Stony Brook University Research

Four computer science students from SUNY Korea—Biniam Markos, Eunwoo Choi, Ulukbek Aitmatov, and Younwoo Ki—excelled in three major hackathons hosted Softheon Hack@CEWIT 2024. These competitions, emphasizing sustainability, social impact, and AI-dby Stony Brook University, New York. They secured "Best Sustainability Hack" at SBU Hopper Hacks 2024, "Best Social Impact" at SBUHacks VI, and "Best Integration of Customer Segmentation Utilizing AI" at riven customer segmentation, were held online during early 2024. The SUNY Korea team's consistent performance highlights their innovative capabilities and potential in leveraging technology for societal benefits.

Jonathan Boyack, a master's student of Professor Jongsung Choi, has been recognized for his groundbreaking work in the field of disaster risk assessment with the Best Paper Award at the Korean Society of Mechanical Engineers (KSME) 2023 conference. His research, detailed in the paper titled "Falling Hazard Assessment Application: Automated Labelling Large Data Sets for Transfer Learning Models," addresses the urgent need for rapid and accurate building inspections following natural disasters.

In his study, Boyack proposes an automated system using machine learning to quickly evaluate buildings for safety hazards using images collected from unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). The process involves a convolutional neural network (CNN) trained via transfer learning to classify images based on damage, creating a detailed orthophoto map of the affected areas. This system not only significantly reduces the time needed for building inspections but also enhances the accuracy and efficiency of post-disaster assessments.

Last fall, The RealReal, an online platform for luxury resale items, teamed up with the Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT) to launch a sustainable fashion challenge. Fashion Design students at FIT were invited to create luxury, sustainable, upcycled coats using unsold inventory from The RealReal. This initiative marked the first collaboration between the online consignment company and a higher education university, aiming to infuse sustainability into fashion design.

Eight finalists were chosen, and their creations were evaluated by esteemed judges including The RealReal’s COO Rati Sahi Levesque, stylist Erin Walsh, and model Pat Cleveland. Benjamin Halunen won first prize and $3,000 for his Americana-inspired coat, followed by Nadia Phie who took second place with a $1,500 prize for her 1950s-inspired vintage coat, and Emily Cha who won third place and $500 for her monochromatic style coat.

The project culminated with the sale of these coats on The RealReal’s website, all of which sold out by January 29. Each student designer received a commission from the sales, highlighting the success of this partnership in promoting sustainable fashion practices.

Hansol Lim, a Master's student in Mechanical Engineering at SUNY Korea, has been making significant strides in his academic and research career. Recently, Lim was awarded the Outstanding Paper Award at the 14th International Symposium on NDT in Aerospace (AeroNDT 2023) held on December 22, 2023, for his exceptional research on innovative non-destructive testing techniques in aerospace. This recognition comes shortly after he won a bronze medal and a prize of 200,000 KRW at the KSME2023 ChatGPT Competition on November 1, 2023. At this competition, Lim demonstrated his expertise by crafting a comprehensive 5-page scientific paper in just 1.5 hours, focusing on the integration of Large Language Models (LLMs) into military robotics, which underscored new methods for fault diagnosis and natural language response.

Under the mentorship of Prof. Jongseong Brad Choi, Lim continues to work as a research assistant in the Mechanical Engineering Department at SUNY Korea. His acclaimed paper, "LLM-based Fault Diagnosis and Natural Language Response in Military Robots and Drones," explores how LLMs can revolutionize the functionality of military robots and drones, enhancing their operational capabilities. These achievements not only highlight Lim's capability to push the boundaries of technology in both military and aerospace fields but also position him as a leading figure in driving forward the applications of AI and engineering technologies in real-world scenarios.