Joon Kang is early in his academic career, but has already taken significant strides in research, including publication and presenting at an undergraduate research symposium.
Kang, a student in Â鶹¾«Æ·’s Supply Chain and Sales Engineering Technology program, was recently accepted into a graduate program at the University of Illinois Grainger College of Engineering. This news comes at the close of a productive year as a research assistant and a Discovery Undergraduate Interdisciplinary Research Internship (DUIRI) participant.
More recently, Kang was also accepted into graduate programs at the University of Minnesota and at Purdue.
“Joon's accomplishments showcase the numerous research opportunities for undergraduate students on campus, as well as the potential for them to earn their way into highly elite master’s programs as a result of these accolades, alongside their degree here at Purdue Polytechnic,” Jim Tanoos said. Tanoos is a clinical associate professor in the School of Engineering Technology.
Tanoos believes Kang’s work as a research assistant during his undergraduate studies positioned him as an excellent candidate for the Grainger College of Engineering.
After learning about Purdue’s course-based undergraduate research experiences (or CUREs) in Tanoos’ class, Kang successfully completed two semesters as a research assistant. CURE is a program that trains and supports instructors to incorporate novel research into courses. Kang worked on a three-student team where he learned academic research writing, mined big data and used qualitative methods to create new research.
Kang won awards for his work on two different posters in university competitions. Tanoos coordinated a workshop in class about the EPA’s Toxics Release Inventory (TRI) with an EPA representative, which led to Kang and two other students, Benjamin Traylor and Joel Jarrett, creating an award-winning poster for Purdue Polytechnic’s Fall Undergraduate Research Expo in 2023.
Kang has also presented at two campus seminars, including the Institute for a Sustainable Future, a notable group “supporting research and partnerships to accelerate the transition to a sustainable, resilient, prosperous future.” Kang’s topic focused on sustainable Rust Belt manufacturing and the Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement (GLWQA).
“I had the opportunity to work with Joon in numerous capacities, including in class as well as during Joon’s amazingly productive time as a scholar and research assistant,” Tanoos said.
“Joon is an excellent student with attention to detail and is both creative as well as precise. I was impressed with his success in our classes and have confidence that he will do similarly well in his focus and attention to detail in his future academic and industry pursuits.”
Tanoos says Kang’s participation in these opportunities prepared him to be a DUIRI intern, where he worked on research about ammonia emissions in North Carolina tobacco production. Both papers Kang worked on during the DUIRI program have been accepted for publication in global academic journals.
“This is quite uncommon for an undergraduate student, of course,” Tanoos said. “Joon’s skill sets and traits have resulted in capabilities which are valuable as he moves ahead.”
Kang says he sees the DUIRI program as being key to his undergraduate academic success.
“Participating in the DUIRI program was a pivotal experience in my academic journey. It helped me develop a strong understanding of current trends in my field of interest and introduced me to the process of writing and contributing to academic journal papers,” Kang said.
“Most importantly, the experience confirmed my desire to pursue graduate school, driven by the enjoyment of learning and exploring new ideas through literature.”
Kang hopes to offer new perspectives and make meaningful contributions to the field in his next chapter after Purdue. His published papers include:
- Kang, J., & Tanoos, J. (2024). Refinery Capacity and Carcinogen Emissions: An analysis of pollution and sustainability among US oil refineries. Environmental Monitoring and Contaminants Research, 4, 99-110.
- Tanoos, J. & Kang, J. (2024). Ammonia Emissions from Tobacco Manufacturing in North Carolina: State level trends and global implications. International Journal of Development and Sustainability, 13(11), 928-945.
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