Due to the development of Information Technology (IT), the spread and use of handheld smart devices and the rapid development of Internet of Things (IoT) technology, an unimaginable amount of data has been gathered in the 21st century. To gain an understanding of the concept and characteristics of the fourth industrial revolution and the basic principles of big data artificial intelligence, Seoul National University (SNU) hosted an AUA Overseas Study Program themed Design Thinking for Urban Challenges (DTUC): Big Data Approach. There was a huge attendance for the nine-day program with 36 students from 10 AUA member universities taking part: Chulalongkorn University, The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, King Saud University, National University of Singapore, Nazarbayev University, Peking University, Seoul National University, Tsinghua University, University of Colombo and The University of Tokyo.
Group photo of participants of the DTUC program at SNU
After arriving and settling in to SNU's campus, to set the tone for the program, students were given the opportunity to get to know each other better and to provide a short introduction about themselves and the mega cities in their respective AUA countries and regions and the problems these cities face.
To learn more about various aspects related to the program theme, participants attended lectures on topics such as the concept of the fourth industrial revolution, newly emerging forms of IT, principles of machine learning and machine listening, utilization of Virtual Reality (VR), Augmented Reality (AR), and Mixed Reality (MR), smart cities, business innovation utilizing big data and artificial intelligence and digital marketing. Distinguished SNU professors from various university departments delivered the lectures during the program.
The learning was consolidated by numerous site visits to renowned Korean companies such as Samsung D'light, where participants could see how the companies pursue innovation by utilizing big data artificial intelligence technology. Students also had the chance to experience VR, AR and MR during a visit to SKT, the biggest telecommunication company in Korea.
Students during a visit to Samsung D'light
Working together in teams, the final day of the program saw groups deliver presentations demonstrating the knowledge gained. Topics of the group presentations were Smart Univer-city, Development of Unmanned Vehicle & Traffic Signal System, Smart Cities-Seoul, Smart Healthcare Heal-City, The Future of Seoul and QR Code Smart Food Systems.
Some students receiving their Certificate of Achievement after completing their group presentation
There was also time for fun leisure activities with students visiting key cultural spots in Seoul such as Namsan Tower, SM Town Museum and Coex Mall.
Participants visiting Namsan Tower
Reflecting on the program, Zhu Bingjie from National University of Singapore said, "It was really interesting to learn about different cultures and different marketing styles (through preparation for the group presentation) and new topics such as machine listening and digital humanities". Dana Zhumobekovo from Nazarbayev University said, "DTUC program is a great platform to gather the best students from the best universities in Asia so they could communicate and share their ideas on important topics such as AI and big data. It gave me more ideas about these topics and made me think."
Program backdrop signed by DTUC participants
Having one of the largest turn outs of any AUA Overseas Study Program, DTUC was a great success. The theme of this program helps to advance the mission of AUA as it focuses around one of the key AUA themes for 2017-2020: Information Technology, and one of the incoming AUA themes for 2020-2023: Artificial Intelligence and Data Science. In this age of rapid technological development and innovation, deep understanding and ethical utilization of big data technologies is key for future global growth and sustainability. Providing AUA students with the opportunity for in depth learning of this field creates long term and lasting impact across not only the Asian region but the world at large.
