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2016 UIC Global Research Competition
Exploring the World First-hand: Enriching the Experience Beyond Classroom
The 4th Global Research Competition (GRC) was conducted in summer of 2016. Open to all UIC students, GRC provides a chance to carry out self-directed research overseas from beginning to end. The following three teams were selected out of 20 applications this year and were provided with a 3,500,000 Won scholarship to conduct their research. A closer look into their journey reveals the discoveries made through the unique experience of GRC.
Subject: Winter is Coming (Canada)
Students: Soojin Sohn (IS ‘15), Ayumi Carolina Fujimoto (ISED ‘15), Tan Ziyin Ilyna (IS ‘15)
Subject: Development of Elderly Alzheimer Care in Japan (Japan)
Students: Shannon Yi Xin Chew (ASD ‘14), Min Jee Lee (ASD ‘15)
Subject: A Comparative Study on Gender Equality in Iceland and South Korea: Overcoming the Androcentric Bias in Economic Participation and Opportunity (Iceland)
Students: Yee Rem Kim (IS ‘14), Joohyun Lim (ISSD ‘14), Hyojung Roh (ISSD ‘14)
■ Winter is Coming (Canada)
The excitement of the Rio Olympics inspired one of the teams to conduct research on the sustainable development of Olympic infrastructure. They ventured to explore Vancouver, where they wished to discover how Pyeongchang could best host the Olympics in 2018. Their research aimed to not only address the long debated issue of “Olympic wastage,” but also help South Korea devise a more sustainable and efficient plan for the event.
The team chose comparison as their research method, weighing different strategies of achieving sustainable development in each of the two countries. In addition, they analyzed and evaluated the practicality of Pyeongchang’s ambitions. As a result, they made a fascinating discovery: Vancouver and Pyeongchang had different pre-Olympics environments in terms of infrastructure construction, capacity, and community involvement.
In order to gain a deeper insight, the team sent a hundred emails to leading professionals, securing 10 interviews with various officials. With the solid foundation of quantitative research, observations and interviews as their basis, they devised predictions for post-Olympics maintenance in Pyeongchang and proposed suggestions accordingly.
This rare opportunity allowed team members to develop their academic skillset. One member recounted the process, “We were surprised at how the event organizers respected us as young adults, taking our research and purpose seriously. The sincere opinions they gave us during our discussions encouraged us to ask better, more engaging questions.” The skills they attained through GRC will prove to be useful in all future research projects and serve as competitive assets in their prospective careers. GRC is a meaningful experience for those who wish to foster their confidence as a young academic.
■ Development of Elderly Alzheimer Care in Japan (Japan)
The team’s primary goal in the research project was to find methods of alleviating problems of an aging population through Japan. The selected specific focus was dementia, as everyone has the risk of developing it, yet there is no cure. When first devising a plan, the team was inspired by P. D. James's dystopian novel, Children of Men. In the novel, the elderly in society who were no longer “productive,” had to commit mass suicide in order to conserve resources for the younger generation. There are many cases of elderly suicide and murders all over the world in reality as well. With the hope that their research would highlight these issues and help move towards accepting all members of society, they headed to Japan.
In order to find out more about such institutions, the team visited care facilities to conduct interviews and surveys with the managers. The following result was a success. The team mentioned that “They provided us with statistics and personal opinions about the strengths and weaknesses of the Japanese care system.” While in the facilities, they also made observations on how the care facilities and the community provide for patients with dementia and their families. With the help of these experiences and data, the team concluded that Japan was generally accepting and supportive of the elderly citizens.
According to the team members, the autonomy and independence in their research allowed them to take a holistic approach, examining firsthand experiences through the perspectives of both Social Science and Humanities. The GRC provided an opportunity to explore the underlying ideology and social perception in a comprehensive way.
■ A Comparative Study on Gender Equality in Iceland and South Korea: Overcoming the Androcentric Bias in Economic Participation and Opportunity (Iceland)
The need for gender equality in contemporary society has been a rising issue over the past decade. In recent years, many countries including South Korea have shown improvements in narrowing the gender gap, especially in sections of education and health. Many South Koreans, however, still see gender inequality in economic participation and political representation.
The team was alarmed at South Korea’s low rate of female economic participation in the society. They searched for a country to draw a comparison, and found Iceland. Iceland has ranked number one in the ‘Global Gender Gap Report’ consecutively for the past seven years, placing the country as the most ideal model for gender gap closure. The research was aimed at highlighting the correlation between Iceland's gender equality, and the economic growth of the country. It revealed the contrast between South Korean and Iceland government’s economic gender equality policies. The main research method was collecting qualitative data through interviews with representatives of corporate and governmental institutions.
Team’s findings revealed that South Korea would experience significant socioeconomic benefits from implementing effective gender equality measures, as shown through the case study of Iceland. On the other hand, among the key differences between the two nations was what played a role in affecting gender equality. One of the team members noted that they “realized the importance of understanding how culture shapes society.” GRC helped them to understand the problem of gender inequality and led them to think about Korean-appropriate methods to close the gap. The team believes South Korea is heading towards a better outcome, and will contribute towards the fight against gender inequality in the future.
The diligence and innovation of the three teams led to new discoveries, not only within their topics of research, but also within their personal and academic lives. Specific details of the research from 2016 GRC participants will be published and made available for those who are interested. All UIC students with enthusiasm and ambition for learning are highly encouraged to take advantage of the opportunity.
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