Participating in the 2025 KAIST CAMPUS Asia Research-oriented Program was a formative experience that combined focused laboratory research with cultural immersion and international collaboration. I applied for the program because I am passionate about catalyst design and wanted to see firsthand how overseas research groups organize their work, run experiments, and foster interdisciplinary exchange. I also hoped the experience would broaden my perspective, help me build connections with students and researchers from different countries, and push me outside my comfort zone by living and working abroad for the first time.

The program itself is part of the T²KN CAMPUS Asia Plus Consortium, a student-exchange initiative involving KAIST, Science Tokyo (Tokyo Tech), Tsinghua University, and NTU. Through this framework, KAIST invited students to join research groups for an intensive summer research experience. During the program I took part in hands-on laboratory work, attended lectures, and participated in language and cultural activities designed to deepen our understanding of Korean science and society.

In the laboratory, I worked within an electrocatalysis research environment and learned several new experimental and conceptual techniques. Practically, I gained experience in preparing and characterizing catalysts-especially strategies for introducing oxygen vacancies into CeO₂ and synthesizing single-atom catalysts. I also learned more about electrocatalytic systems for urea synthesis: how the catalyst structure and defect chemistry can influence activity and selectivity, and how to interpret electrochemical results in that context. These technical skills and the mentoring I received from my Korean supervisors and senior students significantly advanced my experimental workflow-from planning and reproducible synthesis to characterization and data interpretation.

Beyond the bench, the program offered structured opportunities to develop language skills and cultural awareness. I attended Korean language classes that helped me navigate daily life and gave me a small but meaningful window into Korean culture. Weekends were spent exploring different cities-Daejeon, Gangneung, Seoul, and Busan-which enriched my understanding of regional diversity and everyday life in South Korea. One of the highlights was the day trip to Jeonju Hanok Village: sampling bibimbap at a local restaurant, visiting a traditional seal-carving shop, trying on hanbok, and tasting regional snacks. These moments of cultural engagement made the experience more than academic; they transformed it into a holistic learning journey.

What I appreciated most about the program was the chance to integrate into an active research group and engage in real projects rather than passive observation. The mentorship from professors and graduate students, combined with collaboration with fellow visiting students from Japan and Singapore, fostered interdisciplinary conversations that expanded my research perspective. The informal exchanges-discussing approaches, challenges, and literature-were as valuable as the scheduled seminars in shaping my scientific thinking.

This internship will influence my future studies and career in several concrete ways. Technically, it refined my approach to catalyst synthesis and my experimental workflow, and it introduced me to new characterization strategies I plan to bring back to my home lab. Professionally, the experience underscored the importance of clear English communication in science: explaining methods and results in English made discussions more accessible and productive. Personally, handling everything from visa procedures to daily living abroad improved my independence and problem-solving abilities. Completing a successful international research experience boosted my confidence and motivated me to proactively seek further international collaborations and opportunities.

In summary, the KAIST CAMPUS Asia program was a compact but powerful combination of hands-on research, cross-cultural exchange, and personal growth. It strengthened my technical skills in catalyst research, widened my academic network across Asia, and taught me practical lessons about collaboration, communication, and adaptability that will guide my future study and research career.

I am deeply grateful to everyone at KAIST who made this experience possible. My heartfelt thanks go to the program coordinators and faculty for their guidance and for welcoming me into their research community; to the principal investigator and all members of the lab-especially the senior students and postdocs-whose mentorship, patience, and practical advice were invaluable; to my assigned buddies for their warm support in daily life and logistics; and to my fellow participants from Science Tokyo, Tsinghua, and NTU for the stimulating conversations and camaraderie. Your collective encouragement not only enriched my research but also made this summer truly memorable. I look forward to maintaining these connections and applying what I have learned in my future work.