1. Photo of the week: What impressed you to take, select and write about this photo?

This is the group of graduate students studying in Korea this summer with the EAPSI fellowship. I have already made some great friends who I am sure I will keep up with as our professional paths continue to cross this summer and beyond.

2. New Korean, not from Hubo Lab, that you met: How did you or the person initiate the encounter, what made the encounter challenging or easy, and how did it help you?

I met “John” Yue in Gongju during a tour of the historical palace grounds of the Silla Kingdom. He spoke excellent English so it was easy to strike up a conversation, and he knew a lot of interesting facts about the history of the Silla Kingdom like their interest in astronomy and the relationship between their architecture and astronomical patterns.

3. What new cultural insight about Korea did you learn this week?

I was immediately impressed by the extent of development everywhere we went in Seoul, Gongju, Daejeon, and everywhere in between. South Korea seems to be ahead of the US in transportation, medicine, education, and many aspects of technology.

4. What did you learn about yourself?

In my past international travels, I have never quite felt at ease. This trip however, I feel “comfortable” from the start. It is hard to say how much of this is due to South Korea being such a welcoming and advanced society vs how much I have matured and become more used to international travel.

5. What is the status of your technical projects and what skills did you learn?

Unfortunately we were constantly traveling and participating in tourist activities, so I did not have a chance to work on any technical projects. We did tour a POSCO steel factory, and I loved seeing the creative engineering that has been developed to make the company one of the top steel producers in the world.

1. Photo of the week: What impressed you to take, select and write about this photo?

I felt obligated to include a picture of Korean BBQ because it is delicious, and I can't get enough!

2. New Korean, not from Hubo Lab, that you met: How did you or the person initiate the encounter, what made the encounter challenging or easy, and how did it help you?

I met a photonics engineer at a bar in downtown Daejeon, we began talking while ordering drinks. His English was great, and he regularly talks with foreigners, so communication was quite smooth. I had received an email the same day from the US embassy warning about an upcoming Anti-America protest in Seoul the next day. I was able to ask him about his views of America and gauge whether I needed to worry about the protest. He seemed surprised to hear that the protest had been organized.

3. What new cultural insight about Korea did you learn this week?

I learned that they do not generally drink water or beverages during meals. I tried bringing my water bottle to the cafeteria a few times this week because I would get very thirsty during lunch, but now I am getting used to it.

4. What did you learn about yourself?

Once I got to my dorm, I felt compelled to do all my shopping for groceries and home goods ASAP. I think I wanted to feel like I was in control of my living space since I was feeling a loss of control in other regards (being away from home, family, and friends).

5. What is the status of your technical projects and what skills did you learn?

I spent this week writing a manuscript for ICCE. I also would walk around the lab periodically and observe the various experiments taking place. Sometimes I asked questions, but I do not want to be a burden to the researchers, and the language barrier definitely slows things down.

1. Photo of the week: What impressed you to take, select and write about this photo?

The past 2 years I have been involved with developing a UAV robotics competition for middle and high school students. The above picture shows “drone soccer” an event at RobotUniverse that gave me ideas for the competition I have been working on.

2. New Korean, not from Hubo Lab, that you met: How did you or the person initiate the encounter, what made the encounter challenging or easy, and how did it help you?

At RoboUniverse I spoke with some Korean students about the robotics competitions they were participating in. They were very excited about humanoid wrestling and nxt sumo. They are starting very young and pick up many valuable skills doing something fun.

3. What new cultural insight about Korea did you learn this week?

Although smoking cigarettes was once very popular in South Korea, it is decreasing both in participants and social acceptance. There are smoking lounges outside buildings with strong ventilation because smoking outside entrances is being phased out.

4. What did you learn about yourself?

Although I was initially discouraged by how difficult it was to get plugged into projects at Hubo Lab, I am finding that the other lab members are warming up to me and I am becoming more involved. My persistence is paying off, and the more effort I make to learn Korean and practice humility, the more it seems I am becoming a part of the team.

5. What is the status of your technical projects and what skills did you learn?

This week I presented my first conference paper at URAI in Jeju Island. I was exposed to a ton of theories and research practices I had not considered, and now I have a notebook full of ideas to follow-up on. Though I was nervous, I had sufficiently prepared and I ended up having a great time networking with new colleagues.

1. Photo of the week: What impressed you to take, select and write about this photo? 2. New Korean, not from Hubo Lab, that you met: How did you or the person initiate the encounter, what made the encounter challenging or easy, and how did it help you? 3. What new cultural insight about Korea did you learn this week? 4. What did you learn about yourself? 5. What is the status of your technical projects and what skills did you learn?

1. Photo of the week: What impressed you to take, select and write about this photo? 2. New Korean, not from Hubo Lab, that you met: How did you or the person initiate the encounter, what made the encounter challenging or easy, and how did it help you? 3. What new cultural insight about Korea did you learn this week? 4. What did you learn about yourself? 5. What is the status of your technical projects and what skills did you learn?

1. Photo of the week: What impressed you to take, select and write about this photo? 2. New Korean, not from Hubo Lab, that you met: How did you or the person initiate the encounter, what made the encounter challenging or easy, and how did it help you? 3. What new cultural insight about Korea did you learn this week? 4. What did you learn about yourself? 5. What is the status of your technical projects and what skills did you learn?

1. Photo of the week: What impressed you to take, select and write about this photo? 2. New Korean, not from Hubo Lab, that you met: How did you or the person initiate the encounter, what made the encounter challenging or easy, and how did it help you? 3. What new cultural insight about Korea did you learn this week? 4. What did you learn about yourself? 5. What is the status of your technical projects and what skills did you learn?

1. Photo of the week: What impressed you to take, select and write about this photo? 2. New Korean, not from Hubo Lab, that you met: How did you or the person initiate the encounter, what made the encounter challenging or easy, and how did it help you? 3. What new cultural insight about Korea did you learn this week? 4. What did you learn about yourself? 5. What is the status of your technical projects and what skills did you learn?

1. Photo of the week: What impressed you to take, select and write about this photo? 2. New Korean, not from Hubo Lab, that you met: How did you or the person initiate the encounter, what made the encounter challenging or easy, and how did it help you? 3. What new cultural insight about Korea did you learn this week? 4. What did you learn about yourself? 5. What is the status of your technical projects and what skills did you learn?