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Interview with President of 'Sidong'
Interviewed by Kim Yonghyun, M.A. (president), and Lee Jumyung, M.A. (president-elect)
At the beginning of September, when the cool breeze starts to blow, we hear news of various CALS(College of Agriculture and Life Sciences) clubs that are busy preparing for the new semester. Among them, 'Sidong', a club for biosystems engineering majors, is an attractive club that caught the attention of student reporters. As a club, its name may be unfamiliar to students in other departments, but let's find out more about its secret charms from its president, Kim Yonghyun, and incoming president, Lee Jumyung.
Q. Please tell us about 'Sidong'.
A. Sidong is a club that participates in various external activities related to biosystems engineering. First of all, we named the club 'Startup' as a shortened version of 'Construction Club', which also means 'to start' because our department deals with agricultural machinery. I participated in agriculture-related competitions in my department's lab from my senior year until I started this club, and I felt that it was very different to learn about the subject in class and apply it in practice. The characteristics of our department are also not concentrated in one field like other engineering schools, but are combined with various fields, so even if you take a class, it is not easy to feel why you need to learn it or what you can do with it at the time. I thought that if there is a club that participates in competitions related to our department, it would be good for my undergraduate friends to have field experience before graduation, so I created 'Sidong' in the fall semester of '22.
Q. What kind of activities do you do?
A. The main activity of Sidong is to prepare and participate in a few external activities that the club regularly participates in. The external activities that we have participated in so far are the agricultural robot competition organized by the Korean Society of Agricultural Machinery, ASABE, academic conferences participating in overseas short-term training programs, autonomous racing competitions, and idea competitions. When I participate in these external competitions, my department supports me (laughs). I also organized a competition within the club to improve the skills of my younger classmates, where each team worked on a project using Raspberry Pi and Arduino being researched in the labs of our professors.
Through these activities, you can learn about what you didn't know in your undergraduate classes and feel a sense of accomplishment when you see what you've learned in class being utilized in practice. Also, in the second and third years, you often don't have a clear career path, but by participating in various activities, you can see if the field is right for you, and if you're interested in the field you've experienced through the activities, you can study it.
Q. What was the most impressive thing that happened to you during your club activities?
A. Yonghyun: I've been involved in most of the competitions, but there was one competition where I was barely involved. I was proud when they came back with good results in those competitions without my help, and I felt grateful when I saw people who were interested in our field and chose to go to graduate school through club activities.
Jumyung: Actually, there were a lot of trials and errors in the club. Because we were working side by side during the semester, we had difficulties in coordinating the time of the members, and good results are not always came out, and sometimes we went home without any income, which lowered our motivation. Nevertheless, I think I was most impressed when the members of the club made good results by strengthening their will and preparing hard.
Q. What are your future plans for the club?
A. Regarding the club's activities, I would like to continue to participate in the main competition and create a virtuous cycle by having those who participated in the previous competition pass on their know-how to the next team leader. I would also like to lead the club to actively participate in academic external activities such as conferences and congresses, not just the competitions we are currently participating in.
Q. Do you have any words of advice for students of department of Biosystems Engineering who are interested in the club?
A. I would like to tell students who are confused about our department that the club will help them understand the identity of the department. However, if you join the club, you will have to spend a lot of time on club activities because we are a club that actively participates in various external activities. I would like people who can prioritize club activities to join the club. If you join and participate hard, you can get enough valuable experience (laughs).
At the beginning of September, when the cool breeze starts to blow, we hear news of various CALS(College of Agriculture and Life Sciences) clubs that are busy preparing for the new semester. Among them, 'Sidong', a club for biosystems engineering majors, is an attractive club that caught the attention of student reporters. As a club, its name may be unfamiliar to students in other departments, but let's find out more about its secret charms from its president, Kim Yonghyun, and incoming president, Lee Jumyung.
Q. Please tell us about 'Sidong'.
A. Sidong is a club that participates in various external activities related to biosystems engineering. First of all, we named the club 'Startup' as a shortened version of 'Construction Club', which also means 'to start' because our department deals with agricultural machinery. I participated in agriculture-related competitions in my department's lab from my senior year until I started this club, and I felt that it was very different to learn about the subject in class and apply it in practice. The characteristics of our department are also not concentrated in one field like other engineering schools, but are combined with various fields, so even if you take a class, it is not easy to feel why you need to learn it or what you can do with it at the time. I thought that if there is a club that participates in competitions related to our department, it would be good for my undergraduate friends to have field experience before graduation, so I created 'Sidong' in the fall semester of '22.
Q. What kind of activities do you do?
A. The main activity of Sidong is to prepare and participate in a few external activities that the club regularly participates in. The external activities that we have participated in so far are the agricultural robot competition organized by the Korean Society of Agricultural Machinery, ASABE, academic conferences participating in overseas short-term training programs, autonomous racing competitions, and idea competitions. When I participate in these external competitions, my department supports me (laughs). I also organized a competition within the club to improve the skills of my younger classmates, where each team worked on a project using Raspberry Pi and Arduino being researched in the labs of our professors.
Through these activities, you can learn about what you didn't know in your undergraduate classes and feel a sense of accomplishment when you see what you've learned in class being utilized in practice. Also, in the second and third years, you often don't have a clear career path, but by participating in various activities, you can see if the field is right for you, and if you're interested in the field you've experienced through the activities, you can study it.
Q. What was the most impressive thing that happened to you during your club activities?
A. Yonghyun: I've been involved in most of the competitions, but there was one competition where I was barely involved. I was proud when they came back with good results in those competitions without my help, and I felt grateful when I saw people who were interested in our field and chose to go to graduate school through club activities.
Jumyung: Actually, there were a lot of trials and errors in the club. Because we were working side by side during the semester, we had difficulties in coordinating the time of the members, and good results are not always came out, and sometimes we went home without any income, which lowered our motivation. Nevertheless, I think I was most impressed when the members of the club made good results by strengthening their will and preparing hard.
Q. What are your future plans for the club?
A. Regarding the club's activities, I would like to continue to participate in the main competition and create a virtuous cycle by having those who participated in the previous competition pass on their know-how to the next team leader. I would also like to lead the club to actively participate in academic external activities such as conferences and congresses, not just the competitions we are currently participating in.
Q. Do you have any words of advice for students of department of Biosystems Engineering who are interested in the club?
A. I would like to tell students who are confused about our department that the club will help them understand the identity of the department. However, if you join the club, you will have to spend a lot of time on club activities because we are a club that actively participates in various external activities. I would like people who can prioritize club activities to join the club. If you join and participate hard, you can get enough valuable experience (laughs).
