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INTRODUCITON

“I’m on the highway to hell.”

→ panorama shot of HAFS-Korea. they are working hard for “somethingS”

Our team, HAFS-Korea, is comprised of 9 dynamic students. We all attend the Hankuk Academy of Foreign Studies. One of the most distinguishing features of our team is that we come from two different courses in our high school: International Course and Natural Science Course. The two courses offer completely different curriculum, so each of us is adapted to different ways of learning and thinking. This characteristic has sometimes caused minor conflicts within the team, and at the same time suggested us with fresh perspectives. Due to this hardships we had to face, we refer to our process as “the highway to hell”. Our process is like a highway-the more we meet and discuss ideas, the more intellectual challenge was incurred upon us. We now believe that such frustrative but fascinating method is really how a science should work - driving at full speed through the “highway to hell”

Yuree Chung

12th Grade, International Course

Hi! I'm Yuree Chung. I'm currently attending Hankuk Academy of Foreign Studies. I'm interested in microbiology, molecular biology, bioinformatics, and evolutionary science. I am a president of HAFS bioinformatics club ‘GATTACA’ in 2014 and translated an into Korean.

Some of my major achievements in proving my interest in this field was by getting HAFS Scholarship Award and Excellence Award in computer science and Biology. They motivated me to get this far. Also, my enjoyment in conducting biology experiments helped a lot.

I hope our team, HAFS-Korea, accomplish our goals and successfully present our results in front of many IGEMers! (Smile intensifies) I can't wait until the Giant Jamboree!

Cheong Ho Cho

11th Grade, International Course

Ever since I realized that boys couldn't grow up to be a jet plane or a lion, my dream was to become a mad scientist. Even today, fragments of science fiction fuel my imagination. My current dream is building a human level artificial intelligence and making him a legally accepted human being, challenging all prevalent ideas and laws at once. As such are my interests, my field digresses from pure and applied mathematics to biology. Jack of all trades and master of one is my motto, though I am not yet sure which I will master. Oh, and I am referred as the “editor” here.

Min Young Lee

11th Grade, International Course

Hi! My name is Min Young Lee. People call me bio-nerd, and I do like the term because I am always enthusiastic about learning new things. What is a nerd without that? Because I am a big fan of molecular biology, I mainly took part in carrying out the experiment and explaining the biological principles and mechanisms to teammates. iGEM provided me a special opportunity to learn how to organize the whole team, promoting synergetic collaboration while maintaining individual discretion. Although I sometimes felt as if I were driving down the “Highway to Hell” (which our teammates actually accepted as a right description and somehow decided to put this on the top of the page!), my love in working with people, discovering new things, and using creativity motivated me to get this far.

Ji Yun Kim

11th Grade, Natural Science Course

Hello, my name is Ji Yun Kim and I’m also okay with Cathleen. I’m natural science student at HAFS (Hankuk Academy of Foreign Studies), and I love drawing, playing piano, and watching movies. Afterwards, I want to become a dermatologist or study about protein antitumor agents (things about biomedicine!). I LOVE YOU IGEM!! (Editor’s note: she also loves to sleep in the middle of the class and eat Cheetos with pinky fingers…while sleeping in class.)

Hae Sung Jun

10th grade, Natural Science Course

My dream job is a bio-engineer. I joined the fellow HAFS iGEM team to get one step closer to my dream of developing an anti-cancer treatment, and by learning how actual science projects and bioengineering researches work while participating in iGEM, my understanding on the subject has greatly advanced. I am currently studying in HAFS Natural Science course while working on my own biology book, too.

Ann Jung

11th Grade, International Course

Hello. My name is Ann Jung and I've been collaborating with team HAFS-Korea to find a solution to the food vs fuel debate. Prior to iGEM, I never had the actual opportunity to work in real labs and deal with technically applicable methods in fostering unique ideas. This experience in preparing for IGEM thus served as a meaningful learning process. Cooperating with the team to delve into synthetic bioengineering actually allowed me to spread my interest in biology to practical usages. As a bio-friendly maniac, I have personally found this experience to be exciting and intriguing. I hope to work in similar fields of biology in the future.

Jiwoo Kim

12th Grade, International Course

I once dreamt of being a firefighter with the goal of saving many lives. Though now that dream changed, the goal still remains the same; I now aim to save lives with biology. I found out that biology can save trillions of lives with nothing but just technological insights and assiduous effort. Biology has given me an alternative way to fulfill what I desired for, but I wasn’t so sure. Through participating in the IGEM and undertaking its missions, I want to find out how I can contribute a speck of light to our world.

Hyung Seok Lee

Editor: (rushing) “Quickly, quickly! You need to fill this part out. Describe yourself in a short paragraph.”
Me: “What? What. What?”
Editor: “Be quick. We need to upload this. Deadline’s soon closing. At least tell me what you did!”
What I did. A short moment of reflection of my life suddenly flashed an insight in my brain.
Me: “I inhale oxygen.”
Editor: “What? Don’t kid me. This is important!”
Me: “I exhale carbon dioxide. In the process, I produce ATP to function my body.”
Editor: “Not what your cell does! I am asking about what you do!”
Me: “This existence, the organism I call “myself” is a mere combination of myriads of cells, performing their duty in their right places. And their only duty is synthesizing ATPs through respiration. So is mine.”

The editor seemed to angrily raise a point, but as the rage in his face slowly faded, I knew that he wouldn’t be able to find an argument against this. He then fell into a state of existential questioning.

Who are we, where do we come from, and what are we made of? All answers to the problems of life; all condensed into one field of science; that is, biology. Meanwhile, the editor still seems confused.

Juhyun Jung

11th Grade, International Course

Position: A student at HAFS.
Hobbies: Calligraphy, Lacrosse.
Dream: White Hacker
What I like: things organized, sending a list of things, writing phrases.
What I don’t like: things unorganized, writing paragraphs (and proper sentences)

Instructors
Hee Joon Myung

Professor Heejoon Myung is a faculty member of Department of Bioscinece and Biotechnology, Hankuk University of Foreign Studies. His research interest covers a wide variety of viruses including HCV, HIV, and bacteriophages

So Yeon Yoo

Soyeun Yoo is a science teacher in Hankuk Academy of Foreign Studies. and she is in charge of Biology and AP Biology for 9th and 10th grade students. Her specialty is eukaryotic cell biology and medical biology in molecular bases.