---------- Forwarded message ----------
Date: Wed, 23 Feb 2000 01:24:35 -0500
From: Y.S. Kim
To: friends@katherine.physics.umd.edu
Subject: News from KIST, SNU; 2000 and 1962 (about a girl again)
WORLDWIDE NETWORK OF KOREAN ENGINEERS AND SCIENTISTS
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ACADEMIC AND RESEARCH POSITIONS IN KOREA
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KOREA INSTITUTE OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
KIST is looking for a senior or principle research scientist who has
experiences in the materials analysis (including thin films) using
synchronized radiation beam. Ph.D degree in Physics, Chemistry or
Materials Science is required.
We are pursuing to establish a calibration and standard soft x-ray beam
line at Pohang Light Source. His/her role will be to establish and
maintain the KIST beam line at Pohang (he/she will be thus stationed at
Pohang). In addition to his/she own research, he/she will help researchers
in the materials anaysis using soft x-ray beam i.e., NEXAFS, MCD or
multilayer structure analysis using reflectivity.
Contact Person
Kwang Yong Eun
Korea Institute of Science and Technology
P.O.Box 131, Cheongryang, Seoul, 130-650, KOREA
Tel : +82-2-958-5491
FAX : +82-2-958-5509
e-mail : kyeun@kist.re.kr
or
Kwang-Ryeol Lee
Korea Institute of Science and Technology
P.O.Box 131, Cheongryang, Seoul, 130-650, KOREA
Tel : +82-2-958-5494
FAX : +82-2-958-5509
e-mail : krlee@kist.re.kr
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SEOUL NATIONAL UNIVERSITY
BK21 Postdoctoral Positions at School of Materials Science & Engineering
School of Materials Science & Engineering, Seoul National University
is inviting qualified researchers to apply for postdoctoral research
fellow positions funded by the Brain Korea 21 (BK21) Project of Korean
Ministry of Education.
Appointed research fellows are expected to work with one of the current
faculty members of BK21 project; areas of research include all areas
of Materials Science & Engineering such as metals, ceramics, polymer
materials, and electronic materials. For more detailed description of
research, faculty members and subjects, please visit our web sites at
"http://mse.snu.ac.kr/", http://mse.snu.ac.kr/,
"http://mse.snu.ac.kr/msebk21/", or http://mse.snu.ac.kr/msebk21/.
Annual salary starts from 15,000,000 Won to 24,000,000 Won, depending
on his/her career and qualification. Additional support ranging from
6,000,000 to 10,000,000 Won is provided to foreign applicants for
relocation and accommodation for the first year. Positions may be
taken anytime. Appointments are initially for one year, but extendable
to two years. Applicants should send their CV, publication list,
research plan and two recommendation letters to the faculty member
with whom they want to work. They may also send the materials directly
to the address below.
For further inquiries, please contact:
BK21 Division of Materials Education and Research
School of Materials Science & Engineering
Seoul National University
Seoul, 151-742, Korea
email: "mailto:msebk21@gong.snu.ac.kr" msebk21@gong.snu.ac.kr
tel: +82-2-880-5805
fax: +82-2-885-9671
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2000 AND 1962 (again, I am talking about a girl)
If you are a physicist, you know who Richard Feynman was. You also know
who Eugene Wigner was. If you are not, you can compare them to Elvis
Presley and Beethoven respectively. In the physics community, my name
is associated with Wigner (Beethoven) while my research line is parallel
to that of Feynman (Presley). Together with Dr. Daesoo Han of NASA, I
was fortunate enough to develop an international conference series called
Wigner Symposium, and its 7th meeting will come back to the Univ. of
Maryland in 2001.
Thus, for many years, I have been interested in developing a conference
series named after R. P. Feynman, and decided to hold its preliminary
meeting during the above-mentioned Wigner Symposium. The name of the
conference will be Feynman Festival. I have chosen the word "festival"
because Feynman was so fond of the Mardi Grass Festival held every year
in Rio de Janeiro (Brazil). Last month, I went to Brazil to finalize
my idea of developing the festival named after him. In other words, I
went there to talk with Feynman's ghost. Because Feynman's name carries
a heavy weight in the United States, there will be strong pressure from
the U.S. scientific community, but I am prepared from my experiences
with other conference series.
When I was coming back, my UAL flight left Rio left at 11:00 PM. For
some unknown reason, once in every five flights, I get kicked up to
the business (or first) class during the seat re-arrangement within the
airplane. This time, I was asked by a flight attendant to move to a
plush seat in the business class section. The stewardess serving in
this section was an old pro of about age 50, and she knew how to make
passengers comfortable. Those serving in the economy class are young
chicks, but they look attractive. They are known to chase rich men
usually in the business class.
While one of those young ladies was passing through the aisle of the
business class, she told me "We meet again. Do you remember?" My
honest answer was "No," but I said "Yes, I do." My assumption was that
she was confused with a rich Japanese business she met somewhere. She
then came to me again and asked me to send her the photo of herself
with me. I told her again YES. Then I wondered whether I took a
picture with anyone looking like her during the day.
Yes, in the morning of the same day, I met in front of my hotel a young
Brazilian who offered to make a Rio car license plate with my name on
it for $25. I accepted his offer and I told him to imprint FEYNMAN
instead of my name. He then came back to me at 1:00 PM with the license
plate. We then posed for a photograph. Just before the third man
pushed the camera button, a young lady hoped into the scene. I thought
she was a college student from the United States looking for fun. You
can see this photo by visiting
.
The young stewardess came back to me again and gave me her business card
carrying the address to which I can send the photo. We shook hands, and
she said to me "Kam-sa Hap-ni-da." That means, she was able to sense
that I am Korean even though I did not tell her. Yes, I often bragg about
my ability to get the addresses of distinguished ladies around the world.
But, this time, it also means something very important to you.
Let us turn the clock backward. In March of 1962, I was on a train
from Washington, DC to Princeton. There I met a neat-looking Princeton
student, and we started talking. He then asked me where I came from. I
told him to guess. He mentioned Japan, then China, Thailand, Indonesia,
the Philippines. I said No continuously, and we became frustrated. He
said he gave up and asked me where I really came from. After hearing my
answer, he was astonished. The purpose of his trip to Washington was to
visit the Korean Embassy to gather the material for his senior thesis on
Korean affairs. That is right, a researcher on Korean affairs could not
think of Korea when he met an oriental man. This was how Korea was to
Americans in 1962.
If you subtract 1962 from 2000, the result is 38. You can now see how
much Korea's position was elevated during these years. Needless to say,
this was achieved solely by Koreans. This is in flat contradiction with
the perception widely held by Koreans that all Koreans of the established
generation are bad. My advice again. Look and think before complaining.
Learn lessons from humble Koreans like Hongdo. By the way, I am also
a humble Korean.
Let us go back to the discrimination issue. If there is a discrimination
against Koreans in the United States, you would agree that there is some
difference between that of 1962 and that 2000.
Y.S.Kim (2000.2.23)
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