Hyodae Park received his BS degree from Seoul National University in 1976, before coming to the United States. During his doctoral studies at Purdue, he was placed in a joint project at the Engineering Research Center (ERC) with mechanical engineers, industrial engineers and electrical engineers. This gave him the opportunity to integrate the many different engineering studies into integrated technology. "Although the fields are from very different backgrounds, the possibility of uniting and fusing the various areas was a remarkable experience," Park says of the project. "To have had the opportunity to apply our theoretical knowledge and apply it to a real-life industry practice was a learning experience I will not forget. Especially with the guidance of O.R. Mitchell (who always had a smile), the learning experience at Purdue was enjoyable and irreplaceable."

Park returned to Korea and continued to do research development and sales management at Samsung Corporation where he was head of the Computer-Aided Engineering (CAE) Center. In 1993, he moved to Samsung SDS as head of the Research and Development Department. Upon leaving Samsung, he founded and established S-Net Systems in 1999, a soft network solution and customized service company which has grown to be the second largest network integration company in Korea.

"S-Net went through its development period to survive in the industry, and there is still much work to be done. New solutions must be developed, new markets need to be penetrated into, and finally business areas must expand not only to capture more market share in the domestic market, but also to grow as an internationally standardized company." Park is optimistic about the company’s future. "With a strong basic foundation, building and growing the company will be a challenge I look forward to achieving."

Reflecting on the importance of educational experience, Dr. Park says, "In depth, academic studies are important. However, communication skills and understanding of related technology is more important for the success in the business world. Acquiring and developing ‘fusion technology’ in the business area that you are in is critical in the progress and expansion of your career path. Incorporate others’ experiences as well as your own knowledge base to create a synergy effect. It is important to continuously invest and upgrade your individual growth by building up your people-related communication and management skills.

"I believe the role of the engineer is much greater than we realize in setting the standards of the IT industry and the business world in general. Thus, in their early education, engineers should focus on receiving a diverse education ranging from business management to philosophy in order to develop well-rounded future leaders. Many CEOs of large corporations and many community leaders have engineering backgrounds. Engineers can be taught other disciplines, but it is very difficult to teach others engineering."

Park and his wife, Insook Hur, have two children, a son, Christopher, who will begin his freshman year in Westminster College in Missouri this August, and a daughter, Elizabeth, in 9th grade.

"Boilermaker Pride has always been very strong with me," Park says. This is evident by his participation as the current president of the Purdue Electrical Engineering Korean Association with over 50 members and his advisory position in the Purdue Korean Student Association which has over 400 members.