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K-State Today

July 29, 2015

South Korean Summer Institute Poster Session offered Friday

Submitted by Mary K. Pyle

South Korean Summer Institute students invite the Kansas State University community to attend their poster session from 3:30-4:45 p.m. Friday, July 31, in 126 Leadership Studies Building.

Thirty students sponsored by Korean Ministry of Science and Technology are on the university campus for five weeks this summer, accompanied by Kyung-Goo Doh, a K-State computing and information sciences doctoral graduate and now a professor in the department of computer science and engineering at Hanyang University, Erica Campus.

For the third year in a row, the Korean government has provided grant funding to Korean universities interested in training junior- and senior-level students in computer software development and Doh was successful in receiving a grant. In the first year in 2013, 30 Korean students attended, and last year's program had 24 students.

This unique program, a partnership with K-State's College of Engineering, English language program and the South Korean government, provides specific classes in real-time embedded systems and cyberdefense. It is designed by Masaaki Mizuno and Simon Ou, K-State professors in the computing and information sciences department, and a technical communications class designed by Leena Chakrabarti, assistant director, and Carly Vogelsang, instructor, with the English language program.

Students selected for the program already study a specially designed curriculum called SMaSH, or Software Maven School at Hanyang University, before attending K-State during the summer. Throughout their time at K-State, the students will improve their computer programming techniques as well as practice their English language and technical writing skills. The purpose of the program is to produce software engineers who are proficient not only in computing principles and practices, but also have experience working in global environment.

The capstone project brings together technical writing and presentation skills, manipulation of visual elements and oral communication proficiencies. Chakrabarti said an audience for this session will enhance the experience for the students who are eager to share their computer science projects utilizing their newly acquired technical communications skills and answer questions about their topics.

Alexandru Bardas, doctoral candidate in the K-State computer science department, a member of Argus Cyber Security Research group and advised by K-State's Ou, has been personally engaged with the program. He and Ou are the instructors of the Cyberdefense class.

The class is highly hands-on. Each lecture discusses topics like penetration testing, password cracking, various network securities, etc. Students learn from attackers' perspective, students play with different security-related tools in our isolated networking environment and discuss defense mechanisms.

In addition to the engineering curriculum, the computing and information sciences department has organized several special events for the students to help immerse them in U.S. culture, including a Fourth of July visit to Wamego for the fireworks and party in an American home with American, Brazilian and Indian students. They also will spend time in Kansas City, experience the Kaw Valley Rodeo and get a guided tour of the Kansas Cosmosphere in Hutchinson.

Please join us Friday for the poster session.