KFAS Takes Students on STEM-Themed Trip to Korea
A group of students took part in an educational trip to South Korea organized by the Kuwait Foundation for the Advancement of Sciences (KFAS). The STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) oriented trip included programs provided by prestigious South Korean and International organizations like the Korea Institute of Science and Technology Information (KISTI), Dankook University, and a few others. The programs focused on the cutting- edge fields of artificial intelligence and virtual reality implementations.
In August 2022, fifteen high school students accompanied by organizers from KFAS embarked on a two-week journey across five South Korean cities. In line with its efforts to support and encourage Kuwaiti youth’s interest in fields that would benefit the future of Kuwait and the region, KFAS hopes that this program prepares the students to envision future technological developments. Students engaged in several comprehensive learning programs alternating between the metaverse world and artificial intelligence.
While at KISTI, a pioneering research organization in South Korea, the group learned about the multiple facets of artificial intelligence. Through a three-day program, they received an intensive course on machine learning, the basic principles and terminologies in AI, and the various real-life applications of AI. The students were able to use what they learned to work together in creating a simple video game at the end of the course.
Later, the group made its way to a six-day program offered at Dankook University, a well-respected research institute located in Korea’s Silicon Valley. The program was designed and prepared under the theme of The First Smart City in Kuwait, in reference to the South Saad Al-Abdullah city in Kuwait, modeled after Bundang in South Korea. In one of the courses, students learned about the requirements for building a metaverse world through the utilization of Minecraft Education Edition (MEE), which is an interactive STEM education tool that engages young students through an online gaming platform. The team at the university concluded the interactive program with a workshop about the five stages associated with design thinking.
In addition to the well-rounded educational content of the trip, the group had the chance to explore different local experiences with the K-Cultural Program. Its purpose was to help them understand Korean culture and experience aspects of daily Korean life. The program entailed traditional musical performances, workshops to learn the Korean language, hiking a few natural trails, and museum visits to learn about South Korean history.
“Surprisingly, the most interesting things I learned were about the culture” said Mohammed Al-Ali, one of the students on the trip. His mother added that her son’s “visit to a new country with a completely different and booming cultural character and seeing its distinctive buildings and picturesque natural landscapes certainly left a positive effect on him.”
An experience like this has a great impact on realizing the potential of young and ambitious minds like Al-Ali’s, who dreams of pursuing a path in computer science and coding. According to his mother, KFAS “plays an important and prominent role in realizing Mohammed’s goal through its continuous programs, courses, and lectures held throughout the year.” She added that KFAS’ efforts to connect students like her son with experts and specialists in the field of science and technology goes a long way toward nurturing and supporting young local talents.
By Lulwa Alaftan
