Six months of OsFun - Seokhwan’s experience

Before leaving Korea, a professor told me, “Six months is too short to complete a long research project. Meet many people, gain new experiences, and make the most of your time there.” At first, I did not fully understand what he meant. I was used to judging time by visible results, such as completed projects, papers, and achieved goals. I thought I also needed to produce clear results at Stanford. However, as I have spent time here, I have begun to understand his advice. The value of a short visiting appointment is not only in finishing results quickly. It is also in meeting new people, questions, and perspectives outside of one’s usual research setting.

Compared with the research culture I had experienced in Korea, researchers at Stanford often define their own research directions based on their interests, reach out directly to people with the expertise they need, and create opportunities for collaboration. I have been especially impressed by how researchers from different countries and academic backgrounds look at the same problem in very different ways. I have learned that diversity is more than having different people in the same place. It helps us notice assumptions we may not see and leads to new research questions.

This experience has also expanded my research interests. My previous work focused on using AI to recognize and assess safety risks at construction sites. At Stanford, I have begun to think about how generative AI media can affect people’s trust and behavior. This has led me to explore whether generative AI videos could influence public views and choices about tap water, connecting engineering with human behavior and public communication. Outside the lab, I have also met researchers, founders, investors, and industry professionals in Silicon Valley. These conversations have taught me that strong research does not create social impact by itself. Researchers need to explain the value of their work clearly, connect with the right people, and understand the social setting where their technology will be used.

Through this visit, I have gained new research questions and perspectives. I have also experienced firsthand why diversity is such an important value in Professor Khalid Osman’s lab. I am grateful to Professor Osman for giving me this opportunity and for his warm guidance. I also sincerely thank everyone in the lab and at Stanford who has shared their support, ideas, and friendship with me.