.  You also mentioned to us that you were a consultant for international freshmen at OASIS, which is now ISSS. Could you tell us more about what kind of work you did there?  My work was mainly getting to know the freshmen coming from other countries (non-Koreans) and helping them with all the visa issues and procedures related to their stay. I was really honored to help them because I know how much I suffered in the very beginning, when I was starting over. That was really interesting for me, to help other people as well.  In your four years of undergraduate studies, what are some of your favorite memories while you were at KAIST? I want to add that it was four and a half years, since I [did] a minor. I believe that the [best] part was that the university cared about all of us and all the diversity that we bring with our culture. We had very interesting culture food festivals, mostly during the spring season. I remember the days when we gathered with all the Azerbaijani guys and cooked our traditional food, trying [our] best [even though we were]  only undergraduates. And also in the international kitchen, along with other students, we joked about different cultures, and the next day, we delivered food and had the chance to talk to Koreans to show specialties about our cuisine with other people. That was a really interesting experience because we could share our culture and get to know more about others.   During your stay at KAIST, there must have also been a few difficulties or challenges you encountered. How did you overcome these challenges? My first year in KAIST was hard because I had to integrate into the new academic sphere and also had to understand a new culture. [Culture is about food, tradition, and everything] and when I go out of the campus, I need to face that people don’t speak English that much. I can say that it was a little tough for me in the beginning. Then, I realized how lucky I was to be in such a great university providing so many different great options for students to learn the latest breakthroughs and information, and I think that [made me] understand that I had to [endure] all the difficulties and do my best to continue.  How did you decide on your career after your undergraduate studies? I joined a Korean company (Daelim Manufacturing Company) for one year, and after that, I joined KAIST for masters. I think it is a really good chance for undergraduate students to do internships in their third year, because you pretty much understand the realities of life besides taking classes and grasping information from lectures only. You can also understand how the industry works. I had a chance to work in HOWSOL Manufacturing Company in Korea for my internship. After that, I made a clear decision that after my graduation, I wanted to work in the industry. That was the reason that I applied to [Daelim] through a process that took five or six steps, and I was lucky enough to be one of the few foreigners [who got] a chance to work in Daelim.  A lot of international students are worried about working in a Korean company for many obvious reasons (language barrier, cultural difference). What made you decide to work at a Korean company instead of somewhere overseas?  I checked all of the information, and Daelim was quite interesting for me for the oil and gas sector. But also, I have to admit that [I felt] quite secure [living in Korea], and after studying undergraduate here, I started to understand the country’s regulations and traditions that all made me feel safe, and that I wanted to continue my career in this country.  How many years did you work in [Daelim]? One year.  Within that year, what made you decide to pursue masters? As I mentioned again, learning something and doing something in real life are two different things. When I worked as a quality control specialist, I was able to see the industry from a whole aspect, and then I realized that the part of business management was more interesting for me than the technology and marketing part. That’s why I thought that it’s time for me to learn more about managerial part and business management, and return to school to learn about it. I applied to two universities: one in Manchester and the second one was KAIST. I was accepted to both of them, but even though my first goal was to move to London, I realized that I have some strong feelings for my alma mater, KAIST. I decided that it was better for me to stay here and continue my masters in KAIST.  How long did you pursue your masters? It’s supposed to be two years, but I managed to finish it in a year and a half.  So in that time frame, could you share your experiences in the Seoul campus?  The most interesting part was that the Seoul campus is much smaller than the Daejeon campus. [There are more] activities and possibilities in the Daejeon campus [compared to the] Seoul campus. But we were very close with international and Korean students, and we tried to share our knowledge and culture, and this time I can also say that most of the students already came with experience from companies. So it wasn’t just sharing information that we can learn from books, but real information that they brought with them from the industry or from other areas.    What did you do after your masters degree? I had quite a journey, I can say. I moved to Turkey, in Istanbul, and continued to work in the petroleum and gas [industry]. I worked in the Renaissance Heavy Industries company in the business development section. I was a specialist there for two years in Istanbul. By that time, I started to think more about IT technologies and I felt like it was time for me to [go] home and try to bring all the insights I had and share my knowledge to my home country. So now, it’s been almost three years that I work in B.Est Solutions, an IT company [in Azerbaijan] which [specializes] in mobile identity and mobile signature. I work in the business development and marketing department as the marketing and communications manager.  I also read that you are a member of Femmes Digitales, an organization for Azerbaijani women in the IT industry. Could you share to our readers more about that? Surely. Well, I think my main motto in life is that when you are able to receive valuable information, you also have to learn how to deliver that to those who are not able to. The organization that I am secretary general of, which is quite huge and established in Azerbaijan, [consists of] representatives and founders that are well-known people from industries in Azerbaijan like banks and IT companies. Basically, the idea of this foundation is delivering  information about IT [to women and girls], so they can be successful in this [area], because mainly people believe that IT is only [for] men, and that men can achieve enormous results while women [cannot]. With all the training, seminars, and conferences we deliver in the capital Baku and also in the rural regions, we try to bring the idea to school girls and young women that they need to think about this sphere and that they can achieve results if they try to. Also, of course we cooperate with other UN organizations to make our impact more valuable and to achieve as much as we can.  Did your view of KAIST change when you were studying there compared to now that you are working outside? The very first year, I can say the first semester was very tough for me, because I had to learn many different things besides just university lectures, and try to [compete with] my Korean classmates. But beyond that, I had to understand the culture and stay apart from my family, so that was kind of tough for me. But when I realized how great the possibility is of studying at the world’s top university, and getting all this positive feedback from other people, I realized that this is the place that I have to be in. Now, I am fond of the thought that I am a graduate from this university, and I try to follow all the emails that I receive from KAIST. I watch the inauguration and the ceremonies online. I keep everything, all the t-shirts, I have with me even though they’re really old. The feeling that I am somehow connected with my university makes me feel very warm and nice. I think there will be a day where I will come after this pandemic to visit my university, and I believe that I will be able to tell my daughter that [KAIST] is such a great place and she should also maybe give it a chance.   If you could give the international community at KAIST any piece of advice, what would you tell them? I know it’s quite challenging in the very beginning, but let’s view it from a bird’s-eye view and try to emphasize the reasoning on why we are in the university. Make the best out of it even though it’s hard to stay apart from your family and from the delicious meals that one is used to. It will pass, even sooner than we expect, but [you’ll realize] that it was a great place that taught us a lot of things to help us in the future; we are already trained [with] how to manage [problems and challenges] (like studying at night in the library and returning back to dorm with three or two hours of sleep, preparing for exams). This will pass, but learn how to feel the moment and feel the best of it. Also, I just wanted to say how the [former] president of KAIST,  Nam-pyo Suh, mentioned in the inauguration ceremony, “Dream big dreams”. You are in KAIST to dream big. After you graduate, you won’t be able to do it a lot.

Advice from International Alumni: Joseph Hung

The KAIST Herald interviewed KAIST international alumni about their experiences as students in KAIST and how these experiences have helped them in their current careers. This interview series was conducted in collaboration with International Scholar and Student Services (ISSS).     Please introduce yourself. First of all, thank you for reaching out to me to talk about my stories with KAIST.  I am a graduate of the KAIST Techno MBA program, [which] I attended in 2014, majoring in finance and investments. After graduating, I embarked on a career in alternative investment as well as fintech throughout Asia, working with a great number of private equity funds, hedge funds and financial institutions in the region. I would consider myself a blockchain strategist, a digital accountant, as well as a fintech investor.  I am a member of the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA), and my professional career focuses on enterprise blockchain strategies, digital finance as well as investment in fintech companies. [Currently] I work as a market strategist at Ground X, which is the blockchain subsidiary of Korea’s largest mobile platform Kakao with over 50 million monthly users.    What is your favorite memory in KAIST? After so many years, I still remember the China-Korea-Japan Workshop program, which was a joint workshop between the business schools of Tsinghua University, KAIST, and Keio University. Participants of the program included business professors from the three business schools and their MBA students with various professional backgrounds in computer science, media and telecommunications, corporate finance, etc.  We were also given opportunities to visit some leading technology firms in China and prepared some business cases with students from other schools. It was a rare opportunity for managers from the three Asian economies to come together to learn and share best management practice with each other.   What were the challenges you faced while studying in KAIST, and how did you overcome them? Since I did not come from a quantitative background, it was not that straightforward for me to understand some quantitative topics like derivative pricing and Monte Carlo simulation in the beginning.   However, I learned a life motto in KAIST that helped me overcome the challenge, and I found that written on the wall of the lecture hall where I had my first MBA lesson — “Back to the basics”. I found out that those quantitative finance topics were based on some basic concepts that I learned in my childhood, such as normal distribution, probability and geometry, and they were not completely new concepts. After trying to approach those quantitative concepts from the basics they looked much easier and made sense to me, and I still find this approach very useful in my professional career.   Did your view of KAIST change from when you were studying in KAIST compared to after you graduated? In what ways? When I studied at KAIST the school had a reputation of being the MIT in Korea, with a long list of patents and scientific innovation developed by its faculty and students. Over time, I saw many professors and graduates start to found their own companies or serve as external advisors to technology or financial firms, putting their research and knowledge into action. The business school also offers new courses in AI, blockchain, and machine learning that serve the emerging needs of digitalization in business and finance. More graduates are also actively investing in startups and tech companies founded by KAIST graduates, creating a virtuous cycle of healthy ecosystem growth in the high-tech space.   How did you first choose your career? How did KAIST help in your career choices? I am always enthusiastic in emerging technologies and finance and keen to develop a career in fintech where both technology and finance come together. KAIST’s Techno MBA program was indeed a great experience for me to explore ways in which emerging technologies can be applied to solve problems in the financial system thanks to its emphasis on technology management. I also had a chance to study with other classmates who work for big techs and financial firms such as Microsoft, Facebook, Samsung, JP Morgan, and others, and learned from their first-hand experience.   What classes or activities did you pursue in KAIST that helped you in your career? I was glad that I conducted some in-depth research and wrote a thesis on Environment, Social and Corporate Governance (ESG); at that time ESG topics did not receive the same level of attention from the industry as they do nowadays. Later in my career I found that many business problems have its roots in ESG issues, and emerging technologies like blockchain AI, machine learning have a great role to play here to enhance the speed and accuracy of ESG and corporate reporting.   What advice can you give to current KAIST international students? I would suggest that international students learn different kinds of languages. By the word “languages”, I mean not just the Korean language, but business and computer languages such as accounting, Python, SQL, etc.  By learning the Korean language you will be able to make more friends and understand more about the country, and that will become part of you that helps you to develop a broader perspective about yourself and the world. By learning business and computer languages like accounting and Python, you will be better in understanding the world around us. While finance and accounting analysis is relatively static in nature, computer programming allows you to collect and analyze new information and data  in a dynamic manner. You may not need to be equally proficient in accounting and programming to succeed in your job, but having some working knowledge in both will open more doors and opportunities to you in the emerging digital economy. 

Advice from International Alumni: Muhammad Sarmad

The KAIST Herald interviewed KAIST international alumni about their experiences as students in KAIST and how these experiences have helped them in their current careers. This interview series was conducted in collaboration with International Scholar and Student Services (ISSS).    Please introduce yourself. My name is Sarmad, and I did my masters in electrical engineering at KAIST. I started in 2017 and I was in Professor Hyunjoo Jenny Lee’s lab.   Why did you specifically choose Electrical Engineering in KAIST? Before my masters, I did my bachelors in electrical engineering, and my major was in control system design. Afterwards, I was hoping for some sort of change. I worked in the industry for about two or three years in Pakistan, and I wasn’t exactly sure what I wanted to study but I was sure that I didn’t want to study control systems the way I was doing that time. Therefore, I applied to a bunch of programs, and at that time, KAIST’s program seemed general enough that you can just apply and see what happens. You do actually have to choose a professor at the time of application, but you can basically just see when you get accepted. So that’s why I went with this program, and when I came to KAIST, I took a whole bunch of courses. I not only took courses related to biomedical microsystems, but I also took courses related to artificial intelligence, and I soon found that my interests lie in the artificial intelligence, deep learning, and computer vision research areas. Then from there onwards, I started going towards that path and pursued my thesis also in that direction.   Along that topic, you said that you took some classes that made you understand you wanted to pursue a field in artificial intelligence. What specific activities or classes did you take that made you more sure that you wanted that field? When I came to KAIST, I didn’t have a clue what artificial intelligence was and what it could mean for you, as well as what Korean artificial intelligence looks like. So I started with the very basic courses, and I remember the first ever course I took was a very basic course about deep learning and AlphaGo. Just imagine, I was [in my] first semester in KAIST, totally unaware of the technology and what it can do, and then I got introduced to this course [with] more than 150 people taking [it] The way this course was conducted was also very inspiring. There were a lot of interesting projects, hands-on stuff, and not just exams. So that was the course that inspired me to start my journey in that direction.   Was your thesis when you were in masters related to this field? Yes. After I took this course, I thought that I should take more advanced courses. So I took Deep Learning for Robotics and Computer Vision, and then again another course in Computer Vision, which were both advanced courses meant for PhD/masters students. The core idea in these courses was that there were no exams, but mostly everything was hands-on. So for someone like me who wasn’t aware of tools like PyTorch, Tensorflow, and all those stuff that they use in machine learning, I was forced to jump right into the hands-on approach. Because of these courses, it eventually allowed me to do my thesis in the same topic. My master thesis was based on computer vision and deep learning.   When you went for masters at KAIST, were you very sure of what you wanted to do in your career, or was it shaped when you went to KAIST? Before KAIST, I wasn’t sure what research meant and what academia meant. But while studying masters at KAIST, one interesting thing was in most parts of the world, at least from anecdotal experience, it seemed like masters was not a degree meant to do research in many parts of the world. It was only where you take a bunch of courses, and then a PhD makes you ready for research. It’s not expected to do research in masters in, for example, Europe. But here, it was a completely different environment that you had a P.I. and you were expected to do research. So I did get a taste of that, and I found out that this process of thinking about a problem, creating something, and pushing the boundaries of knowledge sparked joy for me. That is something I thought I would want to do for the rest of my life, if possible. This is especially true because before this time I had done a highly technical job for three years at the industry which, as I said, was related to control systems design, but I felt bored after a year because the learning curve was really steep at the start, but after a while it was just doing the same things again and again. But in research, you can tackle a new problem every day, and you can basically stay if you have the motivation. I found out that I had that motivation to solve new problems everyday.   So how did this help you decide on what you would do after you finish your masters? Were you very sure you would go for PhD, or back in the industry? During my masters, I was able to publish my research in a top conference and that gave me confidence that I would be suitable to do more research, and the only job that fit into that description was PhD. That’s why at the end of my masters, I was sure I wanted to go forward with doing PhD. I’m very thankful to KAIST also because it gave me my first international experience where I met a lot of people in this conference, and I saw what it really meant to present your research at a forum. This conference had 10,000 [attendees] and was the top conference in computer vision and machine learning, and that gave me confidence that this is something I would want to do.   Which university did you go to for your PhD? I went back to Pakistan after completing my masters. I had a year of mandatory service that I had to complete in my home country. After that was done, I applied to a bunch of places in the world, and my main focus was to apply in Europe. Therefore now, I am doing a PhD at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology.   You did mention though that you’re currently an AI consultant at Endress + Hauser in Germany. Yes, so after completing my masters degree, I was also hired as a freelancing AI consultant. That is something that I pursue now. I have a company called Sarmad AI which is sole proprietorship, and I am able to offer my artificial intelligence consultancy services to companies who might be interested in that, but that is somewhat a side venture. My main area of focus was [previously] my mandatory service, and now [it is] my PhD, while I also do this consultation in my company.   In your PhD, are you focused on the same field? Yes, my area of focus is deep learning and computer vision, but my department now is Computer Science.   What are some of your favorite memories at KAIST? One of the things that I was involved in at KAIST was that I was an ambassador of KAIST for my home country Pakistan. That was part of the KAIST EE Liaison Program for getting new master and PhD students interested in applying to KAIST. As part of that program, I was sent back home to give a series of lectures and tell people more about KAIST. Those were most of the memories that I cherished a lot because I felt that I was able to contribute a lot towards my home country and my university, and KAIST was linked to this program. I remember in my second year, the program was already mature, and we invited about 80 students from different parts of the world, and I was asked to deliver a speech to these people. It was one of the first times that I was talking to people from different countries about KAIST, and that was something that I really enjoyed and cherished.   You also mentioned that besides being a student ambassador, you also participated in the KAIST EE Camp. It was my professor, Hyunjoo Jenny Lee, along with other professors, who had a vision where KAIST needs more and more international students. Towards that goal, they noticed that people didn’t know a lot about KAIST. It was very funny when they shared to me that a student had an offer from Sejong University and KAIST with a full scholarship, but the student chose to go to Sejong while KAIST was higher up in the student rankings. So they were surprised about this, and whether anyone knew about KAIST. The vision of this camp was to send people home and tell the others what KAIST is. Because to be honest, when I applied to KAIST, I didn’t exactly know what KAIST is and what it represents, apart from a few friends. Therefore, it was really helpful that when I went back, I was able to talk to about 500 or 1,000 people in various seminars. Because of that, the interest increased so much that in the next year, we almost had double the applications in the EE department, and from there onwards I know a bunch of people I talked to who applied and got in. So I have a whole list of people who went to KAIST because they got to know the message through this program.   Did you face any challenges or problems while you were at KAIST, and how did you overcome those, if any? I would say there are two aspects to the challenge: social and technical. Technically, after a gap of three years, I started my masters degree, and I felt that I was out of touch with the basics. I found it hard during the first semester to compete with the undergraduate and master students who were doing pretty good in these theory courses, and I had to work on my basics again to get into the whole thing. In the social perspective, I felt that a lot of the problems that I was expecting were not there, probably because there was no fixed timings that I had to follow on being in the lab. I was free to do what I wanted to do, so in that way I had a peace of mind. Secondly, I noticed that there was a huge Pakistani community on campus, and if I’m not mistaken even now they’re probably the biggest community there. So I almost felt that I was still in Pakistan. I kind of hoped for a more international experience, but when I went there, I felt like I was home again. So socially, I would say that I settled down really quick.   What about the technical aspects? Technically, I would say that I felt that some of the skills related to theory and mathematics and the way the exams were conducted, I felt that it was something new to me, and I didn’t do very well at the start. Even the scores that I got in Deep Learning and AlphaGo, me and one of my other friends from Pakistan both got below average marks in the midterm. I wasn’t that worried then, because I realized that he was the top of his class, and he was really fresh, so he just came while I came in three years. The last time I opened a book was three years [before]. But then I realized that we could make up for all of that by performing well in the final project, which was something that I was able to work on and get a good grade. Then we felt that we have to change the way we study because we were not prepared for something like this. So from the next courses onwards, we were taking a different approach, and we’re really looking at the foundations and theory more for this kind of exam.   You told us that you learned about KAIST from one of your seniors and that time you had a great impression about KAIST as a university. How did your view of KAIST change throughout your stay? Did it become different when you were there compared to now that you are a graduate? It definitely did because I didn’t realize how important a few things are in your life, and those are the people (professors) and the infrastructure and funding, and the name plus the research. Before this, I was only looking towards a few things like whether it’s Europe or Asia. That time I applied to a bunch of places, and I got a scholarship too in Italy. But I kind of chose myself to go to KAIST because of the great ranking. But when I told my friends that I am going to KAIST, they were skeptical on why I would go to Asia when you have the chance to go to Europe. So I had to fight off a lot of skeptics and believe that this is a great decision. I still feel that this is probably the best decision I ever made because of the opportunity that KAIST gave me and made me what I am today because of that decision.   In that regard, when you finished your masters degree, you went for your mandatory service back in Pakistan. Did you consider working in Korea or doing your PhD there? The reason I didn’t continue was, one, I just went back to Pakistan for my mandatory service, so I had to make up my mind again. But also, I realized that there were a bunch of things that made me choose where I am today. The first thing is funding. During my masters at KAIST, we were allowed to increase the stipend and go all the way to 1.8 million KRW, which is about 1,800 USD, and for a PhD student it was about 2,500 USD. I just realized that for masters, someone giving you this kind of opportunity was an amazing thing, because no one gives you a masters degree and invests on you, since most people are not expected to do research. So universities don’t have that kind of incentive to fund you for a masters degree to a scale that KAIST is funding. Also, I didn’t mention it, but I had my twin sons during my stay in Korea, with my wife who previously had a masters degree. After we both wanted to pursue a PhD degree, preferably in the same place, we started applying and were looking for a place where both of us would get a degree, and because of the family aspect, it was also necessary to have that income level which would support me and my family. So from that perspective, I felt that Norway especially gives you salary in the sense that you are not paid the minimum wage. That’s why I chose to not go to Asia for my PhD.   If you could give advice to current KAIST international students, what would you give them? Work hard and give in your best, but also take care of your mental health, because in the kind of business that academics are in and especially the times that we’re in, it can make you [feel] alone at times, and not everyone has someone to talk to. So it’s important that we as academics not only look after each other but also of ourselves, and to connect with people. And if you get some kind of rejection, it’s not the end of the world, so just keep on working towards the next thing. 출처 : The KAIST Herald(http://herald.kaist.ac.kr)

Advice from International Alumni: Seikh Imtiaz Ali

The KAIST Herald interviewed KAIST international alumni about their experiences as students in KAIST and how these experiences have helped them in their current careers. This interview series was conducted in collaboration with International Scholar and Student Services (ISSS).     Please introduce yourself. My name is Abraham Lee, but people call me Ali. I entered KAIST in 2004 and graduated in 2010 with a PhD from the Department of Chemistry, though my research was on biology. That was a long time ago, almost 11 years ago! Right now, I am the managing director and acting  CEO for the South-West Asia subsidiary of a Korean company, Atomy India.  What is your favorite memory in KAIST? It’s difficult to choose a favorite memory, but I like to remember the times I spent with many other KAIST students, like at international festivals and events. One time, I had the privilege of showcasing a drama based on international students’ life and the president of KAIST at the time, Dr. [Robert] Laughlin, was there. Afterwards, he came to me and said, “Oh, it’s very difficult for you to survive.” Later on, the Dean of Student Affairs called me to ask about the problems of international students. It was a proud moment for me when the monthly allowance was raised from 300,000 KRW to 350,000 KRW, which was one of my requests. It felt great that my voice and the voices of international students were heard.   What were the challenges you faced while studying in KAIST, and how did you overcome them? During our time, there weren’t many people who could speak English. It was very difficult for any international student to communicate with Koreans, so there was a big gap between the two. But I took that challenge as an opportunity. I thought, what can I do to improve the acceptance of international students in the community? So I came up with the idea of an English speech contest for the first time, open to all students — undergraduate or graduate, Korean or international — and we all had an amazing time. To me, I used the challenge to evolve and help improve the KAIST community, and I felt really happy about that.   Did your view of KAIST change from when you were studying in KAIST compared to after you graduated? In what ways? Actually, before going to KAIST, I was also admitted to Harvard and other universities. But one of the Indian professors at Harvard was asking me to marry his daughter first, so my dad and I decided to go for a university in Asia instead — and KAIST was number one at the time. I wasn’t even familiar with the school or the country, but I ended up with a wonderful professor, Dr. Byong-Seok Choi, who just retired last year, and he’s one of the best, most humble professors I’ve ever met in my life. Now that I’ve graduated, I am proud of KAIST. Not just because of the world-class technology and research, but also because of the mentality to contribute to society. It has a unique culture where we can grow as individuals. I have returned to KAIST several times since I graduated, and I would say it has improved dramatically, especially for international students. I would see international students interacting more, having discussions and exchanging ideas, like in American universities. Not only that, a lot more buildings have popped up, too — there are more cafeterias with lower prices, and the library has been extended. In our time, it wasn’t like that.   How did you first choose your career? How did KAIST help in your career choices? When I was studying at KAIST, I was conducting a lot of leadership and communications workshops. I was frequently invited to different companies, churches, and communities. One time, I was approached by LG Life Sciences to give such a workshop for their R&D department. There were hundreds of audiences, but one of them came up to me and asked what I did. I said I was a student who was graduating that year, so he offered me a job. It wasn’t even my intention. That’s how I ended up working for LG, then I moved to Samsung until I came back to India for my current job. It’s not a coincidence that I got this job. I usually write down my goal for the next 10 years, and my target at the time was to head a Korean company in India by 2020. I was fortunate enough to reach that in 2018. And it all started with KAIST, when I made all those small contributions to different communities — now it all paid off. I just wanted to give to others, but the world gave more back to me.   What classes or activities did you pursue in KAIST that helped you in your career? I have some advice for students who are going to graduate. Whatever we learn in class, we’ll probably use less than two percent in our professional life. Of course, we should study hard, but we shouldn’t ignore the important parts like interpersonal relationships and critical thinking. Those are probably the best things I learn at KAIST. Critical thinking, finding the best out of a limited resource, making decisions, interpersonal relationships, effective communication, how to handle a group of people. KAIST gave me a lot of opportunities to improve myself in these things. My experience as president of KISA especially helped me with decision-making. Back then, we would have to make maybe two or three decisions a week, which was difficult. Now, in my company, I make 10 to 20 decisions a day.   What advice can you give to current KAIST international students? KAIST is full of opportunity — find them. Back then, I would go to different cafeterias and other departments and look at the notice boards to find out if I could be involved in some group or club, if I could contribute to a small event or gathering, if I could learn something new. Even outside the campus, like in churches, I would help collect old clothes to sell at the flea market. I also used to go to KI House and volunteer to emcee for different programs. Whatever community there is, I try to contribute. So don’t restrict yourselves. If you’re a physics major but you’re interested in a computer science project, go for it. Opportunity will not come to us; we have to explore in every possible way. It’s you who can make it happen.   Why did you choose to work for a Korean company?  Because I studied at KAIST, and the Korean government supported me the whole time, I wanted to give that contribution back to Korea. But India has also prepared me and contributed to me until now, so I wanted to bring the advanced concepts and technology in Korea to India. These two countries helped me reach where I am today. For me, working for a Korean company in India is the best way to do this. I get to stay with my parents here in India without forgetting about Korea.   What are the hardships/challenges that you face as a non-Korean working for a Korean company? Enormous. In a Korean company, the possibility of someone becoming a leader is one percent. For a non-Korean, that possibility is one out of 100,000. It was difficult because I needed to prove that I was ahead of my Korean competitors and come up with better solutions than them. To do that, I needed to be fluent in Korean. I studied Korean language and the reasons behind cultural norms to get into the mentality and philosophy of the Korean community. That takes time. It’s not one year or two years, or even five years. Like I said, I was preparing for 10 years. But if I could do it, anybody could do it. We all can do it, if we have that long patience.   What advice would you give to international students wanting to have a job at a Korean company? First of all, you need to decide which particular company you want. Do the research on that company. Its history, background, culture — find out everything before going for an interview. You also have to know in advance what you want to contribute to the company. When you come up with a proposal, they’ll see that you know how to look ahead. You need to be prepared. Think about how much preparation you do before taking the SAT. You continuously read and practice every day before sitting for the exam. So how much should you prepare for an interview?   Is there anything else you’d like to share with our readers? Whenever possible, try to put yourself through difficulties. For example, we exercise even if it is not easy, right? We do our most difficult practice before the SAT. Whether physically, mentally, or intellectually, challenge yourself. If the environment is not giving you difficulty, try to find it. You will evolve into a different person every time, a new butterfly after the cocoon.  

[해외동문 인터뷰] Meshingo Jack

The KAIST Herald interviewed KAIST international alumni about their experiences as students in KAIST and how these experiences have helped them in their current careers. This interview series was conducted in collaboration with International Scholar and Student Services (ISSS).     Please introduce yourself. When did you attend KAIST and what was your major? What is your current job and position? My name is Meshingo Jack. I joined KAIST in 2015 to pursue my master’s degree in Information and Telecommunication Technology, the ITT Program. It is based at KAIST Munji Campus. This is a fully-funded program under the Ministry of Science, ICT, and Future Planning, [and] I was selected among 21 other people from different countries to pursue this M.S. program. Maybe I could touch briefly on my achievements while I was at KAIST from 2015 to 2017. Firstly, one of the biggest honors that I got is the highest honor award under the [School of Business and Technology Management] in 2017. I think I was among the top ten [students] who performed very well during that semester. I also got the highest award for English TOPCIT in the whole country. TOPCIT is an ICT proficiency exam undertaken in Korea. It was a very great achievement for me, and I was able to assess my skills in terms of ICT and which area I really fit well in, either software development or services or ICT policy, so it was an eye-opener for me. And then one of the awards that I also got was on ICT collaboration between South Korea and developing countries, in this case my country, Botswana. In terms of my current job, I am employed by Botswana Communication Regulatory Authority. This is a regulator for telecommunications data. For instance, in Korea, there is KT Telecom, LG U+: these are the licensees that we license, i.e. we give them permission to be able to provide service to people, to enable people to call or access broadband services, etc. I am currently the Manager of the Broadband Policy Regulation, responsible for implementing the national broadband strategy, overseeing ICT policy and regulation in collaboration with the Ministry of ICT in the country, as well as just kick-starting the conversation and work around related technologies. I am also currently working with the President’s Office; I have been selected to be a part of the Digital Transformation Task Team, responsible for developing the digital transformation strategy. We are transitioning our country to the knowledge-based economy through adoption of digital technologies across the country without leaving anyone behind. This is one of the major projects that I am currently working on. I have since been [transferred] to the President’ Office in 2019. So we are busy implementing this strategy, and we are always looking towards countries like Korea that are really advanced in terms of ICT as a benchmark so that we accelerate digital transformation in our country.   What did you study for your Bachelor’s degree? I studied Information Systems. Actually when I got admitted for my BS degree, I was admitted to the program of Library and Information Science, but I always felt like this was not the area for me. I don’t know how I ended up there, but then after a year I decided to change my major to Information Systems, because that was the area that I was really interested in. So instead of completing my degree in four years, I had to complete it in three years because I could not get a scholarship or sponsorship for an additional year. I also graduated at the top of my class among those who were doing Information Systems [as a major].   What is your favorite memory from KAIST? It is probably around spring, you know how beautiful it is with all the cherry blossoms around campus, and also the magnolia trees. I used to hang around with my friends taking pictures because in the part of the world where I come from, in Botswana, it is mostly a desert as you know, so we do not get to see cherry blossoms. It is a beautiful memory for me, just the campus all white or pink. We would have strawberry picnics, sitting around campus on the grass, just enjoying the views. And I also enjoyed interacting with people of different nationalities, that multinational environment has really groomed me; it helped me to grow and learn to interact with many people from different aspects of life.  Do you still keep in touch with your classmates from KAIST?  Yes, I still do. I think mostly my friends are from Thailand, Uzbekistan, and African countries, like Kenya, Nigeria, and others, so we still keep in touch.  What were the challenges that you faced while studying at KAIST, and how did you overcome them? It was a rollercoaster for me in the beginning. As you know, the time difference between Botswana and South Korea is 7 hours, so my first few months were really a challenge, I was jetlagged for months. When I was supposed to wake up to go to class that’s when I was starting to feel sleepy because it’s nighttime here in Botswana. That was a major challenge for me, but I got used to it.  Another key challenge was that I left my husband and my baby at home. I just got married, and my daughter was just 5 years old, so leaving them behind really broke my heart. I would have sleepless nights just thinking about them. Trying to be a wife and be a parent away from home was just a challenge, but I am grateful for my husband. He managed to take on the mother and the father roles, and grow my daughter to be the responsible girl that she is now, she is 11. It helped just knowing that they are there for each other while I am away from home. We tried to reach those gaps by [visiting each other], especially around December, when the school was closed, and my husband could take leave, so that really helped. And another key challenge, I think that is a key one for every foreigner, was the language in the beginning. If you do not know Korean, I don’t know how you would be able to survive in Korea. Wherever you go, you need to know the language. The only thing I knew [in the beginning] was annyeonghaseyo that I had learned from the Korean dramas that I watched before I came to Korea. So yeah, I had to work around the clock to learn Korean. I was taking Korean classes for two years [along with classes from my major], and then also taking lessons from the “Talk to Me in Korean” podcast. I would listen to the recordings and other applications that were installed on my phone. So by the time that I graduated, I was TOPIK level 2. TOPIK wasn’t a requirement for my program though. I believe that if I stayed more in Korea, I would now be very fluent with my Korean. I just loved it, I loved the subject. One highlight in relation to learning: I remember this one time I was taking one course on the main campus, and my group members were Korean, and the TA was also Korean. We were supposed to have a group discussion about our project, and we met with the TA. All of a sudden, or naturally for them, the conversation started in Korean, and I was just there, lost, [wondering] where this conversation is going. I also wanted to be a part of this project, and also want to contribute the knowledge that I have. So after some time I just chipped in and said, “Guys, we need to work on this project together. I believe that we all know that this subject is delivered in English, so the discussion should be in English.” They apologized, and that’s when we started the discussion in English. I felt left out, but at least they listened, and we were able to go back on track and do everything in English. It is really important that we praise each other, the different languages, and just be there for each other, so that we all feel included, and no one feels left behind.  In fact, the school gets a lot of complaints from international students that the school environment does not feel inclusive here. But, you know, another thing is, I wouldn’t say that all Koreans are like that. I always left like I wasn’t lost, I made a family away from home. Koreans try to include you in everything they do, such as going to church, doing fun activities, or traveling. While I was [staying in the dorm], I always preferred having a Korean roommate because I knew that they would make me feel welcome.   Did your view of KAIST change from when you were studying in KAIST compared to after you graduated?  Why? Not at all — I still value the lessons that I learned from KAIST. It has helped me a great deal in my professional development. I still apply some of the lessons that I have learned there in everything that I do, including the assignment that I am working on national digital transformation strategy. I still have to go back to what I learned from KAIST and apply it. I also liked the way the classes were structured; I found that there were a lot of industry-academia collaborations taking place. We would have visiting professors from the industry, …who would join us to share their experience and help us mesh that with the theoretical aspect that we learned from school, so that really helped. Even after I graduated, I got invited to be a visiting lecturer in one of the local universities here called Botho. I was trying to share my work and relate it to the theoretical aspect, … [so that] students have a close relationship between what is happening in the academia world and the industry.  What would you say were the differences between your college in Botswana and KAIST in terms of academia, social life, etc.? Was it very different? Yes, I think it is really different. In Korea, during vacation, you can take holiday classes. And another one, in terms of industry-academia collaboration, we did not have such programs, just pure theoretical work. I think this industry-academia collaboration is really the key learning for my country, it is something that I would like to see happening [in my country]. It is happening to some extent, but I think we could do better in this aspect.   How did you choose your career? How did KAIST help you in your career choice? I have always had an interest in ICT from a young age. When we were growing up, we were not fortunate to have computers around us, but I think when I was at the age of 14, I could actually have access to a computer for a change. It was really fascinating learning all those programs, so I thought that I wanted to pursue this as I grew up. So it just came naturally to me that, when I was selected for a different major [for my BS], I had to change it such that my major is more around ICT. When I joined KAIST, I had a keen interest in digital transformation and imaging technologies and the Fourth Industrial Revolution. We always had people from the industry coming to share the work that they were doing on big data, analytics, AI, etc. These were fascinating topics for me. I wanted to see how we can adopt some of those technologies in my country, and just see how we can change or solve some of the socio-economic problems that we encountered. Upon my return, I think [adoption of these technologies to solve these problems] became the area that I really pushed so much, the key one being how we can universalize broadband similar to Korea, where you have access to high speed internet wherever you go.   What classes or activities did you pursue in KAIST that helped in your career? One of the key activities that I undertook while I was at KAIST was volunteering as a researcher at KAIST Global Commercialization Center (GCC) to kick-start the conversation on how Botswana and Korea can collaborate for the development of my country, and also display on the global level solutions to various problems that Botswana have implemented. I also managed to organize for KAIST GCC staff to visit my country twice to share what Korea has to offer in terms of technologies that can be adopted in Botswana. And we had one of the local organizations here becoming the center for KAIST GCC in Botswana that any organizations that are interested in collaborating with Korea can partner through. I also took taekwondo classes on campus as part of the program, and by the time that I graduated I was a red belt. I also encouraged my daughter to take on taekwondo as well, but she hates it! But it really helps you to unwind after a long day of work and even to keep fit because most of the time you are stuck at your computer or reading in the library, so I just recommend it to people for physical and mental fitness. I also want to add that, while I was a student at KAIST, I just tried to do different activities to be part of the community and to grow myself. [For example], if there is a conference, I would be a moderator or a part of the discussion panel just so that I could develop my public speaking skills, which are really needed to survive in this industry or anywhere in life. It really helped me a lot and also increased my knowledge in my career. So I would just encourage anyone to take on opportunities to stand in front of people and speak.  What advice can you give to current KAIST international students? I know that being in a foreign country can be really challenging, especially if you have left people back home, and you just don’t know anyone. I would encourage international students to keep going. In a year or two or four, you can go back to your country with something really meaningful that you have learned from Korea. So don’t give up, keep working hard, develop yourself every day, don’t miss opportunities for your development. One thing that I forgot to mention: during holidays, if my schedule allowed, I would take some courses on Coursera, just so that I could increase my knowledge in different areas and build on my skills, in addition to what I was learning in class. Use the opportunities to build yourself because you will need it in life, and then embrace every situation that comes your way and turn it into an opportunity. There is a saying that I really like, and it keeps me going all the time: “The pain you feel today is the strength you will feel tomorrow.” For every challenge encountered, there is always an opportunity for growth. So just keep going, and you will achieve [your goals] in the end, no matter what you are going through.  출처 : The KAIST Herald(http://herald.kaist.ac.kr)

[해외동문 인터뷰]Musokhon Mukayumkhonov

  The KAIST Herald interviewed KAIST international alumni about their experiences as students in KAIST and how these experiences have helped them in their current careers. This interview series was conducted in collaboration with International Scholar and Student Services (ISSS).  Please introduce yourself.  I’m Muso, I joined KAIST in 2014 and graduated in 2018. I did my bachelors in Computer Science and Business and Technology Management. Now I’m working at Naver as an Android developer.   What is your favorite memory in KAIST?  I can’t pick one favorite! Back then, ISSS used to give us money to hang out with friends, so we would cook barbecue and chill every month. I was also in a guitar club, and we had concerts, which are very good memories for me. KAIST also had a global outreach program, I went abroad to Thailand and did volunteering, all funded. I guess because of the coronavirus maybe they are not doing that now.   What were the challenges you faced while studying in KAIST, and how did you overcome them?  KAIST is definitely not easy. The competitiveness at KAIST is difficult if you don’t prepare. You feel like you always have to study more to catch up with Korean students, who normally study a lot. As a foreigner coming to Korea, it was challenging to overcome that. But I set my goal as just doing my best, rather than aiming for a 4.3 GPA. Of course, I also faced some challenges with language and culture. In the beginning, I had no Korean ability at all. Within the campus it’s normally okay, but outside KAIST you definitely need it. Since graduating I have really concentrated on learning Korean!   Did your view of KAIST change from when you were studying in KAIST compared to after you graduated? In what ways?  I don’t think my view changed exactly, but let me describe my feeling. When you are studying at KAIST you hear a lot of people saying “wow” or “you must be a genius”, and Korean people outside KAIST really envy you, but you don’t really see the effect of it while you are studying. After graduating though, when you apply to [Korean] companies, they see KAIST on your resume and it’s a real advantage. After graduating, I first worked at a small company. At the time I didn’t have good Korean, but I think they just assumed I would be good since I graduated from KAIST. I now see the value of the KAIST name in Korea.   How did you first choose your career? How did KAIST help in your career choices? For me, I really wanted to do computer science from the beginning. The freshman classes in biology and physics were bad for me! I was just able to stick to what I liked, which is programming.   What classes or activities did you pursue in KAIST that helped you in your career?  All the courses that I took were helpful, but in [field of computer science], people care about what you did, rather than the courses you took. In order to do some projects, you definitely need some strong foundations. So the classes I took at KAIST maybe didn’t directly affect my career path, but did indirectly influence [the projects I worked on]. Now I’m doing Android development, [which started] as a hobby in my second or third year in KAIST. I can’t recommend particular courses, but I just think everyone should pick the classes they are interested in.   What advice can you give to current KAIST international students? Learn Korean! As I said, I thought at first it wasn’t necessary because I would probably leave Korea, but now since [I graduated I regret not learning it sooner]. I realized that during my time at KAIST I actually had a lot of time compared to having a job, and I think “Wow, I had so much time back then, why didn’t I study Korean?” I just did my assignments and played football…  The only other thing is that you should really apply to internships. Companies look more for experience than at your grades, since everyone is similar. I think there are many internships here in Korea, but international students often don’t follow up or skip [notices] if they’re in Korean. You should follow up on announcements from big companies! I think, from personal experience, even if your Korean isn’t good you can still get the internships if you manage to submit all your documents. Even just use a translator!   Why did you choose to work in Korea?  I’m not sure if I chose to work here, or if I just ended up staying! My best job offer was in Korea, and back home (I’m from Tajikistan), there aren’t really a lot of computer science job opportunities. I don’t regret staying here at all!   What advice would you give to international students wanting to have a job in Korea? Well, like I said, I think learning Korean and getting internships are the most important thing. Don’t stress too much about grades because you probably will never have to even submit your transcript.  [In terms of the work environment,] I think many big companies are trying to be globalized, so hierarchy isn’t really an issue. In Naver, they really tried to eliminate it, and I call my boss by his name. In any company, I think you should make an effort to fit in, and adapt to the culture. When in Rome, do as Romans do, right? 출처 : The KAIST Herald(http://herald.kaist.ac.kr)