Today was the last of our site visits before Plus 3 comes to a close. Our last site visit was the United States Consulate in Busan. This consulate is the smallest in comparison to any other countries, as there is only one United States Ambassador working there. It was nice to see someone who was very passionate about their job and has done a lot of traveling. Not only had he lived in South Korea, but also in other countries around the world, like Poland. We got an overview of his day to day operations and an ambassador’s perspective of US and South Korea relations. For example, he gives many lectures at universities, meets with local government officials, and attends events to demonstrate  the United States’ interest in building a strong relationship with South Korea. Although this occupation is not what I aspire to be, it was interesting to learn about a different path and what that requires.

Our next visit was to Pusan National University, one of ten national universities in South Korea. It is ranked as the top national university in the country, specialized in their strong engineering courses. The university has very highly rated Chemistry, Materials Science and Engineering departments. After touring the university, it was clear why that is so. The school has so many resources in their engineering makerspaces, from industrial-sized 3D printers to impressive laser cutters. One of their labs contained a number of shelves all filled with little statues and other working prototypes that were 3D printed. We stopped into another room, where students were testing their robots’ code. The university’s engineering school was stocked up with first-rate machinery that could make any engineering student swoon. There was clearly many opportunities and possibilities for students at Pusan to excel and innovate. I hope one day I’ll be able to work with such cool machinery!