South Korean engineers visit UNM last fall to mark collaboration

January 11, 2023 - by Kim Delker

photo: Moreu with Korean engineering delegation

An engineering delegation from the Sung Kyun Kwan University from Seoul, South Korea, visited The University of New Mexico last fall to hold the first collaborative workshop with the Smart Management of Infrastructure Lab (SMILab), organized by Fernando Moreu and led by Ph.D. student Ali Khorasani.

The engineering delegation from SKKU was led by the associate dean of their College of Engineering, Professor Park, Professor Sung-Han Sim and their graduate students.

The workshop took place on Nov. 28 and included presentations from students sharing advanced technologies on smart structures and structural health monitoring. Mahmoud Taha, chair of the Department of Civil, Construction and Environmental Engineering, kicked off the activities at the opening event.

During the one-day workshop, students shared work on computer vision, artificial intelligence and machine learning and planned future collaborations for upcoming years between UNM and SKKU, including summer schools between UNM and SKKU students and undergraduate experiences.

Mark Stone, acting associate dean for academics and community engagement, stopped by at the workshop to encourage more international collaborations between both countries going forward. Then on Nov. 29, the UNM team gave a tour to SKKU on the National Science Foundation CIVIC site at Ohkay Owingeh and introduced faculty and students to leaders at the project. The international conversation at the site included the plan to add interfacial intelligence to assist fire prevention and response with the tools from SKKU.

On Nov. 30, SKKU received a tour while taking a ride to the Albuquerque Sandia Peak Tramway, coordinated by their general manager Michael Donovan, who emphasized the ongoing work from UNM and Sandia Peak on sensors and advanced technologies at the beautiful engineering marble that is the Sandia Peak Tramway. The SKKU delegation thanked the hospitality and time of the graduate students and faculty and are hoping to come back soon to UNM with continuous collaborations between the different departments and units at UNM.