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We just had the first KWISE meeting in Los Angeles on the evening of April 27, 2006. Our speaker was the distinguished
scientist, Dr. Kwang Hwa Chung, President of Korea Research Institute of Standards and Science (KRISS). She is the very
first female scientist who serves on the capacity as a director of governmental research institute. She spoke under the title
“Introduction of KRISS and Government Efforts for Women Scientists and Engineers in Korea”.
We had a great turn out from our local KSEA/KWISE members. A total of 26 people from various local institutes including
NASA/JPL, Caltech, Boeing, USC, UCI and USDA/NRCS (Dr. Haejin Lee) participated in the meeting. Among the participants
were Drs. Thomas Hahn (KSEA Former President) Quiesup Kim (KSEA Former President; he made a short presentation
introducing the history and organization of KSEA), Choong H. Kim (KSEA-SC President) and Tae W. Ryu (KSEA-SC
President-Elect). Three members volunteered to work as photographers: Hyun Sung Cho, Richard Kim, Chang Suk Park.
The meeting was held in the beautiful conference room of the Oxford Palace Hotel located in Los Angeles Korean Downtown.
It was tastefully decorated with ample space and equipment. The dinner menu included choice of New York Steak and
Salmon with generous servings of Tiramisu as a dessert. The hotel gave us a great accommodation by upgrading a meeting
room to a larger room free of charge. Some extra funds were donated by Drs. Sunmin Park, Eun-Kee Park and Haejung An
($200 each). Donations were also made by the scientists representing KSEA including Drs. Thomas Hahn ($100),
Quiesup Kim, Choong H. Kim, and Tae W. Ryu ($50 each). Besides the individual support, the main fund came from KUSCO
to enhance the communication of the local KSEA chapter of KWISE in the Los Angeles area. Yet, all that activity could
not have been possible without the vision and help of Dr. Gye Won Han, the President of KWiSE, who has been
instrumental in identifying the funding source, getting the grant, and inviting such a distinguished speaker for all of us
to enjoy.
It was a great night of fun, visiting with each other, learning about the social and political structures to enhance women
scientists’ career as an independent member of the science community and the society. Dr. Chung has been an example
of a woman scientist who can also succeed and make a mark in the scientific progress. That night, she did not mind
sharing her tips on how to stay competitive and keep up with our male counterparts in the competitive scientific
community. We all walked out of the meeting room with the hope and dream and encouragement knowing that
we all too can trot the pathways that our precedents such as Dr. Chung have traveled.
Haejung An, Ph.D.
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