The Bureau of International Relations (BIR) branch of the KAIST Undergraduate Student Council, also known as Blossom, has started working towards their goals this winter. Over the past winter break, the BIR created a list of and made progress on projects that they will work on throughout the year.
The largest of such projects is Asian Science and Technology Pioneering Institutes of Research and Education (ASPIRE). ASPIRE will be a conference for the five leading science and technology universities in Asia (Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, KAIST, Nanyang Technological University, Tokyo Institute of Technology, and Tsinghua University) held over the summer. Because of the varied geographical locations of the five universities, large efforts are required for coordinating the event. There was a brief meeting held over winter vacation between the five institutions to plan out the event but much remains to be done. The conference is planned to last for six days, and 20 representatives from each school are expected to be in attendance.
Another project that is being coordinated with foreign institutions is BizWorld. BizWorld will a business conference, hosted by KAIST, held in Singapore that brings together six universities, including Tokyo University, University of Queensland of Australia, and KAIST. This year’s event will be held in July, and KAIST will send five Korean and six international students to the conference. This event is aimed to boost KAIST’s reputation worldwide and provide KAIST students with a valuable experience.
The BIR has also started translating the student council’s constitution into English for foreign students and anyone else who may need an English version. First written in 1993, this is the first time that the constitution is being translated into English. Because it is so lengthy, the BIR and the rest of the student council decided on which parts of the constitution to translate first and has begun to work on those parts.
Other projects include researching other colleges about their policies regarding senior year capstone projects and curriculums, and their methods of advertising to attract more students. The BIR also has started contacting high schools and newspapers in foreign countries to increase KAIST’s outreach around the world and attract more students from outside Korea.
The BIR has also been focusing on issues within the school. One such project was increasing the awareness of KAIST International Student Association (KISA) to Korean students in order to encourage them to participate in events hosted by KISA. The BIR has also been working alongside the organization Mosaic to address problems faced by hoogies (a term that refers to students who enter KAIST in the fall semester).
Seungho Lee
leesh1995@hotmail.com