Today was so packed that it is hard to believe we did everything in under 24 hours, especially considering how distinct each event was.
First things first, I got the chance to see the beautiful vertical gardens in Seoul City Hall again because we were visiting TOPIS this time! As opposed to being led on a tour through the upper floors of the building, we were led downwards to the basement where the Transport Operation and Information Service (otherwise known as TOPIS was headquartered. We were led through some of the largest doors I have seen in my life to get to the conference room, and our guide explained to us that this also served as the nuclear bomb shelter for government officials if any disaster struck! This came as a huge surprise to me, because what kind of information center sits in the middle of a high priority official nuclear shelter? It did made sense after some thinking though considering the dense nature of the city to use the space for every day purposes and not just have a massive room sitting empty and collecting dust. Regardless, it was a very impressive introduction to the space.
When we arrived, we were sat down in a large conference room as our guide explained to us some of the data they collected and how they used it, including the locations, destinations, and traffic through every single one of the city’s buses, taxis, trains, and subways. Seeing the detailed map of all of these positions was impressive, but they collected so much additional data that I could never even have thought to collect, much less how to process. They collected information about the weather, CCTV footage of every street in Seoul that anyone could tap into that they used to automatically detect and fine traffic violations, live video feed from inside the taxis, and much more. This was my first in depth experience learning about how big data is practically collected and used, and it was far more complicated than I expected. Despite this, I can now properly understand how valuable It is to be able to collect and process this much data, because through analysis it felt as though TOPIS could calculate and predict almost anything that could happen with the transit system.
Next, we presented our final presentations about what we learned about Korea and how they utilize smart systems. Not much was said that wasn’t mentioned in the bogs so I’ll spare you the details, but it took a lot of work from everyone on the trip to get their slides finished in time and the stress was taking its toll. Accumulated work compounded with the packed days and lack of sleep to create a lot of stress buildup, so everyone was eager to get their work out of the way as soon as possible. Once they were finished and all the videos were shared, Dr. Yun gave us all a very moving message and I could feel the relief of the finished work washing over me. Along with this though, I could finally feel the end of the trip setting in. This was the last full day we had in Korea and our final presentation was already over, and I wasn’t sure if I was ready. Regardless of my feelings on the matter, the end was drawing close and so was our next and final activity.
Next up was our cooking class and it was one of the things I was most excited for at the start of the program, but I had been swept up in so many activities that I had completely forgotten about it up until that point. It was really fun though, and I was so happy we did it. We showed up to this kitchen with several cooking stations with ovens, stovetops, and cutting boards with an array of ingredients for us to work with. We were going to be making kimbap and a glass noodle dish, and I was so excited to start cooking. I was paired up with Manav, another member of my group, and the recipe was relatively simple. We followed along with the instructor and the TV’s she had set up around the room to get a better view as we sliced and fried all the kimbap ingredients, and prepared the noodles before mixing them with sesame and soy sauce. There wasn’t much to the preparation of the food, but it was so delicious when we finally got to eat it.
After we finished and headed back to the hotel, it finally fully set in that the trip was coming to a close. It has been one of the most fun and eventful times of my life to be sure, and I don’t regret a single thing that we did. I learned so much about the practical workings behind so many things, like water treatment, big data, steel production, research, assembly lines, and much more that I never thought I would get the opportunity to see. The Synchrotron accelerators at Postech were the coolest things I have seen in my life, and that experience along with everything else we did on this trip will certainly stay with me forever. I am so thankful to have the opportunity to engage with this program and I cannot recommend it enough to anyone who is considering it. Thank you for tuning in this final time, and I hope you enjoyed listening to my thoughts!