After spending one week back in the United States, I have had the opportunity to reflect on my time in Korea; new friendships, insights into the professional world, Korean culture, new cuisine, and much more. The privilege I have had to spend these two weeks in Korea have been a blessing and a great expansion on my engineering knowledge and professionalism. My time there gave me valuable real-world experience and insights into both engineering and business that I would not have been able to learn just in the classroom. Through company visits to places like HY Fredit Co, TK Elevators, Hyundai, and Samsung to cultural visits like Gyeongbuk Palace, the Blue House, and Han River, we each grew both personally and professionally. Lifelong memories and unforgettable experiences have been accompanied by increased professionalism in five main areas which are engineering ethical dilemmas, educational breadth, the importance of lifelong learning, the social environment in a professional setting, and functioning on multi-disciplinary teams. 

On our visits to HY, Samsung, and Hyundai, we were able to see large companies that have made drastic changes in their day-to-day operations in the past decade as technology and AI continue to develop. For example, Hyundai’s welding process in their Asan plant is 100% automated. This brings into light the ethical dilemmas that come with incorporating AI in engineering fields. One major ethical dilemma that accompanies the integration of automation is the loss of jobs for humans. This dilemma is faced by a lot of manufacturers as one does not want to displace workers from their jobs but the automation could run 24/7 with no breaks, complete tasks quicker, and ultimately save money in the long term. As stated previously, Hyundai’s welding process is 100% automated, meaning there are no actual people working in that shop in the facility. However, Hyundai continues to hire humans by making other parts of their manufacturing process significantly less automated. In their assembly shop, Hyundai only uses about 14% automation. This allows them to still utilize the hard work of humans while also getting the speed and accuracy that machines have to offer. Even with this split, though, Hyundai is hiring a smaller human workforce than they did before the integration of automation.  Along with the loss of jobs, there is also a lot of uncertainty in the trustworthiness of technology. Automation brings into question whether or not computers would make the same decisions as humans. Companies relying on automation are also relying on the decision-making skills of technology rather than those of the human brain. If something goes wrong in the production process, how will that technology react? As things in the real-world do not always follow strict patterns, it is important to consider the faults that technology faces in these situations. People also question the trustworthiness of technology in relation to their safety. With an increase in the applications of technology and the implementation of automation comes the need for more data to be stored. On our tour of Samsung, we had the opportunity to meet Samsung’s AI assistant, Bixby. Linked to any and all smart technology in your home, Bixby learns a lot about the preferences of its user and stores that data. That itself is not a major concern until you consider different people and businesses that may want to steal your data. Companies, like Samsung, face the dilemma of data collection due to its security risks. As I grow as an engineer, it is very important for me to consider how the rapidly changing technology will affect my career and life overall. How I, myself, might contribute to this evolution and the type of environment I want to work in are all things that my trip to Korea has opened my eyes to.

Educational breadth was also a focus of this trip, as we were exposed to so many new things, which contributed to my growth personally and professionally. Not only did I have the opportunity to focus on engineering through visits to the engineering department of Yonsei university and engineering companies, but I also got the chance to learn and experience Korean culture everyday. I saw first-hand the hard-work and respect that drives Korean life. I also learned some Korean language that I used when shopping and eating throughout the trip. Expanding one’s educational breadth allows them to become a well-rounded individual, especially in a professional setting. Incorporating all perspectives of life (science, history, culture, etc.) provides successful problem-solving tactics and meaningful contributions in one’s work.

This trip also emphasized the importance of lifelong learning to me. You do not only learn when you are within the four walls of a classroom, as shown by my time in Korea. I learned so much in just 2 weeks that I would not have learned on Pitt’s campus. Korean values, it’s expansive history, its drive for innovation and emphasis on academics has shown me that there is so much in the world to see and learn. This trip has led me to strive to continue to find ways to learn more both in Pitt’s campus and outside in the real-world. I know there is always something new to learn in all aspects of life. Lifelong learning also helps in a professional setting as you are constantly adapting to new developments in life. Keeping up-to-date allows for a successful career. This is shown in Samsung’s innovation of new products to continue to meet the changing needs of all its customers and adapting with new changes in technology. From large black and white TVs to the current, slim, high definition, in-color TVs, Samsung’s innovators are constantly learning in order to be pioneers in technology. Walking through their innovation museum and seeing their newest products that I did not know about made me realize that they are constantly problem-solving to meet everyone’s needs. This would not be possible without the continuous learning of their workers.

Everyday life, including professional life, is reliant on social interactions and new connections. Throughout the trip, I got the chance to know the other 23 students with me, forming new bonds, friendships, and professional relationships. The importance of these relationships was shown to me in our tours of Camp Casey and Yonsei University. At Camp Casey, the soldiers rely on each other, trusting each other with their safety and their lives. Having good relationships with another is essential as they all work together every day and need each others help in times of combat. As we toured the engineering lab at Yonsei and met some of the students that work in the lab, they showed us how well they know each other and communicate with another. This is needed as they work in a very small lab on a very important project. Good relationships allow for effective communication, allowing each student to know exactly what is going on in the lab at all times. 

The Plus3 trip, made up of half business and half engineering students, allowed me to meet people that I probably would not have met in my day-to-day life at Pitt. Through our pre-departure meetings and assignments we got the chance to collaborate with our group (3 business students and 3 engineering students) and learn from each other. While in Korea, we were given multiple group challenges. The very first one was to use public transportation to find our way back to the hotel on our own. With the 6 of us working together we ended up taking the bus, which we were not shown how to use at that point, to be the first group back! It was a great example of how groups can come up with more efficient solutions to a problem by utilizing each other’s differing skill sets. By the end of our trip we all worked together to come up with a Korean business idea, utilizing both the business and engineering skills in our group. Our different perspectives on the same assignment allowed us to successfully come up with our design and business plan of Clotech, a smart closet. From not knowing each other at all when we first met in February to forming strong friendships and working professionally with one another, this trip has shown me the importance of working in multidisciplinary teams. As an engineer, my future career will most likely require me to work with people from all different professions. This trip to Korea has allowed me to build on my teamwork skills such as collaboration, respect, problem-solving, and communication.

My Plus3 trip to South Korea has been an unforgettable part of my academic journey at Pitt that I would never wish to replace. Although only 2 weeks, I feel like I have seen and learned so much that I will continue to use as I grow as a chemical engineer. I formed new friendships, got exclusive tours of major companies, immersed myself in Korean culture, and so much more. I would recommend this trip to anyone who has the opportunity in the future as it is an extraordinary learning experience that will positively impact your education at Pitt.