Local High School Interns Dig Deep Into Virtual Reality

Gaithersburg, MD, September 14, 2017 --(PR.com)-- On August 19th, high school students from all over the DMV came together to present their final research projects to three established professionals. This was the last stage in their six-week internship program.

Dr. Mingu Lee started TALK Youth Leadership three years ago as a way to give opportunities to immigrant students. This year, six interns were able to interact with cutting edge technology and work with global companies to find innovative solutions to many issues around the world.

Throughout the internship, these students were able to attend the Retired Military Officers Business Association (RBA) Annual Constellation Award Gala, visit Samsung 837, and gain insight into the Northrop Grumman Innovation Center. They were also able to speak with many distinguished professionals in their respective fields such as (Retired) 4-Star General Lester Lyles, Capt. Seungho Kang, and White Hat Hacker Brian Pak.

This year, the group focused on one topic in particular: Virtual Reality. Samsung was very invested in this topic and Dr. Lee was able to expose the interns to other various companies and professionals who worked very closely with VR. These students were given firsthand experience to the new and emerging technology and by the end of the internship, they all found exciting connections with Virtual Reality and their own interests.

One student was particularly environmentally conscious and studied the relationship between VR and marine biology. Another was fixated on healthcare and spoke on how Virtual Reality could impact the medical community. There was even one intern who was invested in cybersecurity and spoke about the security of various VR systems.

For the rest of the internship, Dr. Lee personally guided and mentored each student with their final presentations until they were more than ready to present their findings. Attending the final event were Senior Associate at Booz Allen Hamilton James J. Chung, Capt. Seungho Kang, and Retired US Army Chief Information Officer (CIO) Lieutenant General Robert Ferrell.

General Robert Ferrell oversaw the Army’s $10 billion IT investments, managed enterprise IT architecture, and established and enforced many IT policies as the US Army CIO. James Chung worked intensely with the Immersive Training Team, and Capt. Seungho Kang is directly involved with the Information Management Division of the U.S. Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases.

After all the presentations, the guests asked questions and spoke directly to each intern about areas worth pursuing. Each student received advice on how to each actively achieve their goals and were even given the guests’ contact information, furthering the opportunities for these students.

The entire internship was a journey for each intern. All of them were forced to step out of their comfort zone as they spoke with entrepreneurs in New York and ate with 4-Star Generals. Most importantly, TALK Youth Leadership guided and molded these high school students for six weeks and provided them with real skills to help them excel in each of their futures.