Interview with Gongwon
Q. Please give a brief self-introduction and introduce your club.
A. Hello. I'm Jo Ha-eun, majoring in Horticultural Science and Biotechnology, class of 2021. The "Gongwon" club is an abbreviation for ‘gongbuhaneun wonyae(studying horticulture)’. It was established last year as a club that regularly reads papers together.
Q. What led you to join the club?
A. Early last year, when I was in my second year, I thought that doing paper studies with my friends while taking major courses could be beneficial to each other. So, I decided to create the club with my friends.
Q. If the club has regular activities, how are they organized?
A. This year, we are taking a break from club activities, so based on last year, we selected and read papers approximately twice a month. There were two types of papers we read. The first type is a common paper that every club member reads. We choose one representative presenter, study altogether, and then the representative presenter leads the presentation and discussion. The second type is individual papers, where about two members select and read papers for each session and introduce them to other friends.
Q. What other activities do you do?
A. After the study, we usually have dinner with club members and spend time chatting. In 2023, we planned to recruit the second batch of Gongwon members to pass on the club to the juniors, but it didn't progress well, so we plan to organize it again in the future.
Q. If there is a memorable moment during your time in the club, when was it?
A. The experience of doing Gongwon club while taking major courses last year helped me adapt to lectures and studying, so that's the most memorable part for me.
Q. What do you think are the strengths or charms of Gongwon?
A. Since we formed the club with friends from the same class and those we already knew, there were already many existing friendships. We not only studied together but also had fun, which made us closer. It's not easy to freely discuss or express opinions during class, but in the club, we had the opportunity to express our opinions freely.
Q. Whom do you recommend joining the club, and do you have a message for those interested in the club?
A. I recommend it to those who love biology and have an interest in it. Also, if you want to have a free exchange of opinions with friends, joining the Gongwon club would be a good choice. If conditions permit next year or the year after, we plan to recruit new members, so please show a lot of interest in our Gongwon club.