Program

8 - 11 PM | @ Innovation Ballroom

UKC-wide Reception 

Join the attendees of the wider UKC conference for a social event at the conference venue (Hyatt Regency DFW).

7:00 AM - 3:30 PM | Various Locations

UKC-wide sessions, breakfast, and lunch

Attend UKC plenary sessions, keynote symposiums, and sponsor forums that most interest you to learn about cutting-edge research (featuring a recipient of the 2017 Nobel Prize in Physics) and network with scientists and engineers at the forefront of their fields. Participants who attend a large majority of UKC events will be entered into a raffle with a chance to win prizes. More details will be announced at the conference.
See UKC schedule for more details. 

4:00 - 4:15 PM | @ Innovation Ballroom C&D

FIRE: Welcoming Remarks

Organizers will explain: What is KSEA? What is UKC? What is FIRE Symposium? Organizers will then give an overview of the program, what to expect over the next several days, and answer any questions.

4:15 - 4:45 PM | @ Innovation Ballroom C&D

FIRE: Introductory Networking 

FIRE will start icebreakers where participants will be grouped in roundtables according to their professional skills development needs and career goals indicated in their FIRE applications. Participants are encouraged to connect freely and get started on networking with new mentors, mentees, peers, and friends at FIRE.

4:45 - 6:00 PM | @ Innovation Ballroom C&D

FIRE: Career Flash Talks

This presentation avenue, themed “Next Step to Professional Growth,” will feature 5-minute talks with optional slides about a wide variety of topics spanning industry and academic career development, unique career paths, challenges in tech, STEM gender equity, skills cultivation, and overcoming personal challenges. The presentations are meant to inspire the audience and help advance their careers. The target audience is the entire FIRE Symposium, collected in one room to learn together and encouraged to participate actively in Q&A after each presentation.

Career Flash Talks

Importance of Acquiring and Being Aware of Intellectual Properties in Academic Research

Chanwook Park (Ph.D. Candidate, Northwestern University)

A Nuclear Engineer who Dreams the World Peace

Jihye Jeon (Ph.D. Candidate, Princeton University)

My Journey as a Female Engineer

Inhwa Son (MS Candidate, University of San Francisco)

Thriving through Rejections

Inyoung Cheong (Ph.D. Candidate, University of Washington)

Teaching is Everywhere, and So are the Teachers

Seoyeon (Shawna) Kim (MSc Candidate, Queen’s University)

"Gap" Year: Learning to Prioritize Yourself

Hyoungjin (Harry) Park (BS Candidate, University of Southern California)

Shamelessness – My Superpower

Jenny Namkoong (Interventional Cardiology Fellow, University of Manitoba)

Maximizing Your Time Outside of Work

Veronica JungYeon Kim (Software Engineer, Weights & Biases)

Story of My Life

Jiwoo Park (Software Engineer, Microsoft)

7:00 - 9:00 PM

UKC-wide Banquet / Gala Dinner

Tickets for the dinner banquet can be purchased for $75 at UKC online registration. Participation is encouraged but optional. There will be a variety of performances from multiple groups. See UKC website for more details.

9:30 PM ~

AfterFIRE: Unofficial Networking Event

Meet your fellow FIRE participants and continue your conversations in a casual setting. More details about the location and logistics are shared via e-mail to accepted FIRE participants only (those who have received an acceptance letter from fire@ksea.org)

7:00 AM - 3:30 PM

UKC-wide sessions, breakfast, and lunch

Attend UKC plenary sessions, keynote symposiums, and sponsor forums that most interest you to learn about cutting-edge research and network with scientists and engineers at their forefront of their fields.

4:00 - 5:00 PM | @ Innovation Ballroom A

FIRE: Panel Discussion - Perspectives on Academic Careers

In this panel discussion, each speaker will first give a 5-minute informational talk on topics ranging from defining success as a researcher, how to succeed in the academic job market, how to transition from research to teaching, and techniques to improve teaching. Then, the moderator, panelist, and audience will engage in an open dialogue on broader topics, such as the reason for choosing an academic career path. The panel is meant to enlighten students, postdocs, and industry professionals alike on research-oriented trajectories.

Panel Discussion Agenda

4:00PM // How Do You Define a Successful Researcher?

Jongbok Lee (Assistant Professor, University of Calgary)

4:05PM // Succeeding in the Academic Job Market

Soowon Chang (Assistant Professor, Purdue University)

4:10PM // Transitioning from Research Institution to Teaching Institution

Bo Park (Assistant Professor, California State University, Fullerton)

4:15PM // How to Engage Students in Class: Improving Comprehension Through Practical Examples

Daewa Kim (Assistant Professor, University of Delaware)

4:20PM // Open Dialogue on Academic Career Trajectories and Motivations

All Panelists

5:00 - 6:00 PM | @ Innovation Ballroom C&D

FIRE: Focus Group Talks

Each speaker will give a 5-minute talk on a professional development topic, then lead a 13-minute discussion/mini-workshop with the participants at the roundtable. Each roundtable focuses on a particular topic, with three speakers per table. Audience participants are assigned to tables that match the interests indicated in their FIRE Google form registration. One speaker per table leads a 20-minute slot, and audience participants move through three rotations (tables). Focus groups enable participants with specific professional development needs to discuss with experts honing in on their experiences and articulate their insights. 

Focus Group Talks Agenda

Career & Personal Development (Table 1)

Transitioning using Data Science - Chang Hyeon Lim (Data Scientist, Dow Chemical)

Passion v graduation - Jeong-wan Park (Postdoc, Argonne National Laboratory)

Life of being Alien in USA - Gyeonghye Yun (BS Candidate, University of Washington)

Career & Personal Development (Table 2)

Keeping my passions with career realities - JeongYong (Jaylen) Park (Ph.D. Candidate, Texas A&M University)

How to find meaningful connections between my skills and dreams? - MinYoung Yoo (Ph.D. Candidate, Simon Fraser University)

What more can I do? - Nathaniel Chung (PharmD Candidate, Northeastern University)

Industry & Academic Career Development (Table 3)

Lessons learned from a manufacturing start-up from a different culture. - Yoonseok Oh (Process engineer, SK Battery)

Applying to the Job You Deserve: Internal vs External - Jonathan Young Kim (Lead Software Engineer, Capital One)

My journey to achieve a four-year Ph.D. completion in a new field - Wonjae Yoo (Instructional Assistant Professor, Texas A&M University)

Cultural Challenges & Academic Career Development (Table 4)

It's OK not to be OK: How Grad School Became my Therapy - Eugene Kim (MS Candidate, Georgia Institute of Technology)

Understanding American individualism for networking - Changkee Hong (PhD Candidate, University of Central Florida)

Few lessons learned as a Korean immigrant to non-traditional graduate student - Min Kyu Lee (MS Candidate, UCLA / Clinical Research Coordinator, California Vascular Research Foundation)

Healthcare, Tech & Industry Career Development (Table 5)

Confidence Built as a Dentist - Alex Kang (DMD Candidate, Dental College of Georgia)

Navigating the biotech world without a PhD - Anna Lee (Director, Prellis Biologics)

Paving the Cowpath: The Career Path of Digital Health Informaticist - Jaehoon Lee (Lead Digital Health Informaticist, MITRE Corporation)

Interviews, Tech & Personal Development (Table 6)

Cultivating Interview Success: 10 Essential Tips for Young Students Embarking on Their Journey - Dahye Kim (PharmD Candidate, University of North Carolina)

Importance of Design Verification in Engineering - Sangwoo Park (Silicon Design Engineer 2, AMD)

Searching for Motivation in Work - Seo Yeon Lee (Clinical Research Assistant, BIDMC)

Resumes & Personal Development (Table 7)

The reason why I quit my job after 8 years to study abroad - Eunmi Jeong (PhD Candidate, University of Wisconsin-Madison)

How to use ChatGPT to fine-tune your resume - Hye Rin Choi (Data Engineer, Canadian Government)

How to conduct research in unfamiliar research territory - Dong Seok Lee (PhD Candidate, University of Texas at Austin)

Skills & Personal Development (Table 8)

Importance of Self-Advocacy in the Workplace - Brian Shanahan (Engineer, Primera)

The necessity of sabbaticals - Jay Han (Engineering Manager, Qualtrics)

Shape the World You Want to Live in - Namhyeon Cho (Senior Project Engineer, Barton Marlow)

Mental Health, Startups & Industry Career Development (Table 9)

Use Imposter Syndrome to Your Advantage - Yoona Park (Machine Learning Engineer, Apple)

Why I Challenge Everyday: Lessons Learned from Leadership, Collaboration to Entrepreneurship - Yewon Hong (BS Candidate, UC San Diego)

Bridging the Gap: Merging Art and Technology - Lessons Learned in Professional Development - Choux Kim (BS Canddiate, Georgia Tech)

Tech, Art & Startups (Table 10)

Helping others onboard as a software developer 1 - So Hee Yoon (Software Developer 1, Moneris)

Permission to publish denied - Crystal Shin (Assistant Professor, Baylor College of Medicine)

6:00 - 7:00 PM | @ Aviators

UKC/FIRE Poster Session

This presentation avenue will feature 5-minute talks accompanied by 4’x3’ printed posters on professional development (non-technical) topics. These include industry and academic career trajectories, unique career paths, career transitions, mental health, and challenges in tech. The target audience is the entirety of FIRE Symposium and the broader UKC, as it is held in the same room as technical posters from the Technical Group Symposium. Throughout the 1 hour exhibition, posters are meant to spark open conversations about professional and personal growth areas, which typically may not be directly addressed at work or school.

Poster Presentations

From Food Science to Nutritional Sciences: A Journey Starting from Scratch

Da-Yeon Lee (PhD Candidate, Oklahoma State University)

Between Cybersecurity and Aging

Donghyun Lee (BS Candidate, Seoul National University/Georgia Tech)

User Needs and Technology

Emily Han (BA Candidate, Rutgers University)

Do what you love, consider the most important values, and keep getting new good stimuli in your life.

Hojoong Kim (Postdoc, Georgia Institute of Technology)

Unveiling Passions and Pioneering Paths

Hyukin Moon (BS Candidate, UC San Diego)

How I chose my major and advisor/lab

Inah Gu (PhD Candidate, University of Arkansas)

Embracing Transformation: From Industrial and Labor Relations to Consumer Finance and Data Science at Meta

Jonathan Kim (Data Scientist, Meta)

Navigating Career Paths: MD, PhD, and MD/PhD

Matthew Jeon (Staff Research Associate, University of California, San Francisco)

How to navigate through your undergraduate life as an asian/international student.

Min Joo Kim (BS Candidate, Vanderbilt University)

Promoting Effective Collaboration: Key Strategies for Success in Research Environments

Myeongsoo Kim (PhD Candidate, Georgia Institute of Technology)

From Workforce to Academia: Transformative Lessons in Professional Development

Rachel Chun (PharmD Candidate, UNC Chapel Hill)

Baby Steps!

riky bae (BS Candidate, Rutgers University)

Pursuing the Path of an Engineering Entrepreneur: Why I Chose to Follow My Passion.

Saeyeong Jeon (PhD Candidate, University of Florida)

Navigating Uncertainties in the Journey Towards a Ph.D.

Sungyun Yang (PhD Candidate, MIT)

Permission to publish denied

Uijeong Jo (PharmD Candidate, UNC Chapel Hill)

Designing Tomorrow: The Intersection of Creativity and Healthcare

Venessa Mak (BS Candidate, UTMB)

computer science and learning science

Yongwan Cho (BS Candidate, Kalamazoo college)

7:00 - 8:00 PM | @ Innovation Ballroom C&D

FIRE: Networking Dinner

Grab your boxed meals (도시락) after the poster session and bring them to the session room (Innovation) to enjoy dinner and continue your conversations with fellow participants. Only FIRE presenters, those who have purchased Friday networking dinner in advance at online registration, and those who have purchased the Friday networking dinner ticket on-site at the hotel will be provided with the boxed meal.

9:30 PM ~

AfterFIRE: Unofficial Networking Event

Buses to the Koreatown area (Carrollton) will depart the hotel starting at 8:30PM. Tickets, one-way only from the hotel to Carrollton, are available for $5 upon UKC online registration. You will need to rideshare back on your own to the hotel when you wish to return. 

Meet your fellow FIRE participants and continue your conversations! More details about the location and logistics are shared via e-mail to accepted FIRE participants only (those who have received an acceptance letter from fire@ksea.org)

7:00 - 8:00 AM

UKC-wide breakfast

8:00 - 9:30 AM | @ Innovation Ballroom C&D

FIRE: Open Networking 

The session room is available for participants to meet and wrap up any last conversations from FIRE.

9:30 - 10:00 AM | @ Innovation Ballroom C&D

FIRE: Awards Ceremony

FIRE Awards for outstanding presentations in career flash talk and poster exhibition will be announced. The raffle prize for participation in UKC sessions will be drawn. The KSEA Next Generation Vision Awards Winners will be announced. There will be an overview of departure conference logistics, and finally, we will reflect on the professional development insights exchanged at UKC FIRE 2023.

10:30 AM - 12:30 PM | Enterprise Ballroom 1-4

UKC-wide Closing/Plenary Session

Attend the UKC closing/plenary session to summarize and reflect on your experience at UKC. Check the link for more information about the featured speaker.

8PM ~

AfterFIRE: Unofficial Networking Event

Meet your fellow FIRE participants and continue your conversations! More details about the location and logistics are shared via e-mail to accepted FIRE participants only (those who have received an acceptance letter from fire@ksea.org)