2026 SW OH Conference

On Saturday, March 28th, 2026, the SW OH KSEA conference convened at the University of Cincinnati Health Science Center.

Running from 9:00 am to 1:30 pm, this event served as a platform to cultivate communication and collaboration among our local chapter colleagues. A total of 39 members participated in this event contributing to a diverse range of discussions. 

This year, we included a keynote lecture by Professor Chong Ahn, who is a Distinguished University Professor at the University of Cincinnati. Dr. Ahn shared his 40-year journey as an engineer, a mentor, and an entrepreneur. We also hosted a new trainee session where a postdoctoral fellow, Dr. John Eom, presented a 20-minute talk followed by 3-minute blitz presentations by five graduate students. During a lunch break, our chapter president, Dr. Chris Hong, summarized both national and local events and opportunities where our members can participate. 

Overall, the conference proved to be an excellent opportunity for networking, sharing insights about individual research areas, and fostering potential collaborations. The information and ideas shared at this conference will undoubtedly enrich our future endeavors.

2026 SW OH KSEA Conference - March 28th, 2026

8:40 – 9:00 am: Registration (name tags, coffee, and snacks)

9:00 am: Welcoming remarks, Chris Hong, PhD

Session 1: (Moderator - Seung-Yeon Lee, PhD)

9:05 – 9:25 am: Compliant Earthworm Robot Development and Its Applications

Minchul Shin, PhD, Assistant Professor, Dept. of Physics, Geology and Engineering Technology, Northern Kentucky University

9:25 – 9:45 am: From Disposable Spacecraft to Orbital Infrastructure

Donghoon Kim, PhD, Associate Professor, Department of Aerospace Engineering and Engineering Mechanics, University of Cincinnati

9:45 – 10:05 am: Co-writing classroom AI policy with undergraduate students

Youngah Koh, PhD, Assistant Professor, Arts Management and Arts Entrepreneurship, Miami University

10:05 – 10:15 am: Break

Session 2: Keynote lecture (Moderator - Chris Hong, PhD)

10:15 – 11:15 am: My 40-Year Journey as a Professor and Entrepreneur in the U.S.: Challenges, Growth, and Lessons

Chong Ahn, PhD, Distinguished University Professor, Dept. of Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of Cincinnati

11:15 - 11:25 am: Break

Session 3: Trainee presentations (Moderator - Sookkyung Lim, PhD)

11:25 – 11:45 am: Neddylation Promotes Hepatic CD4+ T cell Pathogenic Functions in Metabolic Dysfunction-Associated Steatotic Liver Disease (MASLD) 

John Eom, PhD, Postdoctoral Fellow, Division of Immunobiology, Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center

11:45 am – 12:15 pm: 3-minute blitz presentations by graduate students

• Grace Oh, Division of Experimental Hematology and Cancer Biology, CCHMC

• Hyeseung Han, Dept. of Psychology, University of Cincinnati

• Junghyun Lee, Dept. of Mathematical Sciences, University of Cincinnati

• Kyujin Ko, Chemical and Environmental Engineering, University of Cincinnati

• Jin Kyung Lee, School of Public and International Affairs, University of Cincinnati

Session 4: Lunch & Networking

12:15 – 1:30 pm