The boot camp enhances creativity and problem-solving skills through hands-on programmes, including an autonomous driving hackathon. It showcases an innovative talent development model through collaboration with local educational institutions.
DGIST (President Kunwoo Lee) announced on that it had hosted the boot camp, “From Thinking to Making: A Two-Day Journey of Turning Imagination into Reality” in collaboration with the Daegu National Science Museum (Director Nanhee Lee) and Daegu Technical High School Technopolis Campus (Principal Chul-hyun Kang). The programme aimed to foster local talent and was recognised as an innovative model of talent development through collaboration among local educational institutions.
The boot camp took place at the DGIST campus from August 21 to 22 and was attended by 18 first and second year students from the IT Content Department of Daegu Technical High School Technopolis Campus. The students formed six teams of three and participated in an autonomous driving hackathon.
The main programmes included:
- A special lecture on Coding with Thinking
- An autonomous driving hackathon (covering kit usage and coding, road design and autonomous driving demonstration)
- Team presentations and demonstrations
- Lectures on autonomous driving
- Tours of DGIST’s advanced research infrastructure.
During the autonomous driving hackathon, held at the Daegu National Science Museum, students designed and built roads inspired by their own stories, developed autonomous driving codes for vehicles to navigate them, and presented their results. They also visited the DGIST FAB and advanced research laboratories, gaining firsthand exposure to real research environments and deepening their understanding of science and technology.
The boot camp was designed to give students an intensive experience of the entire process from idea generation to problem-solving and development within a short period. According to DGIST, this experience provided a foundation for students to grow into future-oriented talents with creative problem-solving skills and a spirit of challenge. Moreover, by establishing a collaborative system among local universities, research institutes and schools, the programme introduced an innovative model for the regional education ecosystem and is expected to lay the foundation for the continued expansion of industry academia cooperation programmes.
DGIST Vice President for Research and Development Kyungho Shin stated, “In the age of AI, the ability to identify and address problems that did not previously exist is more important than merely solving predefined ones. This boot camp gave students an opportunity to experience emergent thinking.” He added, “A collaborative environment where diverse knowledge and insights converge is the foundation of creativity. True creativity arises in the process of tackling unanswered challenges and embracing failure as part of the learning experience.”
In addition, Ye-sung Cho, a first-year student in the IT Content Department at Daegu Technical High School Technopolis Campus, shared; “Learning AI coding gave me a new opportunity to reflect with my friends on the ethical issues of AI in future society.” Moo-gyum Lee, a first-year student and member of the winning team, remarked: “At first, autonomous driving and AI technologies seemed too difficult and complicated. But through this boot camp, my fear of AI disappeared, and I became much more comfortable with it. Experiencing DGIST’s advanced facilities firsthand also broadened my perspective on future career paths.