The word 'gong' indicates engineers, and the three created terms have special meanings: 'gong-hun' implies"engineers' devotion to the society", 'gong-woo' is"engineers' friendship", and 'gong-gam' is"engineers' compassion for others".
The College of Engineering had selected some of advanced students and organized the 'Gong-woo' (English name is"STEM: SNU Tomorrow's Edge Membership") group. Last December, the Gong-woo members had their first nationwide tour for 'Vision Mentoring Program' which is to inspire the talented highschool students in local areas to apply for SNU's College of Engineering. They made a great success in terms of popularity.
The Gong-gam is being developed into a counseling center for students.
The Gonghun was recently organized with the students interested in volunteer services for the people in the under-developed countries.
It is different from general social service centers in that students here apply engineering technologies to real-life scenarios. The Gong-hun was made to unite various social services of College of Engineering that have been offered sporadically, so that projects can be done systematically and continually.
'Gong-hun' currently has two project teams: 'rainwater recycling service team' and 'sunlight power generator team'.
The Sunlight generator team, guided by Professor AHN Sung-Hoon of Dept. of Mechanical Engieering, succeeded installing sunlight power generators in remote areas in Nepal named 'Lama Hotel Village' where people don't have enough power to light at night.
The rainwater team participated building purification facilities so that people in water-polluted regions can gather rainwater and use it for drinking water.
Shinyang Hall, where Gonghun is located, also has a special meaning. Shinyang Hall was built with a donation from Director CHUNG Sukkyu, an alumnus of SNU. Since Shinyang Hall is on the 4th floor of the Information Center, students can see Director Chung quite often. Son Jin Ho, the vice president of Gonghun, said,"One night I was studying at Shinyang Library, and I saw Chung smiling very happily seeing students studying. I was very impressed. I was always hoping for social contribution by engineers, and I am glad that such a good role model is near."
Professor YOON Jeyong of SNU's School of Chemical and Biological Engineering, the head of the global leadership center, appreciated the 'Gong-hun', saying"Although there are many students doing volunteer work, we are seeking ways to provide incentives such as providing research grants or scholarships and making it a part of coursework, in order to induce even more students to participate more actively."
LEE Woo Il, dean of SNU's College of Engineering, said"I want SNU engineering students to be great contributors to others and society, rather than to pursue education only for their own benefit."
Written by PARK Ziho, SNU English Editor, snuitsm2@snu.ac.kr ?
Proofread by Brett Johnson, SNU English Editor, morningcalm2@gmail.com