Near the end of May, I visited the Korea Institute of Marine Science and Technology (KIMST) and met with two employees from one of the research and development planning teams. KIMST is an organization under the Korean Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries that plans marine research and development (R&D) projects and promotes new technology to improve environmental impact and advance marine industries. KIMST’s R&D programs have a range of objectives, from scientific research to creating jobs in marine industries to developing clean energy.

During my visit, I spoke with the head of one of the R&D planning teams as well as a researcher/project manager on that same team. They told me about day to day work as well as the process for creating and actually carrying out R&D projects. They also provided me with materials produced by KIMST which explained the organization’s goals, history, and some projects in the works.

Because the two people that I spoke with are part of a planning team, their work focuses on coming up with ideas for new R&D projects and applying for funding from the government to carry out these projects. The head of the team explained the general operations of KIMST as well as talked me through the materials he provided some of the projects KIMST is working on. He has an extensive background in scientific research and so comes up with the concepts and scientific aspects for new projects, and other members of the team are responsible for creating the proposals and working through the fine details.

I spoke with the researcher/project manager on the R&D planning team more about her personal experience and feelings about her job. Because she does not have a scientific background, she had never imagined herself working at an organization such as KIMST. Interestingly, not having the scientific background that most of the other employees do makes the job fulfilling in a unique way to her. Many employees are very knowledgeable about their research but are not as good at writing, so she contributes in a meaningful way being able to write persuasively to get funding for new projects. Through the job she also has learned a lot about ocean science and technology, and has gained knowledge that allows her to participate in R&D and environmental discussions on a global scale. Recently before the interview she had attended a summit in Denmark with representatives from countries around the world to discuss ocean R&D globally and try to come up with plans for a sustainable future. This was inspiring to me because of how she jumped at opportunities to learn and become knowledgeable in areas she did not have experience in, and in doing so became part of meaningful work for the future of our planet.

Going into this networking meeting, I did not know much about KIMST and had only a vague idea of what marine science and technology actually was. Through this meeting I learned that it includes not only just the existing marine industries and regulations, but new technologies, clean energy development, research projects, and much more.