HANDBOOK

I. INTRODUCTION

II. PREPARATION

III. TRAVEL AND LOGISTICS

A. Arrival on June 14, 2002
B.  Early Arrival
C. Day to Day Schedule

IV. REPORTS

- KOSEF Report
- NSF Report

V. OTHER INFORMATION

You should remember that host researchers or institutions are not paid to host you. Therefore your technical contributions to their program will be most appreciated. Many former Summer Program participants became highly recognized professionals after graduation and continue their relationship with host researchers in many productive ways. A few tips regarding host institutions and research plans are provided below.

First, you need to talk to your research advisors or colleagues in your home institutions, who are active in the research areas of your interests. Many of them have contacts in Korea. You may also check recent Journal papers or conference proceeding papers in the areas of your interests. You can identify Korean institutions and researchers from published papers. KOSEF office also can be an assistance to you to find your potential host institutions and researchers in Korea.

Eight weeks pass very quickly, and every year participants state that they wish they had another week or two to finish their research projects. They expressed that they "wasted" the first part of their stay discussing potential projects and not working on the actual project itself. Therefore you are encouraged to make an effort to both create a research plan and discuss its viability with your host scientist before you depart to Korea. It is well worth the time and effort.

Upon your host researcher’s agreement, you may choose to continue your on-going research work or you may choose to work on their on-going or new research project. If you choose to work on a new research topic, you may not be able to have tangible results at the end of the eight-week period. To make your visit to Korea productive in research, you may want do the following:

• Join one of their on-going projects with your host researcher’s most interest.
• Team up with one of graduate students in their research group.
• Read their publications and understand their methods and approaches.
• Decide the scope and weekly schedule of your work consulting with your host researcher before you arrive in Korea.

After your research plan is made, you should check with the host researcher if equipment, facilities, or materials required for your research will be available to you during your visit. The months of July and August are usually summer vacation in Korea. Many students and faculty would be out of office and Some laboratories may close down equipment and facilities for renovation or cleaning during this period. You would also check if you can get an email address and access to the library, exercise facilities, and others in the host institution.

You may get most useful information about how to survive in the host institution from U.S. students, research staff, or visiting faculty who are currently there or have been there in the past. You may ask your host researcher to send you contact information about current or previous U.S. researchers in the host institution if any. You also ask for information about possible professional visits during your stay (see section B) and housing arrangement (see section F).

NSF encourages participants to visit laboratories outside of their host laboratory to both gain a broader understanding of the Korean scientific community in their fields and create contacts for future research collaboration. You should be aware that cultural differences between the United States and Korea become extremely salient when it comes to setting up visits to other laboratories. In Korea, introductions are essential prior to visits and these are typically made by a mutually known third party. Four main resources for developing contacts in Korea are:

Make sure you consult with your department advisor and other appropriate individuals before you leave home and develop a list of researchers you would like to meet while in Korea. Letters of introduction provided by primary advisors to the Korean researchers are extremely useful in setting up research visits as this further solidifies potential research relationships.

Prior to your arrival, you should inform your host that you are interested in visiting other laboratories in Korea and ask them if they have suggestions as to which researchers would be beneficial for you to meet. If the host responds to this request, you can then politely ask if they would be willing to make the necessary introductions for you. A junior scientist may not always be able to introduce you to a scientist who is senior to him/her. You should be very sensitive to these limitations and the signals your host sends in this regard. Do not push too hard.

You may also get information about professional visits from former Summer Program participants or NSF-supported U.S. researchers in Korea, who are in the areas of your interests. (See section V.)

When all else fails, a publication search can help identify Korean researchers within your field. In this case, you might send or fax a polite letter that introduces yourself, explains your research, and requests a visit while you are in Korea. Note, however, that this is not the normal way of doing business in Korea and you may expect no reponse from some of your contacts.

Visitors to Korea staying longer than 30 days are required to obtain a visa. You should check with the Korean Consulate nearest you to make sure all your documentation is in order. The Korean Consulates are located in the following 10 cities:

1. Your host scientist
2. Mr. Ki Ho Moon, Program Manager, International Programs, KOSEF
3. Mr. Byung-Whan Ho, Head, International Programs, KOSEF

NSF will also send you a letter-to-Consul General that you can use for your visa application as soon as your host institution is confirmed by KOSEF.

There are important Federal Government and NSF travel guidelines and restrictions:

• Travel is limited to U.S. flag carriers only, and tickets must be at the lowest cost to the U.S. government. Please note that ONLY Sato Travel in Arlington, can issue tickets, and participants will not be reimbursed for tickets they might buy on their own. Per U.S. government regulations, Sato Travel is NOT permitted to buy tickets sold by a consolidator.
  
• Tickets will be issued at non-restricted, federal government fares. Travelers are typically authorized to travel round-trip from their domicile (permanent home address or academic institutional) to Seoul, Korea.
  
• Participants may extend their stay in Korea before or after the Summer Program within the limits of their visas. Due to time restrictions involved in group flight arrangements, the NSF strongly encourages all participants to schedule non-NSF related travel after the completion of the Summer Program in Korea. Although it is our goal to complete these arrangements far in advance of the start of the program, administrative delays may occur. Accordingly, it is best for participants to avoid "front-loading" their program plans.
  
• Tickets will be issued approximately two (2) weeks prior to departure. Tickets may be issued as electronic tickets (e-tickets).
  
• There are designated contract carriers for the U.S. government for specific cities and routes, and NSF is required to issue tickets through the designated airlines, if possible. Do not expect changes to be made to meet your "frequent flyer" (or other) needs.
  
• Participants will be advised by e-mail when to contact Sato Travel to make travel reservations.

Note that all participants are expected to arrive at Incheon International Airport on June 14, 2002. On June 14, 2002, the KOSEF office staff will meet you at the arrival lobby of Incheon International Airport and escort you to Taeduk Lotte Hotel. (See section III.)

Given the complexities involved in creating individualized travel plans and arranging a group travel order, it is imperative that each Summer Program participant make reservations with Sato Travel as soon as instructed by NSF.

In a letter from the NSF Office of International Science and Engineering, you will be notified of an award of $2,500 to partially compensate for the loss of summer employment. Funds should be transferred within 20 days of the receipt of your "National Science Foundation Faststart Direct Deposit Form" by NSF. This form should be submitted electronically, unless otherwise arranged with the East Asia and Pacific Program. Failure to submit the Direct Deposit Form means failure to get your money.

As a recipient of the $2,500, you must make sure you will not be double-funded from NSF sources. You must consult with your advisor to verify this. For example, if you are recipients of NSF Graduate Fellowship Awards, you should consult with your university's Coordinating Official (CO) for the Graduate Fellowships. The CO should then contact NSF's Fellowship Program Officer. Questions concerning tax liabilities cannot be answered by NSF and should be directed toward the Internal Revenue Service.

Living Allowance in Korea

About 2,000,000 won of living allowance for each of you will be provided by KOSEF. The day when you arrive at the Incheon International Airport, you will receive minimum 400,000 won (about U.S. $350). During the orientation period (June 14-June 29), accommadation and meals are provided by KOSEF. Also, KOSEF covers your insurance for the whole period of your stay in Korea. But after the orientation, you are responsible for all the expenses such as lodging and meals in your host institution, transportation, and incidental expenses. KOSEF will not offer any safety box and you will be responsible for handling this large amount of cash by yourself.

You should ask in advance your host scientist for detailed information about housing facilities and arrangements in the host institution, such as international lodging or dormitories even though KOSEF will help arrange your housing at the host institution. You must note that some institutions may not have enough housing facilities. You must make payments for the lodging at your host institution according to their rules and procedure. If you will make your own housing arrangement other than the lodging facilities at the host institution, you need to notify your host institution as soon as possible.

During the orientation period, you will stay at three hotels; Taeduk Lotte Hotel in Taejon (June 14-June 23), Hyundai Hotel in Kyoungju (June 24-25), and Royal Hotel in Seoul (June 26-28), which can be changed according to orientation schedule.

Your insurance will be supported by KOSEF. Details of the insurance coverage and claims procedure will be provided during the orientation period.

NSF and KOSEF do not anticipate that the 2002 summer institute in Korea undertaken pursuant to the memorandum of understanding between NSF and KOSEF exchanged on September 21, 2000 will result in the creation of intellectual property.

It is a customary and very important practice in Korea to offer your myungham, or business card when meeting someone for the first time. As a Summer Programs participant, it will be useful for you to have your own myungham. Your business card should include your name, title, university address, phone/fax number, and email address in U.S. as well as contact information in Korea.

You will probably want to arrange for mobile phone service during your stay in Korea, particularly since the use of such phones has become ubiquitous. Mobile phones may be purchased for a nominal cost (i.e. approximately 300,000 won), and temporary, prepaid service arranged through the following companies: (examples: SK Telecom, KTF, LG Telecom) Your host scientist can direct you to the local office of one of these companies after your arrival at your research site.

Upon your request, your host researcher may arrange to issue an email address at the host institution. Please consult with your host researcher. There are also many public places so called PC-Bang on the street, where you can use internet at a very reasonable charge.

L. Health

For your health, generally, consider the following, as appropriate:

If you wear eyeglasses or contact lenses, bring an old pair of glasses and a spare set of contact lenses with you for backup. You may also wish to bring a copy of your corrective lens prescription in the event you must have glasses made. Please don't count on finding your specific brands of eye care products overseas--take them with you.

If you take prescription medications regularly, and will be travelling with prescription drugs, please bring a signed script or letter from your physician indicating your medical need(s) for the drug and identifying the drugs you will possess in-country. Some of you may have further considerations, too. If you are diabetic (with insulin and syringes) or allergic (with epinephrine pens for anaphylaxis) you should look into the requirements for international travel with these paraphernalia.

All the participants in the Summer Program are expected to arrive at Incheon International Airport on June 14, 2002. On June 14, 2002, KOSEF staff will meet you at the arrival lobby of the Incheon International Airport and escort you to Taeduk Lotte Hotel in Taejon. The Hotel is about 3 hours by bus from the Incheon International Airport. You will have your own room. If for any reason you do not plan to stay at the Taeduk Lotte Hotel on the specified date, please inform KOSEF Office by June 1. If you would like to stay at the Taeduk Lotte Hotel before the specified dates, you may do so at your own expense. However, you are strongly encouraged to stay at the same hotel with the same schedule.

You should divide your luggages into two groups; the first luggage group includes stuff that you will need during the orientation period and the second includes stuff that you will use at your host institution. The second one can be delivered directly to your host institutions from the Taeduk Lotte Hotel.

Taeduk Lotte Hotel in Taejon
Doryong Dong 382, Yousung Ku, Taejon, Korea
Phone: 042-865-7000 (within Korea), 011-82-42-865-7000 (from U.S.)

Fax: 042-865-0059 (within Korea), 011-82-42-865-0059 (from U.S.)

For participants who will be traveling in Korea prior to the start of the Program, it may be convenient for you to have the main bulk of your luggages delivered directly to your host institution at the Incheon International Airport. Delivery services are available at the Incheon International Airport.

On June 17, the Opening Ceremony will be held at the Taeduk Lotte Hotel, which is located in Taeduk Science Town and near KOSEF. The orientation program is scheduled for two weeks. The first week schedule will be taken place in Taejon. The second part of schedule will be held in Kyongju, Pohang, Ulsan, and Seoul. After the orientation, you will move to your host institution from Seoul..

During the orientation program, there is a schedule for a mountain climbing. Don’t forget to bring comfortable shoes and clothes.

The Summer Program schedule is summarized in the following table:

All participants are requested to submit a report on research work carried out during the program. The forms will be given during the orientation period and it should be written on A4 size paper before August 9, 2002.

Participants are required to submit a Final Report to the NSF East Asia and Pacific Program of NSF no later than December 1, 2002. A copy of the report form (equivalent to NSF FL-239 in the FastLane system) will be provided with the NSF award.