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Program Highlights

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Global Collaboration

Partnered with a leading STEM University in Korea, this program provides a unique cross-cultural learning experience sponsored by NSF Global Center.

Hybrid Learning Modules

Includes online and in-person lectures and/or guide from leading STEM faculty across the U.S., Canada, Finland, and Korea.

Hands-On Experiments

Students engage in lab work to develop tangible prototypes, learning technical and procedural skills.

Design Thinking Approach

Students follow a six-step design thinking process: Frame Questions, Gather Inspiration, Generate Ideas, Make Ideas Tangible, Test to Learn, and Share the Story to explore creativity and innovation.

Fieldwork and Research

Includes outdoor activities for data collection and analysis, fostering real-world applications.

Cultural Immersion

Students explore Korea's cultural heritage through site visits and K-culture exchange activities, enriching their global perspective.

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Inclusive Environment

Focuses on recruiting underrepresented students to promote diversity in STEM fields.

Skill Development

Enhances critical thinking, creativity, design software, 3D printing and communication skills while building knowledge of the global bioeconomy

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Lab Sessions

This laboratory series guides students through a sustainable materials lifecycle from biomass fermentation to monomer recovery, polylactic acid (PLA) synthesis, and degradation under photocatalytic conditions. It integrates concepts from microbiology, organic chemistry, polymer chemistry, and environmental science. 

Module 1: Biomass Fermentation to Produce Lactic Acid (alternative: ethanol production) 

Objective: Convert renewable biomass (e.g., glucose or starch from corn or food waste) into lactic acid using lactic acid bacteria. 

Module 2: Synthesis of Polylactic Acid (PLA)
(alternative: polyamide)

Objective: Synthesize PLA via polycondensation of lactic acid or ring-opening polymerization (ROP) of lactide. 

Module 3 Photocatalytic Degradation of PLA

Objective: Degrade PLA using a TiO#-based photoelectrochemical system under UV light and study degradation process. 

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Design Thinking

Design thinking is a human-centered problem-solving approach that focuses on understanding people’s needs, generating creative ideas, and testing solutions through iteration. It encourages empathy, collaboration, and experimentation to create solutions that are both useful and meaningful.

  • Empathize: understand the users and their needs

  • Define: clearly identify the core problem

  • Ideate: generate a wide range of possible ideas

  • Prototype: create simple models or drafts of solutions

  • Test: try the solution and improve it based on feedback

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