Researcher Sea-Eun Park Selected for US Training Program for Women Graduate Students in Science and Engineering

[Jeonju=GeoVis] Sea-Eun Park, a master's student researcher at the Computational Geophysics Lab of Jeonbuk National University (JBCGL), announced that she has been selected for the 2022 US Training Program for Women Graduate Students in Science and Engineering, supported by the National Research Foundation of Korea.

This program is an overseas training support project implemented annually by the National Research Foundation of Korea to strengthen the global competitiveness of women researchers in science and engineering. This year, only two individuals, including Sea-Eun Park, were selected in the field of earth science, indicating that she passed through fierce competition.

Sea-Eun Park will conduct training in the United States for six months, from November 2022 to April 2023, on the topic of 'Research on Improving the Applicability of Anisotropic Seismic Imaging Technology for Characterizing Earth's Internal Structure and Geothermal Reservoirs'.

She chose MIT (Massachusetts Institute of Technology) and Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL), both world-class institutions, as her training institutions. In particular, she plans to conduct in-depth research on seismic imaging technology in anisotropic media through collaborative research with Dr. Nori Nakata of LBNL.

Anisotropic seismic imaging technology is an advanced geophysical exploration technique that considers the directional characteristics of subsurface media, and it is essential for accurately characterizing geothermal reservoirs and oil and gas reservoirs. In particular, it is attracting attention as a next-generation technology that can overcome the limitations of existing techniques in complex geological structures.

With this selection, Sea-Eun Park will receive up to 3 million won for airfare and preparation, and 2 million won per month for living expenses. She will also have the opportunity to acquire advanced technology and build an international research network in a world-class research environment.

An official from the National Research Foundation of Korea stated, "The role of women researchers in science and engineering is becoming increasingly important." They added, "We hope that this program will foster women scientists and engineers with global competitiveness."

Professor Ju-Won Oh stated, "I am very proud that Sea-Eun Park has the opportunity to conduct research at world-class institutions like MIT and LBNL." He added, "I am confident that the experience gained through this training will greatly contribute to the future development of geophysical exploration technology in Korea."