Moon receives 2015 Presidential Fellowship

Electroscience Laboratory (ESL) graduate researcher, Haksu Moon, has come a long way since taking apart radios for fun as a boy.

In November, the Ohio State Ph.D. candidate received the 2015 Graduate School Presidential Fellowship. The award celebrates the outstanding scholarly accomplishments and potential of a select few students upon nearing graduation.

“I was very surprised and very pleased,” Moon said, upon learning he was picked. “Many people know that is a really highly-competitive award in this university.”

ESL Director John Volakis praised Moon’s selection, adding, “Thanks to Haksu for making us proud and in being an example of excellence."

Moon’s work at the ESL specializes in computational electromagnetics.

 "Some people want to compute electromagnetic waves in very complex geometries or substructures," he said.

Moon said he wants to develop numerical algorithms to compute electromagnetic fields more efficiently.

The application of the technology, he said, is ultimately valuable to hardware and software companies. Entities like Intel, Apple, IBM, TI, etc. use and develop these algorithms to investigate the interference from electromagnetic waves to circuit boards or electronic devices.

Originally from South Korea, Moon said he was drawn toward engineering at an early age because of a curiosity for how radios and TVs are built.

“I liked to play with radios at the time,” he said. “Those experiences led me to this area as I grew up.”

Moon just happened to come of age in the midst of South Korea's famed IT boom.

“There were many people who were interested in the IT industry and IT techniques. South Korea is one of the strongest countries in the IT industry. I was inclined toward that area. I decided to have a major in electrical and computer engineering,” he said.

The experience of working with ESL staff, and others associated with the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Moon said, enriched his studies.

“I decided to come here because I knew this program was very good and comprehensive. Most importantly, the faculty members here are really renowned and many people are really famous, compared to the other universities, in terms of the area of electromagnetics,” he said. “I enjoy this program."

Moon said ECE professors also provide a variety of courses for learning.

"It is really helpful to students to decide what areas we can study," he said. "I realized, in comparison to some universities in the US, Ohio State is more supportive to students. I think that is really important to have this kind of atmosphere.”

From here, Moon looks toward graduation. 

“I want to do more research in this area,” he said. “I am going to stick with electromagnetics.”

For more information about Moon and his work, visit: https://electroscience.osu.edu/people/moon.173