Twenty-four engineering students from American University of Sharjah (AUS) recently visited South Korea as part of a study tour that the student branch of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) at AUS organizes annually. Students, along with Dr. Abdulrahman Al-Ali from the Department of Computer Engineering and Nevine Youssef, assistant to the dean, toured Korea's capital, Seoul, and visited many of its most impressive landmarks.

The group experienced true Korean culture while visiting its many traditional markets, including Myongdong and Namdaemun, as well as the royal palace of Gyeongbok. They also visited the impressive Everland resort, took pictures at the top of Seoul's highest tower, and even spent a day in the Gangnam district. Students also visited the city of Daejeon where they toured KAIST University, one of the top three universities in Korea. At KAIST, students visited many of their advanced aerospace labs, including the rocket labs and the unmanned aerial vehicle labs, where they saw the latest technologies in the field of aerospace. AUS students also had the chance to meet with some AUS alumni who work at EIAST (Emirates Institution for Advanced Science and Technology), and are currently working on developing Emirati-made satellites in Korea.

Dr. Al Ali said, "This year's study tour to Seoul, South Korea, was a great success. We enjoyed both the Korean culture in the Korean Folk Village and the traditional markets, as well as the rapid technological developments in the fields of satellites and electronics. I was personally very pleased to meet many AUS alumni who were previously my students and are now leading the production of Emirati satellites, and we hope that our next study tour will be a great success as well."

"This was a beautiful well-organized six-day tour with a great group of wonderful people!" said Eman AlGhanam, a senior in electrical engineering. "The best part was to see how technology is blended successfully into the lives of South Koreans without disturbing the beauty of the city."

"This was the most exciting experience of my life. It was both educational and fun. I would definitely do it again!" said Abrar Alhammadi, a senior in mechanical engineering.