2008 Woodie Awards
Movers and Shakers: Hyun Ouk Hong (aka "H")
Rebecca Kolberg
Issue date: 2/9/07 Section: Campus Life
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Hyun Ouk Hong is better known around campus simply as "H."
H came to Stevens in 2002 knowing his end-goal was to work in the healthcare field. At first he was not sure whether to pursue engineering or science. Freshman year, H volunteered in both the Burn Center and the robotics lab at Weill-Cornell New York Presbyterian Hospital in Manhattan. His experience helped him realize that he enjoyed working with the doctors and patients more than robotics, a discovery which prompted him to major in chemical biology. H is also pursuing a minor in social sciences.
Since the volunteering at the Burn Center, H has had the opportunity to do research in several different settings. He began in 2004 as a Technogenesis summer scholar in the microbiology laboratory. That summer, with the help of Professor Panikov, H used gas chromatography mass spectrometry (GC-MS) and UV-vis spectroscopy to study permafrost soil. He spent the summer of 2005 on the west coast at the Oregon Health and Sciences University Medical School, where he examined the role of race and socio-economic status in healthcare disparities. This past summer, H was accepted to the summer research fellowship program at Weill Cornell Medical College, where he completed a course in cardiovascular physiology and had the opportunity to conduct research under Dr. Meena Katdare in the Department of Surgery. H is continuing to work on his senior research there, studying the use of curcumin (a chemical found in curry powder) as a chemopreventive agent for breast cancer.
H has also spent a great deal of time and energy as a campus leader over the last five years. He has served as President and Vice President of the Ethnic Student Council and President of the both the Korean Student Association and Chi Alpha Epsilon National Honor Society. H is a member of Gear and Triangle Honor Society, Stevens Health Professions Club and has been a tutor as well as a peer mentor.
Perhaps the one activity that has had the greatest impact on H is his involvement with the Stevens Technical Enrichment Program, more commonly known as STEP. STEP gives a diverse group of students from low income and underrepresented backgrounds the resources they need to be successful at Stevens. H explained that many students who apply to Stevens come from underprivileged communities where the schools don't offer AP classes or provide all the support found in wealthier schools. STEP allows these students to come to Stevens during the summer before their freshman year to help them with their transition into college. Once they are enrolled full-time in the fall, STEP provides them with tutors, counselors and review sessions for core classes. More importantly, H explained, "It's like a community." He has served as a summer RA, a tutor for three years and now holds the position of STEP Tutor Coordinator.
H came to Stevens in 2002 knowing his end-goal was to work in the healthcare field. At first he was not sure whether to pursue engineering or science. Freshman year, H volunteered in both the Burn Center and the robotics lab at Weill-Cornell New York Presbyterian Hospital in Manhattan. His experience helped him realize that he enjoyed working with the doctors and patients more than robotics, a discovery which prompted him to major in chemical biology. H is also pursuing a minor in social sciences.
Since the volunteering at the Burn Center, H has had the opportunity to do research in several different settings. He began in 2004 as a Technogenesis summer scholar in the microbiology laboratory. That summer, with the help of Professor Panikov, H used gas chromatography mass spectrometry (GC-MS) and UV-vis spectroscopy to study permafrost soil. He spent the summer of 2005 on the west coast at the Oregon Health and Sciences University Medical School, where he examined the role of race and socio-economic status in healthcare disparities. This past summer, H was accepted to the summer research fellowship program at Weill Cornell Medical College, where he completed a course in cardiovascular physiology and had the opportunity to conduct research under Dr. Meena Katdare in the Department of Surgery. H is continuing to work on his senior research there, studying the use of curcumin (a chemical found in curry powder) as a chemopreventive agent for breast cancer.
H has also spent a great deal of time and energy as a campus leader over the last five years. He has served as President and Vice President of the Ethnic Student Council and President of the both the Korean Student Association and Chi Alpha Epsilon National Honor Society. H is a member of Gear and Triangle Honor Society, Stevens Health Professions Club and has been a tutor as well as a peer mentor.
Perhaps the one activity that has had the greatest impact on H is his involvement with the Stevens Technical Enrichment Program, more commonly known as STEP. STEP gives a diverse group of students from low income and underrepresented backgrounds the resources they need to be successful at Stevens. H explained that many students who apply to Stevens come from underprivileged communities where the schools don't offer AP classes or provide all the support found in wealthier schools. STEP allows these students to come to Stevens during the summer before their freshman year to help them with their transition into college. Once they are enrolled full-time in the fall, STEP provides them with tutors, counselors and review sessions for core classes. More importantly, H explained, "It's like a community." He has served as a summer RA, a tutor for three years and now holds the position of STEP Tutor Coordinator.
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