Stony Brook University SUNY Korea

  On Monday, January 29, 2024, SUNY Korea Research & Business Development Foundation (R&BDF), GM Employee Foundation Korea, and Incheon Metropolitan City Education Superintendent solidified their collaboration by signing a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU). This strategic partnership aims to enhance cooperation in a "GLOCAL" (global + local) Research Project. The agreement underscores the commitment of both organizations to generate fresh knowledge and value through AI education, cultivate innovative ideas that embrace diversity, and embody the principles of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) along with a "GLOCAL" approach. The GLOCAL Research Project is a collaborative initiative where professors and students work together to generate innovative solutions addressing global challenges encountered by both multinational corporations and Green Climate Fund (GCF) companies, utilizing the capabilities of AI. Approximately 50 people joined the MOU ceremony, including SUNY Korea R&BDF Executive Director Min-Koo Han, GM Employee Foundation Korea Secretary-General Myongok Yoon, Incheon Metropolitan City Education Superintendent Do Seong-hoon, and other distinguished guests. The ceremony included presentations from four student academic clubs, each highlighting the results of their research projects developed over the past year. The event was marked by a congratulatory speech, followed by the official signing ceremony.

At Stony Brook, the collaborative spirit among students is palpable, and nowhere is this more evident than in the Vertically Integrated Projects (VIP) team of faculty, undergraduate and graduate students, working together on tissue regeneration research.   The VIP Program unites undergraduates, graduate students and faculty members in multidisciplinary teams to work on long-term, real-world projects in research, design and entrepreneurship. Two years ago, Miriam Rafailovich, distinguished professor in the Department of Materials Science and Chemical Engineering, along with Marcia Simon, professor in the Department of Oral Biology and Pathology in the School of Dental Medicine; Gurtej Singh, associate professor in the Department of Surgery in the Renaissance School of Medicine at Stony University; and Alexander Dagum, MD, chief of the Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery Division in the Renaissance School of Medicine, discussed whether it would be possible to 3D print skin tissue and posed this question to the VIP students. Click here to see the original article

When Grace Chen, Fashion Design ’96, sees a woman, she thinks of her as being in a story. Through her designs, Chen tries to help that woman fit into her story or inspire her to play her role even better. Chen, an FIT alumna who established her own brand in China in 2009, discussed her design journey with Cathleen Sheehan, chair of the Fashion Design MFA program, on Jan. 23 in the Katie Murphy Amphitheatre. The evening comprised a meet and greet with the designer, a fashion show of Chen’s designs, and the one-on-one conversation. Click here to see the original article  

Last fall, The RealReal, an online marketplace for authenticated resale luxury goods, partnered with FIT to offer Fashion Design students the opportunity to design and create a luxury, sustainable, upcycled coat from unsold items in The RealReal’s inventory. This collaboration is the first time the online consignment company has partnered with a higher education institution. This challenge was created to promote sustainable practices in fashion and give new life to luxury clothing. Eight finalists were selected to design the coats; the industry judges were RealReal president and COO Rati Sahi Levesque, VIP stylist Erin Walsh, and model Pat Cleveland. Click here to see the original article

On Monday, January 22nd, SUNY Korea launched the Access to Excellence (AE) Program for the newly enrolled freshmen of the Spring 2024 semester. Scheduled to run from January 22 to February 2, the program is designed to offer comprehensive academic support, focusing on collegiate-level English and Math classes. During these two weeks, 52 incoming students will have the opportunity to immerse themselves in coursework, connect with their peers, and integrate into the college community, aiding their adaptation to university life. The primary goal of the AE Program is to help the incoming students prepare both mentally and academically for the upcoming Spring 2024 semester. The program boasts a diverse curriculum, featuring a morning session dedicated to Academic Speaking & Writing (English) and an afternoon session offering a Refresher STEM Class (Math). In addition, students who demonstrate excellence in attendance and exhibit the most improvement in their grades will receive recognition and rewards. The AE program presents a unique opportunity for freshmen to elevate their scores in placement exams and establish a robust academic foundation for their journey at SUNY Korea.  

The 130 members of the Class of 2024 Fashion Scholarship Fund (FSF) Scholars and Virgil Abloh Post-Modern Scholars were announced on Thursday, January 18. Among the winners are two FIT students, Jennifer DeBellis, Advertising and Marketing Communications ’26, and Lily Noble, Fashion Design AAS ’24. FSF awards scholarships based on an annual competition in which students submit case studies addressing a particular theme. This year, the competition focused on environmental, social, and corporate governance (ESG) pillars such as sustainability and circularity, accessibility and community, and technology. click here to read the original article  

International research team led by SBU’s Jin Koda to present “molecular cloud” research at national meeting The mystery of star formation in galaxies continues to intrigue astronomers worldwide. Yet, a key question remains just how and why and where do stars form in the Universe? A new discovery from an international team of astronomers provides a significant clue to star formation. Led by Jin Koda, a professor in the Department of Physics and Astronomy, the research team used the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) and investigated the far edge of the spiral galaxy M83, at a distance of 15 million light years from Earth. They uncovered 23 concentrations of dense molecular gas called “molecular clouds,” which are evidence of the birthing region of stars. Click here to see the original article

Two students from Stony Brook’s School of Communication and Journalism (SoCJ) won Hearst Journalism Awards for video storytelling and feature writing.  Rafael Fonseca Cruvinel, a senior, placed 11th of the top 20 winners in the country for his feature story on pop culture’s influence on Oheka Castle.  Recent graduate Justin Mitselmakher also placed 11th out of 20 in the multimedia narrative storytelling category for his video on the history of HIV/AIDS in the U.S., as told through the eyes of a New Yorker.  “Our students tell stories that regularly rank among the best student journalism in the country,” said George Giokas, a journalism instructor who oversees the Hearst nominations. “I’m proud of their work, particularly as the recognition helps them to grow in confidence in their abilities and experience.” Click here to read the original article

More than 225 people gathered on Tuesday, December 12, at the UNIQLO Fifth Avenue Global Flagship Store to celebrate the launch of RE.LIVE, an exclusive upcycling collection developed by FIT students in partnership with UNIQLO to reimagine new, creative solutions for unsellable product. This marks UNIQLO’s first collaboration with a U.S.-based college, and it is the latest initiative from its RE.UNIQLO program, which is committed to extending the life of clothes through repairing, reusing, remaking, and recycling. Under the guidance of FIT’s DTech Lab, three Fashion Design BFA students and two Advertising and Digital Design BFA students from the Class of 2024 collaborated on the RE.LIVE project, from inception through to the campaign rollout. The collection is now available at the RE.UNIQLO Studio inside its Fifth Avenue store. Click here to read the original article.

  SUNY Korea celebrated its Fall 2023 Commencement Ceremony on Friday, December 15th, 2023, in the IGC Auditorium. A total of 54 Stony Brook University students graduated from the AMS, BM, CS, ME, and TS departments: 50 Bachelor’s Degrees and 4 Master’s Degrees. During SUNY Korea’s Commencement Ceremony, the national anthems of both South Korea and the United States of America are played. This year, Haemin Kim, a student from the Computer Science department, had the honor of performing the national anthem with his amazing talent in guitar. The Commencement Address was delivered by SUNY Korea’s President, Arthur H. Lee, followed by Stony Brook University’s President, Dr. Maurie McInnis, and Dr. Haresh Gurnani, Dean of the College of Business at Stony Brook University. Junseop Lee, from the Mechanical Engineering department, was granted the opportunity to speak as the Valedictorian. President Arthur H. Lee congratulated the graduating students, stating, “Today is the day we celebrate your graduation! I hope you will carry with you strong determination and commitment to make your contribution to a better a world and to exemplify the best of SUNY Korea spirit.” President of Stony Brook University, New York, Dr. Maurie Mclnnis also congratulated the students, saying, “Congratulations to the class of 2023. As new graduates you will now be officially joining the community of Stony Brook University’s 210,000 alumni across the globe, full of friends and colleagues who can support all your ambitions and help celebrate all the wonderful things you achieve. We can’t wait to see the exciting future that stems from your unique level of thoughtful compassion and humility.” This year Haresh Gurnani, the College of Business Dean, from Stony Brook University, visited SUNY Korea to attend the Fall 2023 Commencement Ceremony. He also extended his congratulations to the students, expressing by, "In the globalized world we live today the significance of internal education cannot be overstated, SUNY Korea has provided you with a unique and enriching environment that transcends your graphical boundaries. Remember that graduation is not just an end, but also a beginning.” In closing, the Fall 2023 Commencement Ceremony at SUNY Korea was a testament to the hard work, dedication, and resilience of the graduating students. As the graduates embark on the next chapter of their lives, may they carry the SUNY Korea spirit with them — a spirit of excellence, curiosity, and a commitment to making a difference. Congratulations, Class of 2023, and best wishes on your exciting journey ahead!   Click here to watch the Fall 2023 Commencement highlight video

  Meet Prince-David Malendele, a 2021 SUNY Korea graduate and current Associate Staff Mechanical Engineer at Brookhaven National Laboratory (BNL). In this interview, he shares his journey from SUNY Korea to BNL, highlighting his research achievements, career aspirations in superconducting materials, and his significant role in the Electron-Ion Collider project.  Introduce yourself. My name is Prince-David, and I graduated from SUNY Korea in 2021 with a bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering and a Master’s degree from Stony Brook in 2022 through the accelerated master’s program. I am currently working as an Associate Staff Mechanical Engineer on the Electron-Ion Collider at Brookhaven National Laboratory (BNL).   Why did you choose SUNY Korea SBU? I chose SUNY Korea SBU because it has a very good engineering program offering courses in machine design, thermal systems, engineering analysis and robotics that aligned with my interest. Also, I was on a full scholarship that allowed me to get a college degree without taking student loans or worrying about financing my education.  What was your greatest accomplishment as a student at SUNY Korea? As a student at SUNY Korea, my greatest accomplishment was giving a poster presentation at the Korean Society of Mechanical Engineering (KSME)’s annual convention in the fall of 2021. The presentation was about a research project I worked on with Professor Changwoon Han on predicting failure in solder joints of Printed Circuit Boards (PCB). A paper regarding that project was later published in the KSME’s journal. All of this was done in Korean.  What are your research interests and career goals? I am currently an Associate Engineer (Level 3) at BNL, and my current role is related to the design of superconducting magnets, radio-frequency cavities, and vacuum systems. I aim to become an expert in superconducting materials and systems while moving up the rank at BNL to become a Principal Engineer (Level 10), then hopefully a manager or director. Those positions require at least 15-20 years of engineering experience with significant contributions to the field.  Where do you see yourself in the next 5 years? The Electron-Ion Collider is a one-of-a-kind nuclear physics research machine that was approved and funded by the US Department of Energy in 2021 but is expected to be fully built and operational by 2035. In the next 5 years, I will still be working on designing, manufacturing, and testing components or systems for the Electron-Ion Collider. Hopefully, by then I will be a Senior Engineer (Level 7). I am also considering pursuing a PhD in superconducting materials and systems while actively working at BNL.   To watch the interview, CLICK HERE

The National Academy of Inventors, Stony Brook University Chapter (NAI-SBU) presented its 2023 Young Academic Inventors Award to Sima Mofakham, Jann Stavro and Yifan Zhou. The winners, announced during the NAI-SBU Chapter Annual Meeting in May, presented a short lecture of their inventions at the Young Academic Inventors Award Symposium via Zoom on December 11. They were each honored with a certificate and a $1,000 award. Click here to read the original articles.

  On Friday, December 8th, 2023 SUNY Korea donated 30,000,000 KRW worth of rice to the City of Incheon. The donation, equivalent to 8,960 kilograms (448 bags of 20 kg each), is a demonstration of SUNY Korea’s commitment to making a positive impact on the local community. The rice has been distributed among 21 different Social Welfare Centers in Incheon. Notably, the donated rice was grown locally in Incheon, exemplifying that the donation not only provides support to those in need but also actively contributes to the community. The Giveaway Ceremony was attended by President Arthur H. Lee, Provost Hamid Hefazi, and Student Ambassador Gibson Katuma. Representing the Incheon District, Mr. Jeong-Bok Yoo, the Mayor of Incheon Metropolitan City, Daeheung Cho, President of the Association of Social Welfare Centers in Incheon, and Vice Presidents Kyung-im Lim and Jongsil Park were also present to acknowledge this donation. SUNY Korea, a global institution dedicated to providing high-quality education, has always emphasized the importance of social responsibility and hospitality, or as we call it, ‘Live with Others.’ This notable donation reflects SUNY Korea’s commitment to not only academic excellence but also instilling in students a profound sense of social commitment toward the community. As the holiday season approaches, SUNY Korea’s donation serves as a reminder of the value of giving. SUNY Korea hopes to enrich the lives of those in need and is dedicated to bringing a brighter future for all.

  Understanding University Rankings University Rankings are a major factor for many students when selecting which university to attend. They are generally perceived as an important indication of prestige of the university and quality of their research and education.  There are many university rankings published annually. Some rankings evaluate universities within a single country, while others assess institutions worldwide. In the United States, U.S. News and World Report, The Wall Street Journal and Forbes Magazine are among the more recognized rankings. In Korea the Korean Council for University Education evaluates universities.  Times Higher Education (THE), QS World University Rankings®, U.S. News & World Report and Academic Ranking of World Universities (ARWU) also known as Shanghai rankings are among the more recognized global university rankings.  THE World University Rankings 2023 included 1,799 universities across 104 countries. It used 18 performance indicators (PIs) to determine the rankings. Research environment and research quality make up 59% of the grade with teaching 29.5%. International collaboration and international outlook are also considered (10%)  QS world university rankings are prepared by the British Company Quacquarelli Symonds (QS). The 20th edition of the rankings featured 1,500 universities across 104 locations. The highest weighted PI in QS ranking is the Academic Reputation of the University (30%) followed by faculty citations (20%). Since 2023, QS has included Sustainability, Employment Outcomes and International Research Network (each 5%) in their methodology. Teaching related measures (faculty student ratio) only determines 10% of the grades.   The 2022-2023 U.S. News & World Report Best Global Universities Rankings included 2000 universities from 95 countries. The rankings are based on thirteen PIs, all of which are research oriented with no teaching related indicators involved.  ARWU published by Shanghai Ranking Consultancy, considers every university that has any Nobel Laureates, Fields Medalists, Highly Cited Researchers, or papers published in Nature or Science. In addition, universities with a significant amount of papers indexed by Science Citation Index-Expanded (SCIE) and Social Science Citation Index (SSCI) are also included. In 2022 a total of more than 2500 universities were ranked, and the best 1000 were published. ARWU uses four general indicators consisting of quality of education (10%), quality of faculty (40%), research output (40%) and per Capita Performance (10%).  Quality of education and faculty are determined by such measures as the number of alumni and faculty receiving Nobel Prizes, Field Medals and highly cited research.   As it can be seen, these rankings are heavily focused on research and reputation of the universities. THE is probably a more balanced ranking system which includes teaching among its PIs.  University rankings have been criticized by many. One of the main criticisms has been that rankings reduces the universities’ performances to a set of numbers alone which can not convey the broader experience of education. Furthermore, these rankings pay minimal attention to the real-world undergraduate experience. Factors that can make a huge difference to a positive education.  As a result, some universities have been accused of “fudging” the data or “playing the numbers game” to improve their rankings without any consideration for the quality of their education. As an example, a number of Law Schools started to put more emphasis on LSAT scores after U.S. News gave more weight to the average LSAT scores of entering students. This came at the price of all other measures that could indicate the success of students. Another problem with university rankings is the focus on perceived reputation. The QS and Shanghai rankings have been criticized for their overemphasis on these factors. Would hiring more Nobel Prize laureates on faculty really improve quality of education, particularly undergraduate education, where many of them may not even teach?  As a result of these controversies some universities have recently dropped out of rankings such as U.S. News. Withdraws form U.S. News rankings is most significant among Law schools and Medical Schools where almost all of the major universities such as Harvard, Columbia, John Hopkins, etc. Have recently dropped out. Among undergraduate program rankings, Colombia is the most recognized school that will no longer participate.  The general recommendation of many educators to students is that they should not consider rankings as the only (and even most significant) criterion for selecting schools. They should rather evaluate which university and program fits their profile and needs best and allows them to achieve their full potential. Click here to read the article.

  On Saturday, December 2nd, the Math Competition Award Ceremony was held. The Math Competition took place last month, on November 11th, and not only SUNY Korea students but also high school students were allowed to participate. The required math levels that students needed to know were Algebra, Trigonometry, Geometry, and Probability. 65 students participated in this competition; 27 were SUNY Korea students, and 38 were students from 24 different high schools.  Six SUNY Korea students received awards. Jin Wook Lee, a sophomore majoring in Applied Mathematics and Statistics (AMS), won First Place. Two freshmen, Su Min Jeong from Mechanical Engineering and Jung Jae Park from AMS, won Excellence Awards. Lastly, Honorable Mention Prizes went to three AMS students, Seyoung Ki who is a sophomore, Hojoon Choi who is a senior, and So Won Park who is a sophomore.  In the Award Ceremony, many SUNY Korea faculty and students attended, including Provost Hamid Hefazi, Professor Hongshik Ahn, Chair of the Applied Mathematics and Statistics Department, and the student winners. Professor Ahn opened the award ceremony with a welcome speech, and Provost Hefazi gave a congratulatory speech and awarded the prizes.    Written by Student Reporter, Hyeonha Hwang (hyeonha.hwang@stonybrook.edu)