CEHC Hosts South Korean Students Through Cybersecurity Exchange Program
ALBANY, N.Y. (Feb. 8, 2022) – A group of 26 students traveled abroad from South Korea over the winter intersession for a five-week exchange program hosted through the College of Emergency Preparedness, Homeland Security and Cybersecurity (CEHC).
The program, a partnership between CEHC and the Center for International Education and Global Strategy’s Intensive English Language Program, selected students with an interest in computer science/software development from three universities: Yonsei University, JeJu National University and Dankook University.
Students were taught cybersecurity fundamentals by CEHC faculty inside UAlbany’s new state-of-the-art ETEC building and offered additional career development and networking opportunities with industry professionals. Their schedule also included cultural immersion activities highlighted by a tour of the NYS Capitol, field trip to New York City and ice skating at the Empire State Plaza.
Due to rising COVID-19 cases, the program’s timeline was cut short, but students were able to virtually complete their coursework and present team projects prior to the start of the new semester at their home universities.
“Cybersecurity is a global issue requiring global solutions,” said CEHC Dean Robert Griffin. “South Korea is one of the most digitally connected countries in the world so the students that participated in our Fundamentals of Cybersecurity program are now well poised to play an integral role in serving as the next generation of cyber professionals and leaders. We were proud to share our knowledge and insight with them.”
“CIEGS is proud to have supported CEHC in offering this enriching program for students from the Republic of Korea.,” added Gilbert A. Valverde, vice provost for global strategy and dean of international education. “Such programs, showcasing, in this case, one of the University at Albany’s signature strengths, underscore our role in the global effort to keep our societies and economies safe against cybersecurity threats. It is just one of the many ways we contribute to the global common good. It was a great pleasure to host these student and faculty visitors, and we hope they will soon visit us again.”
Jiwoong Yang, a computer engineering student at JeJu National University, was among the students in the program. He applied with an interest in learning more about big data and artificial intelligence. The visit was his first to the United States and he hopes to return in pursuit of a software development career.
“After reviewing the syllabus, I was very interested in taking computer-related classes in the United States,” Yang said. “A lot of students applied for this program, and I come from a small city in Korea, so I was happy to be selected. UAlbany’s campus was one of the biggest I’ve ever seen and it was a valuable experience.”
Hyuntak Lee, an English literature and language major at Yonsei University Mirae Campus, was also among the students in the program, returning to the United States for the second time. He lived with his cousin, a developer in Silicon Valley, for a month in San Francisco 10 years ago.
Lee has an interest in studying cyber warfare between nations. The CEHC faculty offered him new perspectives on countermeasures and strategies to combat common cyber threats such as ransomware and denial-of-service (DoS) attacks.
“The most surprising thing about the program was that our CEHC professors were not just engineers, but people who majored in various fields, showing that the strategy behind cybersecurity preparedness is just as important as the technology itself,” Lee said. “This experience is just another cornerstone for my ultimate goal of becoming a software product manager in the United States.”
CEHC plans to host more South Korean students in future summer and winter intersessions.