# Chan-Jin Chung

Chan-Jin Chung (Korean: 정찬진; born January 4, 1959), commonly known as CJ Chung, is a full professor of computer science at Lawrence Technological University (LTU) in Michigan, USA. He founded an international autonomous robotics competition called Robofest in the 1999–2000 academic year as well as numerous educational programs for youth by integrating STEM (Science, technology, engineering, and mathematics), arts, autonomous robotics, and computer science. He also served as the founding USA National Organizer of World Robot Olympiad (WRO) in 2014 and 2015. He also started the WISER (World conference on Integrated STEaM Education through Robotics) conference in 2014. He is working on developing a computer science curriculum for connected and autonomous vehicles (CAV) with a support from National Science Foundation . His research areas include evolutionary computation, cultural algorithms, intelligent systems & autonomous mobile robotics, software engineering, machine learning & deep learning,
computer science education, and educational robotics.

## Biography

Chung was born in Seoul, South Korea and attended Hongik University, where he earned a B.S. Computer Science degree in 1981. His first professional job was teaching middle school math as a part-time instructor at YMCA Academy in Seoul in 1979. He worked for Korea Electric Power Corporation to develop an online customer information system with COBOL and IMS Databases using IBM 3031 mainframe computer in 1981–1982. While he was working for Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute (ETRI) as a research scientist from 1982 to 1992, he was involved in developing TDX switching systems that became later the base system for the first commercialized CDMA system in the world. Chung also worked as a visiting researcher to develop telecommunication software modules for L.M. Ericsson's AXE-10 in Stockholm, Sweden in 1983–1984. He received his Ph.D. in computer science from Wayne State University in 1997. His doctoral research was the development of a self-adaptive artificial intelligence system motivated by cultural evolution processes, which was then applied to solve nonlinear function optimization problems including training artificial neural networks. Wei-Wen Chang, his Master's student and Chung won the 1st place award in 3D design optimization competition sponsored by HONDA R&D Europe GmbH as a part of the IEEE World Congress in Computational Intelligence Conference in 2002. He won a REU grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF) in 2022.

## Achievements in STEaM, robotics, and computer science education fields

A worldwide autonomous robot competition called Robofest
was the brainchild of Prof. Chung. As of August 2019, over 28,000 students from 15 US States and 22 countries have participated in the competition since 1999. He launched numerous integrated educational programs in computer science and STEAM fields such as RoboParade a parade of autonomous vehicles in 2006, RoboFashion and Dance Show in 2007, Vision Centric robot Challenge (Vcc) in 2007, Robot Music Camp in 2013, Global Robotics Art Festival (GRAF) in 2013, WRO-USA in 2014, CS+PA^2: Learning Computer Science with Physical Activities and Animation
in 2018, and Robofest eAcademy with Elmer Santos in 2019.
He has been a faculty advisor of LTU's IGVC (Intelligent Ground Vehicle Competition) teams since 2003. His H2Bot team won 1st place design award in 2007. His team was also selected to represent the US to compete at RoboCup Four-legged robot soccer division in 2007. BigFoot II team won the Grand Award LESCOE Cup in 2016. As of June 2020, he leads ACTor (Autonomous Campus TranspORt) project using a drive-by-wire electric vehicle. The ACTor vehicle team won the Self-Drive Challenge competition at the IGVC in 2017, 2018, 2019, 2021, 2022, and 2023.
In 2011, IEEE USA honored Dr. Chung with its citation of honor award for his leadership in STEM education.

## Honours, awards and distinctions

* 2023 Hsu Family Distinguished Award in Creativity, which includes a $1,000 honorarium and commemorative award, Lawrence Technological University, November 2, 2023
* The Robert Neff Memorial Award, for outstanding contributions to the IEEE Southeast Michigan Section, by the Engineering Society of Detroit Affiliate Council, March 15, 2023
* Engineering Society of Detroit (ESD) GOLD Awards – Outstanding IEEE Member Award, March 11, 2015, at ESD Gold Award Banquet
* Citation of Honor Award, IEEE-USA, “for the leadership in founding the Robofest competition to inspire interest in engineering among pre-college students”, March 2011
* MGA Achievement Award, IEEE Member Geographic Activities (MGA) Board, “for inspiring thousands of young students into the science and engineering career path through his Robofest and hands-on robotics workshops”, December, 2010
* The Mary E. and Richard E. Marburger Distinguished Achievement Award – 2007 Champion for Institutional Excellence and Preeminence, which includes a $1,000 honorarium and commemorative award, Lawrence Technological University
* Excellent Research Award, Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute (ETRI), December 31, 1986, Certificate No. 151

## References and notes

* 1 2 3 George F. McClure Citation of Honor Award Past Recipients, retrieved on June 2020
* 1 2 3 Chung, Chan-Jin (1997). Knowledge-Based Self-Adaptation in Evolutionary Search (PhD). Wayne State University.
* ↑ Bill King (Feb 16, 2000). Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan backs Lawrence Tech Robofest; University trains teachers in robots LTU Tech News, page 1 and 8
* 1 2 Lawrence, Eric D. (Sep 27, 2014). Students hope to represent U.S. in Robot Olympiad USA Today
* 1 2 Chang, Wei-Wen; Chung, Chan-Jin; Sendhoff, Bernard (December 2, 2003). Target shape design optimization with evolutionary computation. The 2003 Congress on Evolutionary Computation, 2003. CEC'03. Canberra, Australia. pp. 1864–1870. Retrieved June 17, 2020.
* ↑ Kawatsu, C.; Li, J.; Chung, C.J. (2013). "Development of a Fall Detection System with Microsoft Kinect". Robot Intelligence Technology and Applications 2012. Advances in Intelligent Systems and Computing. Advances in Intelligent Systems and Computing. 208. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg: 80–83. doi:10.1007/978-3-642-37374-9_59. ISBN 978-3-642-37373-2.
* 1 2 Tedder, Maurice; Chamulak, David; Chen, Li-Ping; Nair, Santosh; Shvartsman, Andrey; Tseng, I; Chung, Chan-Jin (Aug 2004). "An affordable modular mobile robotic platform with fuzzy logic control and evolutionary artificial neural networks". Journal of Robotic Systems. 21 (8). Wiley: 419–428. doi:10.1002/rob.20023.
* ↑ Paul, Nicholas; Chung, ChanJin (June 2018). "Application of HDR algorithms to solve direct sunlight problems when autonomous vehicles using machine vision systems are driving into sun". Computers in Industry. 98. Elsevier ScienceDirect: 192–196. doi:10.1016/j.compind.2018.03.011.
* 1 2 Chung, Chan J.; Hong, Jin P.; Choi, Wan; Kim, Han K.; Lee, Young K. (Oct 1989). "Using SDL in Switching System Development" (PDF). SDL '89 The Language at Work. 4th SDL Forum. Lisbon Portugal: North-Holland. pp. 377–386.
* ↑ Liu, Zhen; Chung, CJ (April 2019). Teaching Cars to Reproduce Human Driving Behavior Using Deep Neural Networks in a Simulated Environment (PDF). LTU Research Day Poster Presentation. Southfield, Michigan.
* 1 2 3 Chung, CJ ChanJin; Cartwright, Christopher; Chung, Chanmee (Mar 8, 2014). Robot Music Camp 2013: An Experiment to Promote STEM and Computer Science (PDF). IEEE Integrated STEM Education Conference (ISEC '14). Princeton University, New Jersey.
* 1 2 Shamir, Mirit; Kocherovsky, Mark; Chung, ChanJin (2019). A paradigm for teaching math and computer science concepts to k-12 education by integrating coding, animation, dance, music and art (PDF). 2019 IEEE Integrated STEM Education Conference (ISEC). Princeton University, New Jersey: IEEE. pp. 62–68. doi:10.1109/ISECon.2019.8882015.
* 1 2 Chung, CJ ChanJin; Cartwright, Christopher; Cole, Matthew (July–September 2014). "Assessing the Impact of an Autonomous Robotics Competition for STEM Education". Journal of STEM Education. 15 (2): 24–34.
* ↑ (2016). ETRI 40th Anniversary - TDX History (in Korean).
* ↑ MacLennan, Jamie (Jan–Feb 2010). "Robofest 2009 - Motivating young minds to master the machine" (PDF). Robot Magazine: 80–83.
* ↑ Coscarelli, Rick (Sep–Oct 2015). "16th Annual Robofest World Championship" (PDF). Robot Magazine: 28–31.
* ↑ Reindl, JC (May 13, 2017). "Robofest at Lawrence Tech draws school-age engineers and their self-driving machines". Detroit Free Press. Retrieved June 17, 2020.
* ↑ JC Reindl (May 13, 2017). Robofest at Lawrence Tech draws school-age engineers and their self-driving machines, Detroit Free Press, Retrieved on July 26, 2020
* ↑ WUCF PBS TV (2015). SCITECH NOW Robofest in Tampa, Florida, Retrieved on July 25, 2020
* ↑ Robofest 2018-2019 Annual Report
* 1 2 Tom Watts (Nov 27, 2013) Thanksgiving RoboParade and Global Robotics Art Festival a big hit, Macomb Daily, Retrieved on July 24, 2020
* ↑ Micki Steele (Nov. 20, 2010) Science, technology all part of Thanksgiving RoboParade, The Detroit News
* ↑ Don Dubois, Bruce Mitchell (July 2012). RoboParade, Apple Books
* ↑ Don Dubois, Bruce Mitchell (July 2012). RoboFashion and Dance, Apple Books
* ↑ Crocker, Noah E. (November–December 2011). "Robofest 2011 Vision Centric Challenge (VCC) Update!" (PDF). Robot Magazine: 80–33.
* ↑ Chung, ChanJin; Kocherovsky, Mark (March 10, 2018). CS+PA^2: Learning computer science with physical activities and animation — A MathDance experiment. IEEE Integrated STEM Education Conference (ISEC '18). Princeton University, New Jersey: IEEE. pp. 262–267. doi:10.1109/ISECon.2018.8340497.
* ↑ The 15TH Annual Intelligent Ground Vehicle Competition Results, page 3, Retrieved June 17, 2020
* ↑ "Lawrence Tech wins global autonomous vehicle competition". LTU News Center. June 7, 2016. Retrieved June 17, 2020.
* ↑ Runkle, Anne (June 13, 2019). "Lawrence Tech wins self-driving car competition". The Oakland Press. Retrieved June 17, 2020.
* ↑ Troy Times 1/11/24, retrieved on May 24, 2024
* ↑ IEEE MGA Award Recipients, retrieved on June 15, 2020