Meet Hyunjoo Oh, ATLAS PhD '18

"I develop tools, kits and methods for creative design that integrate everyday materials with computing and study how to encourage, support and foster people to see differently and think actively through engaging making experiences."
 

Name: Hyunjoo Oh
Hometown: Seoul, Republic of Korea
Department: Creative Technology & Design
Advisors:Mark D Gross & Michael Eisenberg 
Current position: Assistant Professor, Georgia Institute of Technology in the Schools of Industrial Design and Interactive Computing.

My Path to Engineering

I was born and grew up in Seoul, Korea. I developed asthma when I was 3 years old, a condition that confined me to home or hospital for much of my childhood. I spent my time reading books or drawing and making my own dolls while other children played outside. Although the condition alleviated during my teens, these formative experiences have stayed with me. In some sense, I think my field of interests started quite early.
 
I’m from a design background.  I was trained as a designer from defining issues and understanding people to finding creative solutions. But when I looked at the job market, I realized that most expectations for designers were highly focused on specific skill sets.

When I finally discovered the type of profession I had been searching for, I learned it wasn't called a designer, but a researcher, although the type of work the researchers were doing seemed to me the job I expected for designers. I also learned that those positions required a PhD degree, so I decided to continue my studies and pursue a PhD.
 

Why CU Boulder?

I didn’t decide to attend CU Boulder until my campus visit as a candidate. I loved the campus and people I met during the visit, and while walking around the campus and seeing the mountains everywhere, I decided I wanted to spend a part of my life in this beautiful place. Also, people from all levels (faculty, staff, and students) were friendly and humble, and at the same time, sharp and bright. They attentively listened to my interests and shared their advice and possible supports from CU Boulder. All of these aspects convinced me to join CU Boulder.
 
My current research interest lies at the intersection of human-computer interaction (HCI) and design. I develop tools, kits and methods for creative design that integrate everyday materials with computing, and study how to encourage, support and foster people to see differently and think actively by engaging making experiences.
 
In my PhD research, I developed computational design tools and methods to enable beginner designers to build paper mechatronics, a new interdisciplinary design medium that integrates traditional papercrafting with mechanical, electrical and computational components. My research investigates how young people learn design and engineering with paper mechatronics, making diverse kinetic creations, using paper as the building material, and how they develop adaptive expertise through this powerful and playful learning medium.

For me, Boulder (including the campus) is one of the most beautiful places in the world. Especially coming from a big city, I really appreciate being able to look at the mountains every day. Getting refreshment from such views after spending many hours in the lab means a lot to me. I enjoyed staring at the mountains with a cup of coffee during my breaks.

Another thing I appreciate at CU Boulder is that people here try to find a good balance of work and life. Both professors and students work hard, and at the same time, they are also active in diverse outdoor activities and/or other hobbies. I think this impacts the overall culture of the CU community to be more positive and healthy.

In November 2018, Oh moved to Atlanta, Georgia, to become an assistant professor at the Georgia Institute of Technology for a joint appointment in the Schools of Industrial Design and Interactive Computing. She plans to continue her paper mechatronic project while expanding into other related areas.