Q: How did you get to know about ICISTS?
A: Last year, I had a friend in UNIST, who graduated KSA. She wanted to and actually did apply to ICISTS-KAIST 2014. She tried to make a group of 15 to 20 people to receive the group discount. But after a while, most people gave up on it. I was living in Korea, and I didn’t plan to go back to my home country. So I needed something to do. I applied to the conference with her. We were both accepted, but she couldn’t go because of personal reasons. So that’s is how my journey to ICISTS-KAIST 2014 started.
Q: How do you think about the lectures of ICISTS?
A: The lectures were awesome. The keynote speech, parallel session, the discussion session and everything else. I think the best part of the whole conference is difficult to select because all of them were exceptional. Speakers were from different places, different academic backgrounds, and covered a plethora of topics and world issues. I was also shocked when issues on Africa was also covered. I thought most topics would be for directed at the Asia-pacific region only. But a lot of topics covered diverse topics. Asking me to choose would be like asking me to pick my favorite parent. They were all really superb.
Q: Is there any session that impressed you in particular?
A: Well, there were two sessions that impressed me in particular.
One was the lecture by Ms. Sharon Schmickle. The lecture was about GMOs and the debate on whether they are safe and beneficial. Most of African countries don’t want to accept GMOs because they think it is artificial and can easily be manipulated. But she showed different perspectives. Although the fears of a lot of people are true, GMOs are still feeding people from all walks of like. She showed how lifes are being changed by GMO seeds in different parts of the world, in Africa and Asia . So I really enjoyed that lecture.
And there was another lecture by Mr. Nick Perkins. His lecture was about technological startups. He focused on a lot of them from Africa. It was really enlightening because I didn’t know all those things were going on in Africa and in the world even though I come from Africa.
Those two were the most impressive lectures because they really focused a lot of things about Africa. But the whole conference was really good because every topic was related to things that I’m interested in and looking forward to do in the future.
Q: Is there anything you would like to say to those who are still hesitating to participate in ICISTS-KAIST?
A: Last year, I also hesitated and almost cancelled my application at the last minute. I mean, after paying the fee, writing the all the essay, I didn’t want to let it all to go to waste. I was thinking I was going to be the only international student. I was also worried if I would be able to fit in easily. But I still went because I already paid and I didn’t want to lose my money. From day one, I was so amazed because everybody there spoke really good English and was welcoming. I also had chances to talk with the speakers, and I also made lots of friends. Actually, I still talk to students who participated in ICISTS-KAIST 2014. There were many students from other universities and countries like Singapore, China, and Taiwan. This became a network I have when I go to some other campuses or places.
Also, I heard there is a financial aid for international students who cannot afford the registration fee. This year, there will probably be more international students. So if you are hesitating because all the people there are all Koreans or because of finances, you should rethink and apply because you will definitely meet many nice speakers and Koreans. It will be an experience to remember.
For more about ICISTS and our conference ICISTS-KAIST, visit our website at www.icists.org
