Prof. Han Woong Yeom (PHYS), the Director of the Center for Atomic Wires & Layers
Settling Down 2010, and Making Outcome 2011
Professor Han Woong Yeom of the Department of Physics came to POSTECH this year after a distinguished career at the University of Tokyo and Yonsei University. As many as his previous achievements as a successful researcher were, the change he was eager to have and experienced is quite large. To introduce a personal impression of the director of a new-born research center, The Postech Times asked him about the closing of 2010 and the upcoming 2011.
Prof. Yeom began, “Of course, coming to POSTECH was one of the biggest changes in my life. It was a new start. I wanted valuable things which cannot be attained in a large city like Seoul. It’s not only about the role I have as a recruited professor at POSTECH, it can also be private. A garden, a personal house, the sea, and accessibility to other places made me happy. Different from many people who criticize the inadequacy of Pohang, I came here to get what I want and I am satisfied with it.”
For him, hopes of the first New Year at Pohang are also important. He proceeded, “In the New Year, I want my family members to seek happiness of living here like me. It was also a huge change for them. On the other hand, I hope my research center to be activated and fertile, based on the frameworks constructed this year. Some fruitions are necessary in the New Year.”
One of Prof. Yeom’s unique features is his Ph.D from Japan. His Center for Atomic Wires & Layers, composed of four research professors, reflects a Japanese style of research. In addition, he introduced a different side of research culture in Japan: “In Japan, seniors help students to get a good job and settle down. On the other hand, it seems more competitive in Korea.”
In addition, he had once been in POSTECH for the master’s course. It has been almost 20 years since then. His changed viewpoint is also interesting. He noted, “About something unsatisfied, I feel my position is changed. As an educator and researcher, I think about how to solve it, rather than to complain.”
For an hour, he mentioned a lot of things about his personal life and his point-of-view on POSTECH. It will be interesting to see how he leads research as he did in his previous career and solves problems of the department and school.
Reporter Lee Sang-min
Enjoying My Life at POSTECH
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- Introduce yourself.
My name is Sandip Ray and I am from India. My previous university was Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) in Kharagpur and I am currently a regular graduate student in Department of Chemical Engineering in POSTECH.
-Looking back, what was the most memorable part of your life at POSTECH in year 2010?
The most memorable day was the Gyeongju Tour with the people in Dormitory for International Cultural Exchange (DICE). In that tour we have visited the whole city and we learned how to make rice cake, wore Korean traditional dress, played Korean traditional games, listened to beautiful tradition Korean songs and enjoyed a lot. In that tour only, I made many international and Korean friends. After that, every moment has been memorable for me with all of my friends.
-You must feel somewhat different to celebrate the New Year in a foreign country. Do you have any special plans to celebrate?
In this New Year celebration I’ll miss my family and my old friends but I’m sure that my new Korean and other international friends will fill that blank. We became like a family. I’m very excited.
-What are your New Year’s resolutions?
I would like to learn Korean language, work hard in my lab and want to make more and more friends here.
-What is your wish from the university? What do you think is the area that needs to be worked on next year at POSTECH?
A little bit more scholarship, because with more than half of the scholarship we have to pay for the tuition fee and the remaining money is not enough.
Apart from this, I don’t think POSTECH really needs to work on anything in terms of international student welfare. It is a very good university, professors are helpful and kind, we have very good facilities here and I am proud to be a Postechian. Love you POSTECH! Love you South Korea!
Reporter Kim Eun-ji
Haeun Chung (PHYS, Junior), exchange student to the University of Minnesota
Thinking about My Alma Mater
POSTECH’s International Relations Office operates exchange student programs which give students an opportunity to study abroad and immerse themselves in foreign cultures for one or two semesters. Annually, nearly 30 undergraduate students visit partner universities around the world.
One of the attendees, Haeun Chung of the Department of Physics spent the last semester at the University of Minnesota, and welcomes the New Year in a distant place.
Mr. Chung noted, “Welcoming the New Year in a foreign country is so meaningful by itself. Now I’m in New York, and the mood of the New Year and Christmas is so expressive and satisfactory.”
For undergraduate students, being an exchange student is a very important chance to live in a totally different environment. He expressed his impression about that: “In the case of the University of Minnesota, it’s a huge university of top five student numbers in the United States. It has made it a little difficult to make new relationships with others. I think to experience an unfamiliar and large society is necessary for students in the longer view.”
About the awareness of POSTECH, which many members are curious about, he proceeded, “Not as much as a developed evaluation on us, personal awareness is still not common. At that point, efforts of each member are needed and I believe it will be better in a short time.”
For the next semester, Mr. Chung plans to concentrate on research participation and to prepare graduation after he returns. Closing his letter he commented, “I have enjoyed a lot of benefits here. However, it feels something like a reward for a cost, not a real benefit. I realized what POSTECH has granted to me, and I want to say thank you to my school.”
Reporter Lee Sang-min
