Stony Brook University SUNY Korea

  Computer Science major Sooa Kim won 1st place in the 2023 Jeju Digital Social Innovation Hackathon Competition. The Hackathon competition, hosted by the Jeju Special Self-Governing Province, was held on September 21st – 22nd. The theme of this year’s competition was proposing ideas for products or services that solve societal issues using digital technology. Sooa Kim came in first by proposing a customized power monitoring platform. “In Jeju, which has declared carbon neutrality since 2012 and is actively working to expand new and renewable energy sources, citizens can use the time-of-use electricity rate system that takes into consideration the characteristics of new and renewable energy. The time-of-use rate system is a shifting of electricity rates based on the season and time of day, and the ultimate goal is to match the supply curve of renewable energy and the demand curve for electricity. Accordingly, we proposed “Jirit” (찌릿, the sound of an electric shock), a customized power monitoring platform that encourages citizen participation by providing real-time monitoring of power usage and user-centered data analysis that induces demand response using incentives. Through this, we can expect economic benefits for electricity users and a carbon reduction effect through the time-based rate system. It was a meaningful time to address the shortcomings of the existing power analysis platform with technology optimized for Jeju Island's unique power system. I had the opportunity to receive feedback from professional mentors regarding the issues that needed improvement when the platform is put into use, and this led me to consider a more user-centered approach.

The Impact of Artificial Intelligence (AI) on University Education A recent study claimed that ChatGPT, the popular AI chatbot, completed the Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s (MIT) undergraduate curriculum in mathematics, computer science, and electrical engineering with 100-percent accuracy. While the study is a preprint, meaning that it hadn’t yet passed through peer review it has 15 authors, including several MIT professors.  Recent progresses in AI technology have raised several important questions for university educators. Will AI reduce students’ creativity? With access to vast amounts of information, students can use AI to solve their homework and assignments, rather than using their own creativity and knowledge to solve such problems. Does AI technology impact all fields of education equally? Will AI technology take away the control of education from universities and give control to major technology companies? Can AI effectively be used to improve higher education? While the answers to these and many other questions are still being debated, several conclusions can already be made.  AI technology will greatly impact higher education and we must accept that the traditional models of higher education must change dramatically. Technology will continue to advance and unless students and faculty adapt, they will be eliminated from the modern education system.  A major potential impact of AI is to change the education system from a teaching-centered to a learning-centered system. In this system students will have a much more active role in a class. The faculty will not play the only active role in a class, but the main participation will come from students. The impact is not limited to the role of the faculty. An AI based education system can move towards individualized education. It is understood that the learning ability of students can be very different. AI allows faculty to recognize these differences and provide individualized models of learning to different students and actively monitor their progress.  While AI technology can be used in all fields, the level of its application can be different. For example, in areas such as chemistry and biology and mechanical engineering where visual modeling is important AI can have a lot of applications. In contrast in fields such as theoretical mathematics, the application may be less.  The application of AI tools such as ChatGPT in some of the areas of arts or humanities such as language and literature can be significant. In general, the impact in theoretical fields may be more limited.  A properly designed AI based education actually may help advance students’ creativity. For example, in the current educational system students are asked to memorize a lot of information. Using AI, the system instead can focus more on analysis and research of complex problems. Obviously, the types of questions must change from simple questions to those requiring research and analysis. Questions which can be answered through an Internet search are not typically complex problems faced in industry and society anyway.   Students today are very technology savvy, mastering any new technology very quickly. Continuous training for faculty to keep up with students in this regard is essential. Today we are educating students for jobs that do not yet exist. The same conditions apply to AI based education. Many faculty were educated when such technologies did not exist. This gap between what faculty learned and what they need to apply today must be addressed with sustained continuing education. Utilizing teams of faculty with different expertise is a way of addressing this issue. Addressing a complex problem such as this requires educational authorities to develop a road map, utilizing faculty administrators and experts who believe in the need for change to bring this new technology into the educational system.  Click here to read the article.

Stony Brook University’s admissions application rate and enrollment experienced new highs in the 2023-2024 academic year, along with its largest-ever incoming first-year class. The increases in application and enrollment rates were announced by Vice Provost for Enrollment Management and Retention Dawn Medley. The increases come as the university continues to build momentum, including being named a New York State flagship university as well as the anchor institution of The New York Climate Exchange, and receiving a $500 million endowment from the Simons Foundation. Click here to read the original article.

Chris Johnson, an associate professor in the College of Arts and Sciences Department of Chemistry, was announced as the winner of the 2023 Stony Brook Foundation Discovery Prize on September 18. The $200,000 Discovery Prize is awarded to an early-career Stony Brook faculty member in the STEM disciplines whose pioneering project embraces risk and innovation and embodies the potential of discovery-driven research. It is intended to advance and support the career of a rising star on the Stony Brook faculty, whose ideas and research may be so revolutionary that traditional funding agencies may be unlikely to provide support. At the Discovery Prize finals in the Charles B. Wang Center Theatre, Johnson presented his research proposal, “A New Platform to Track the Chemistry of Climatically Relevant but Currently Underaddressed Ultrafine Aerosol Particles.” Click here to read the original article.

Stony Brook ranked #1 among public universities in New York, #26 among public universities in the U.S. and #58 nationally in 2024 Best Colleges Stony Brook University has achieved its highest-ever rankings — and the highest rank ever for a SUNY institution — in U.S. News & World Report’s 2024 America’s Best Colleges publication. Stony Brook, New York’s flagship university, is ranked #58 among national universities, a 19-position jump from #77 a year ago, which had been the university’s previous best ranking. SBU is also #1 among public universities in New York for the second year in a row and #26 among public universities nationwide, a five-spot increase from 2023. Stony Brook is tied with the University of Connecticut in the national rankings, and maintained its status as the top public university in New York. It also was ranked #12 among national universities for social mobility, tied for second among all AAU institutions.  Click here to read more

On September 6, at the David Koch Theater at Lincoln Center, The Museum at FIT (MFIT) held its annual Couture Council Luncheon, honoring sustainability trailblazer Gabriela Hearst. Hearst, creative director of her namesake brand and French luxury fashion house Chloé, received the 2023 Couture Council Artistry of Fashion Award. “Just when I thought I couldn’t feel any more special or get more emotional,” Hearst said, “I get this honor from one of the most renowned fashion institutions in the world.” FIT President Joyce F. Brown and MFIT Director Valerie Steele both gave a warm welcome to guests. Jamie Nordstrom, chief stores officer of Nordstrom, shared remarks expressing pride in Nordstrom’s support of FIT and its up-and-coming, creative talent. Click here to read the original article.

Intelligent.com, a site that helps prospective students choose colleges, has ranked two FIT majors at the top of its list of the Best Interior Design Programs of 2023. FIT’s Interior Design program, which offers an AAS and BFA, was ranked first among the top 40 undergraduate programs, with a score of 99.13 out of 100. The list included many state universities and private colleges with renowned interior design programs. “Interior Design at FIT is exceptional because we are CIDA accredited, have a robust curriculum, and are committed to diversity,” says Carmita Sanchez-Fong, chair of the department. “We work closely with several nonprofit and mentorship organizations, including IIDA, ACE, Urban Assembly, and New York Cares.” Click here to read the original article.

Preeti Arya, Textile Development and Marketing, has developed a bio-based, biodegradable textile using a combination of lab-grown materials including SCOBY (symbiotic culture of bacteria and yeast) made from kombucha. In addition to its earth-friendly properties, the new composite is also edible. Her son had challenged her to create the textile. He knew about her interest in sustainability and asked, “Why don’t you make something completely biodegradable?” She applied for and received a Faculty Development Grant and a Sustainability Grant to fund the research. Arya experimented with various combinations of materials. It took a few attempts to get the mix right. Vartest Laboratories, an independent New York City textile-testing lab, found that the material was strong enough for numerous applications, including as a bag, wallet, or glasses case. Click here to read the original article.

  This week on Wednesday, the Mechanical Engineering Department welcomed 44 undergraduate and 9 graduate students to the “ME Open Lab Day”. Both the undergraduate and graduate students had the opportunity to get an overview of the various research areas in the Mechanical Engineering Department, prepared by the great professors of the ME Department. During this event, students were able to learn about the MEIC Lab, System Integration Lab, Water Technology Lab, Bio Sensor Fabrication Lab, along with others. Moreover, students were able to connect with all of the department professors, explore their interests, and find out about their study options.   Please check out the video of the ME Open Lab Day from the link below. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WeRz_2Bk-4E

  SUNY Korea and Jones International Christian School (JICS) signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) on Wednesday, September 6th, 2023 to establish a collaborative relationship to promote academic achievement and college readiness for students of JICS.  The MoU was signed by Arthur H. Lee, President of SUNY Korea, and Mindy Lee, Principal of JICS, in agreeance of collaboration with organizing educational programs for students and parents, developing various community engagement programs, and student exchange.  President Arthur H. Lee stated, “It is an honor to formalize and enhance our partnership with Jones International Christian School, and I am delighted to meet you here at SUNY Korea. This MoU is a great opportunity as we can play our role in the global setting of this international city, Songdo. I envision that the students of JICS will be able to come to SUNY Korea after they graduate high school and we will be able to do our best to inherit what you have done, and have them go out and change the world to make an impact in the global setting. I hope this relationship will be a long lasting one and I am excited to be able to work with you.” Following President Lee’s message, Mindy Lee, Principal of JICS, added, in her welcoming speech, “We are very much looking forward to this partnership. We share the commonalities to raise global leaders. Our hope is to train students and get them ready for institutions like SUNY Korea. SUNY Korea has a strong presence not only in Songdo, but in Korea overall. Once again, thank you for creating this opportunity.”  

Linda Kim, an FIT professor, has participated in two global exhibitions this summer: 2023 SFTI-Piattaforma Moda International Exhibition in Milan and 2023 International Fashion Art Exhibition in Stockholm. The 2023 SFTI-Piattaforma Moda International Exhibition took place in Milan, Italy from July 6th-8th. The Korean Society of Fashion & Textile Industry and Piattaforma Sistema FormativoModa ETS (Piattaforma) co-hosted this international exhibition, with the theme of ‘Making Fashion Circular’.   Darkness to Light For this exhibition, Professor Kim designed artwork that was naturally dyed using indigo, nutgall, and red soil on upcycled and braided denim shirts. The piece of art is called “Darkness to Light,” because it portrays a gradient of the dyed colors in the clothing. Another exhibition Professor Kim participated in was the 2023 International Fashion Art Exhibition in Stockholm, Sweden. An ongoing exhibition from August 22nd to September 22nd, exhibits promote the charm of K-fashion under the theme of Obangsaek (오방색: the color scheme of the five traditional Korean colors that include white, black, blue, yellow, and red). Professor Kim designed a piece, “Cheonggiwa Hanok,’ that represents the Korean Traditional House with blue roof tiles by layering this organza and translucent mesh fabric: the elegant curves of blue roof tiles, and the shadows and light reflected on the window paper are expressed. Cheonggiwa Hanok (Korean Traditional House with Blue Roof Tiles) Professor Linda Kim is an International Director at The Korean Society of Fashion Business and a Full Member at The Korea Fashion & Culture Association. Professor Kim has participated in numerous international fashion exhibitions and fashion shows, and has been at SUNY Korea since 2014. 

SUNY Korea is proud to recognize students’ achievements. Here are some notable achievements by our graduates and currently enrolled students.   Prince-David Malendel, who graduated in Fall 2021 with a Bachelor’s Degree in Mechanical Engineering at Stony Brook University, achieved his Master’s Degree in Stony Brook and secured a position at Brookhaven National Laboratory (BNL) as an Associate Staff Mechanical Engineer. BNL is known for winning seven Nobel Prizes and 37 R&D Awards.  YoungHoon Kim, a Business Management graduate of the Spring 2021 semester, got employed as a Data Analyst at Samsung Electronics. Samsung Electronics is one of the most famous global brands and is widely known for their wide production in electronic devices.  Seonbin Jeon, a Spring 2023 Technological Systems Management graduate, recently got hired at EY Hanyoung for the technology transformation consulting position. EY Hanyoung, one the largest professional services networks in the world, provides a wide variety of services that include tax assurance, transactions, accounting, and related auditing services. Su Rin Kim, Spring 2023 Mechanical Engineering graduate, got an OPT and started her career at DiLandro Andrews Engineering (NY) as a MEP Engineer. DiLandro Andrews Engineering specializes in civil, structural, and mechanical engineering services. Xuezhu Wang, a Spring 2021 Applied Mathematics and Statistics graduate, has been admitted to UC Irvine for his Master’s Degree in Business Administration. Bethlehem Kebede, another Spring 2021 Applied Mathematics and Statistics graduate, has been admitted to Georgia Tech for his Master’s Degree in Analysis.   Currently Enrolled Students’ Achievements Two currently Sophomores from the Business Management Department, Hyeonik Park and Junhee Kim, passed the AICPA exam during this summer in July. Interviews with the students will be posted, so be alerted. Click here to watch the interview: https://youtu.be/C5t4JfJt28k?feature=shared

Mengkun Liu, an associate professor in the College of Arts and Sciences’ Department of Physics and Astronomy at Stony Brook University, has received a $1.25 million grant from the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation as part of its Experimental Physics Investigators Initiative. Allocated over the next five years, this award is dedicated to supporting the ambitions of investigators at the forefront of experimental physics research. Professor Liu is one of 21 scientists to receive a grant in the initiative’s second round of funding. Click here to read the original article.  

  Last Friday, the State University of New York, Korea (Stony Brook University and Fashion Institute of Technology) held its Fall 2023 Convocation Ceremony in Songdo, Incheon. A total of 231 new students took part in this ceremony. Welcoming remarks and congratulatory speeches were given by SUNY Korea President Arthur H. Lee, Executive Director of SUNY Korea Dr. Imin Kao, and FIT Professor and Chair of Fashion Business Management Vincent Quan. The Convocation Ceremony also included an Oath presented by two selected freshmen students, the awarding of scholarships, and the badge ceremony. President Lee welcomed students from 18 countries, including 3 new countries for SUNY Korea – Mauritius, Morocco, and Peru – and added: “Dream big enough to change the world and don’t be afraid of failure.” In addition, Professor Quan reminded the new students that FIT ranked first globally in 2023 amongst fashion schools, and encouraged students who entered this world-renowned program to be proud of themselves. In particular, he advised students to find a balance in their lives, saying, “During your college life it is important to focus on your studies; however, the most important thing is health, and as important as acquiring knowledge are various extra curricula activities to develop your capabilities.” The new students from the 6 majors at Stony Brook – Applied Mathematics and Statistics, Business Management, Computer Science, Electrical & Computer Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, and Technology & Society – and the 2 majors at FIT – Fashion Design and Fashion Business Management – will begin their first classes as university students on Monday, August 28, 2023.    

K-Fashion Conundrum Hallyu is alive and well. The global phenomena of K-Beauty, K-Brand Ambassadors, K-Cars, K- Drama, K-Electronics, and K-Pop, amongst other sectors, have been sweeping the world. Is Korean culture of the present a unique entity or are there parallels from Japan of the past? Is it fathomable that K-Beauty was preceded by J-Beauty, K-Cars preceded by J-Cars, K-Electronics preceded by J-Electronics, and others? Not long ago, Japanese brands similarly swept the globe with names such as Sony and Panasonic dominating the television industry. Today, these brands have been usurped by LG and Samsung. In December 1997, Toyota introduced the first hybrid, gas-electric vehicle called the Prius. This was over a quarter of a century ago. However, instead of taking the Prius hybrid to the next level, full electric, the Japanese manufacturer rested on its laurels paving the way for numerous competitors such as Tesla to develop and launch fully electric vehicles. A recent visit to Washington DC’s Union Market revealed an interesting yet unscientific observation. The line of cars parked along one row of the parking lot had more Hyundais than Hondas. More importantly, has K-Fashion achieved equal or greater global success than the aforementioned sectors riding the Korean wave? This depends on the definition of K-Fashion. If K-Fashion includes K-Pop celebrities wearing and endorsing fashion goods, then the answer is certainly “Yes.” On the other hand, if K-Fashion is defined by the global recognition of Korean fashion designers as leaders in the fashion world, then the answer may be quite different. It takes time to take a deeper dive into K-Fashion. Specifically, there are two distinctions which need to be made. For Korean fashion brands, there are brands which bear the name of the designer and there are brands which do not bear the names of the designers. For the former, think of brands such as Hyein Seo and Wooyoungmi versus brands such as Andersson Bell and Gentle Monster for the latter. The history of J-Fashion goes back more than fifty years. If challenged to name the top three to five global Japanese fashion designers and their eponymous labels, who would they be? If asked to name the same number of Japanese fashion brands but not bearing the designers’ name, who would they be? Now, replicate these questions for Korean designers and brands. Perhaps, one or two Korean designers or brands come to mind but what about the rest? The goal of any nation is to increase Gross Domestic Product (GDP), which is the total market value of all the goods and services produced by a country within a specified period. Korea has been masterful across many sectors in increasing its GDP through the careful planning and marketing of numerous Korean brands to the world. However, one could argue that K-Fashion is an exception to the trend. Looking back at the history of Japanese fashion, there are lessons to be learned and perhaps “reinvented” from investments by Japanese fashion designers beginning in the early 1970s. According to Yuniya Kawamura, Professor of Sociology at the Fashion Institute of Technology, New York and author of The Japanese Revolution in Paris Fashion, and Fashion-ology: Fashion Studies in the Postmodern Digital Era, one of the key factors was that “Japanese designers went to Paris and were legitimated by French fashion professions, such as editors, critics, publicists, and buyers, who were the gatekeepers of fashion prior to the invention of the Internet. They became members of the French fashion federation that controlled Paris Fashion Week every season. Kenzo Takada who created his own brand in 1970 in Paris and was a pioneer and forerunner for other Japanese designers.” According to Dr. Kawamura, Japanese fashion designers who began the J-Fashion revolution such as Kenzo Takada, Issey Miyake, Yohji Yamamoto, and Rei Kawakubo showed their first collections in Paris from the early 1970's to early 1980's. In retrospect, these global brands are still relevant nearly fifty years later. Today, the physical landscape of fashion has been transformed by digital technologies such as 3D design software, artificial intelligence, and social networking services (SNS). What will it take for Korean fashion designers to achieve similar global success? The answers may lie in looking back at the history of Japanese fashion designers along with an intimate knowledge of today’s technologies using social media to grow brand recognition and sales. In a recent conversation with the chief designer of Korean fashion brand MMAM (Maison Museum of Modern Art), Ms. Hyun Park states that her brand appeared five consecutive times at Seoul Fashion Week to build brand recognition. MMAM along with local brands CHARM’S and KIMMY.J were recently awarded the opportunity to participate in New York Fashion Week (NYFW) under the 2023 Concept Korea New York program sponsored by the Seoul City Government. While programs sponsored by the government sector such as Concept Korea and Fashion Code have contributed to the exposure of Korean fashion labels, is it enough to reach the level of success as Japanese designers have achieved? Probably not. Building a globally recognized brand will require substantial investments by both the public and private sectors to support local brands. Juun.J would be an example. Participation in a few of the major Fashion Weeks around the world is also a must. Is settling down in Paris a requirement too? It probably would not hurt to take a page from Kenzo or his peers. In the meantime, “Whassup” Korean Fashion Designers? Do we have all the pieces in place to truly go global? As a footnote, the sequencing of the upcoming Spring/Summer (SS24) Fashion Week schedule commences in early September with New York followed by London, Milan, and culminating in Paris. This leads to another question. How does a city like Seoul become the fifth fashion capital of the world?  Click here to read the article in Korean