Professor Young-Hack Song participated in the International Week (April 24th -30th) that was organized by one of our Partner schools, the University of Economics in Katowice, Poland. The program was sponsored by the Erasmus+ whose aim is to create a platform where different professors can exchange ideas on teaching and research focusing on the IT field. The program also provides students with the opportunity of meeting professors from different countries so as to broaden their exposure to new topics and teaching methods. Over 20 professors from countries like Germany, the US, Spain, Colombia, Brazil, Turkey, Egypt, Georgia, Bulgaria, Romania, Taiwan, South Korea among others attended this program. 13 courses were offered and Prof. Song taught a class on Innovation Development challenges in collaboration with a professor from the Czech Republic. Each course had a maximum of 15 students. “In my class, I had one SolBridge exchange student, Kim Young-Seo and one student from Singapore along with Polish students. At first, Polish students didn’t feel comfortable asking questions or making comments, however, this changed in my second session when they felt more comfortable to make presentations” said Prof. Song.

During the International week, professors got to interact with their colleagues from different countries and had the opportunity of experiencing Polish culture. “Visiting the Polish National Radio Symphony Orchestra was a pleasant surprise for me,” said Prof. Song. “The concert hall opened two years ago and yet it is one of the best in Europe” he added. They listened to Schubert Symphony No.6, Schumann’s Piano Concerto and Symphony No.2 of Sibelius. Professors also visited the Silesian Governor’s Office for a Q&A session in addition to a tour around Krakow (Bochnia salt mine and Krakow Castle).

While in Poland, Prof. Song met with four of SolBridge exchange students; Kim Yoon-Ji in Warsaw, Kim Nam-Hee and Kim Yoo-Bin in Poznan and Kim Young-Seo in Katowice. “The students seemed to be enjoying the experience of studying in Poland. I strongly recommend students to participate in exchange programs” remarked Prof. Song. “In particular, Polish universities might be an excellent choice in three aspects; quality education, low cost of living and secure environment” he added. Participating in such programs is important to increase one's exposure in what’s happening in the rest of the world and building networks. “I strongly recommend SolBridge faculty to actively engage in these programs sponsored by Erasmus+,” said Prof. Song.