43
YSU junior worked in South Korea
By Denise Dick
Youngstown
Youngstown State University junior Bryan Zilka spent part of his summer working at an electric-vehicle maker in South Korea — a first for YSU’s Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics college.
Zilka, 21, of Chippewa, Pa., worked at Mobile Power System on designs for new steering and suspension systems for electrical vehicles such as golf carts.
“My favorite part was the ability to start actually designing, to apply what I learned in class,” he said. “That was huge for me.”
His experience came through the work of Eric Planey, vice president of international business attraction at the Youngs-town/Warren Regional Chamber, and Michael A. Hripko, director of STEM research and technology-based economic development at YSU.
Planey met MPS representatives in November 2010 at a trade show in South Korea on electric-vehicle development.
Planey’s trip was paid for by the Korean investment promotion agency KOTRA.
Since November 2010, Planey and Richard Young, the CEO of MPS, have talked about the company’s entrance into the U.S. market with a small factory in the Mahoning Valley.
That plan is progressing.
One aspect discussed by Planey and Young was bridging the engineering gap between the U.S. and Korea.
“This includes knowing technical differences between the U.S. and Korean market,” Planey said. “So, in the spring, we proposed that MPS hire a YSU STEM engineering student, and he [Young] was delighted by the idea.”
Planey and Hripko interviewed several students, ultimately selecting Zilka.
Hripko said that besides Zilka’s academic achievements, his maturity and adaptability to new places and situations made him stand out.
Before transferring to YSU to study mechanical engineering, Zilka was a music major at the University of South Carolina.
Hripko said although the YSU STEM College has developed a robust cooperative program with local, regional and national companies during the last few years, Zilka’s experience marks the first time that a YSU STEM student has worked abroad. Other Korean companies, though, have expressed interest in having YSU students work for them as well.
“YSU’s STEM college is a showcase asset for the Mahoning Valley,” Planey said. “And having students at the caliber of Bryan to be able to go to major R&D countries like South Korea is a tremendous benefit for economic development in the Valley. It makes this area more attractive for future global investment.”
Zilka said it’s an experience he’d recommend to other students.
“I might recommend they learn a little more Korean than I did,” he joked.
Zilka said he learned a few phrases, and many of those with whom he worked knew enough English that he was able to communicate. For others, he relied on translators.
One difference that struck him during his stay was the role age plays in Korean society.
Upon meeting someone, one of the first things they ask is your age, he said. The older a person is, the more respect they command.
That’s true even when the age difference between two people is only a couple of months; the younger person must show respect to the older.
The food also required some adjustment. Zilka ate fish brains before he knew what it was and nearly consumed fish stomach.
“I think I lost about 15 pounds,” he said.
Since his return about two weeks before the start of the fall semester, Zilka has kept in touch with many of the people he met and with whom he worked via email, Skype and Facebook.
Unlike with some other cooperative or internship programs, Zilka’s experience allowed him actually to design and perform tasks he hopes to work on upon graduation.
“I worked in the design lab, being presented with problems and coming up with solutions to the problems and seeing the design actually come together confirmed for me this is what I want to do,” Zilka said.
Planey hopes Zilka’s work and the relationship built with the South Korean company will encourage it to locate here.
“MPS is a great company that would fit right into the Mahoning Valley. It is a medium-sized business that has an engineering mentality, and I hope Bryan’s work there will further entice MPS to be located here,” he said.