“When you are doing your own research, you can share your research findings with students, and apply their behavior as a demonstration.” In class, Dr. Kim will have his Sport Management students view sport media and then show them their similar behaviors through the Neuro-marketing technology. This is one of the main reasons that Dr. Kim dedicates himself to research. “Students cannot learn this kind of information from their textbooks because they typically have old information, he explained, “One of the most important responsibilities, I believe, as a faculty member is to create new knowledge.” Dr. Kim went on to state that students should know their own consumption behavior first because “if they understand their own experience, feeling, and cognitive process when making a purchasing decision they can then begin to understand others.” It takes additiownal time and energy on top of other faculty responsibilities to teach students how to utilize the Neuro-marketing technology, as well as gather and interpret the data. Dr. Kim admits that it can be a difficult challenge to undertake, because undergraduates typically don’t have prior research experience. However, the effort is beneficial to the students, since Kutztown is one of the few universities that has this type of technology accessible to undergraduates. Typically, renowned research universities would reserve this type of technology for graduate and doctorate students. Dr. Kim said with wide-eyed enthusiasm, “Our undergraduates are very lucky to have this opportunity here at KU, so it’s cool.” This may provide students who are continuing their education to be eligible for scholarship opportunities or to provide ideas for capstone projects for their undergraduate degree. Dr. Kim plans to continue publishing further research findings through the utilization of the Neuro-marketing technology program. If he publishes one more article in the Sports Marketing Quarterly—the official journal of the Sports Marketing Association—he will receive the Sports Marketing Research Fellowship Honorary Award and will be one in only approximately one-hundred people to receive both this and the North American Society for Sport Management Award (NASSM), which Kim received in 2018. “It is not my goal to receive these awards, but it is an honor to my work and career,” he said soberly. This coming summer, Dr. Kim has been invited to Akdeniz University in Turkey to spend a month researching the added component of culture in regard to consumer behavior. If grants are procured, Dr. Kim hopes to bring two students with him to help assist in the research study. “I also have connections in Germany and Poland,” Dr. Kim divulged, so there are developing opportunities for him to research other cultures as well. As Dr. Kim writes down the name of the "university" for my reference, we’re taken out of the conversational world of technology and research and back into Dr. Kim’s office surrounded by wooden furnishings. I end by congratulating him again on the Chambliss Award, and Dr. Kim smiles and says, “it changes nothing, I’m still here doing my normal tasks, but I am extremely honored, and it motivates me to continue.” He proceeds by restating his passion for creating new knowledge to pass on to his students especially his undergraduate students. Dr. Kim reveals with a smile, “when I see their eyes as they’re learning something new with the technology, they’re like ‘WOW, how did you do that?’ I love their reaction!” He continues, “This growth and understanding are further reasons to keep doing the research,” conveying that he will indeed keep researching and creating new knowledge for his many current and future students to come.
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