본문 바로가기
대메뉴 바로가기
KAIST
Newsletter Vol.23
Receive KAIST news by email!
View
Subscribe
Close
Type your e-mail address here.
Subscribe
Close
KAIST
NEWS
유틸열기
홈페이지 통합검색
-
검색
KOREAN
메뉴 열기
Graduate
by recently order
by view order
KAIST Ranked Seventh in Chosun-QS 2009 Asian University Rankings
- Major Criteria in Research, Education, Globalization KAIST ranked top in Korea and seventh in Asia in a ranking compiled jointly by the Chosun Ilbo, a major Korean daily, and global university evaluation institute QS of Britain. In the rankings released on Tuesday (May 12), KAIST scored 94.9 based on the full 100 of the top-ranking university, the University of Hong Kong. KAIST was closely followed by Seoul National University (SNU), which ranked 8th in the Asian ranking. KAIST outpaced SNU in terms of globalization, but lagged behind in terms of peer review and recruiters review. The Chosun Ilbo said that KAIST achieved the distinction by encouraging competition among research professors, introducing competitive educational systems such as conducting all classes in English, and speeding up globalization drive based on a strong leadership of President Nam-Pyo Suh. In an interview with the daily published on the same day, President Nam-Pyo Suh expressed enthusiasm for stepping up his university"s drive to make it one of the world"s leading research universities, without resting on its present reputation. "The goal of KAIST is to stand at the forefront in addressing critical problems facing the humanity in the 21st century. The problems include alternative energies and transportation and logistics. If we resolve these problems, KAIST will join the ranks of the world"s best universities," Suh said. The evaluation, the only such survey in Asia, was conducted with 463 universities in 11 countries, including 106 in Korea. The universities were ranked for competitiveness in four categories -- research quality (60 percent), teaching quality (20 percent), graduate employability (10 percent) and international outlook (10 percent). The top-ranked University of Hong Kong was followed by Chinese University of Hong Kong, Tokyo University, Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, and Osaka University. The top 100 Asian universities include 17 Korean universities, 33 Japanese, 11 Chinese, seven Indian, six in Hong Kong and two in Singapore. Universities were ranked through a quantitative analysis based on data submitted by the universities in March and a qualitative analysis based on the competitiveness of professors and graduates evaluated by about 3,100 academics and businesspeople around the world. Meanwhile, KAIST was ranked 95th among top 200 universities of the world in the Times Higher Education-QS World University rankings in 2008. It ranked 34th in the area of engineering and information technology, and 46th in natural science.
2009.05.13
View 10232
Monthly Chosun Publishes In-Depth Interview with KAIST President
Monthly Chosun Publishes In-Depth Interview with KAIST President The Monthly Chosun published by Chosun Ilbo, one of the major newspapers in Korea, carried an in-depth interview with Nam-Pyo Suh, President of KAIST, in its April 2009 issue. Following is a translation of the article. ‘There’s No Good Golf Player among Famous MIT Professors’ By Kim Sung-dong and Lee Keun-pyung Biographical Note: Born in Gyeongju, North Gyeongsang Province, South Korea, in 1936. Moved to the United States in 1954. Graduated from Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), earned M.S. from MIT, and Ph.D. from Carnegie Mellon University. Served with MIT as professor of mechanical engineering and chair of the Department of Mechanical Engineering. Worked for four years as assistant director for engineering, the U.S. National Foundation of Science, from 1984. Appointed as president of KAIST (Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology) in July 2006. Concurrently serves as director of the Presidential New Growth Engine Search Group. Dr. Suh has some 60 international patents to his name. In Korea, KAIST President Suh Nam-pyo raised the torch of university reform. Since he took office at KAIST in July 2006, he initiated reform measures one after another. At the state-run university where all students were tuition-free, the new president required students to pay tuition in accordance with their academic records. For the faculty, he offered various incentives to stimulate competition and implemented a strict tenure screening system. The waves of reform starting from KAIST spread to the whole university community in Korea. In 2007, he shocked the professors’ society by dropping 15, or more than a third of applicants, in tenure screening. The action broke the common concept of life employment in Korean universities. This year, he rang an alarm bell to Korean society as a whole. For the 2010 academic year, the KAIST President announced an admission formula which denied any advantage of students who take the costly private teaching. KAIST will ask the principa1s of 1,000 high schools across the country to recommend one senior student each, select 300 from them through screening by admission officers, and finally admit 150 students or 16 to 18 of the total freshmen enrollment through meticulous interviews by professors. He declared that the university from 2010 would not consider the scores from the nationwide mathematics and science tests, which have turned into a major item for university entrance screening. In-depth interview will be conducted in a way no one can prepare for it by taking courses at “hagwon” or private institutes. It was a bold measure to free students from the shackles of private teaching. Following the lead of KAIST, other universities decided to change their admission systems so that preparations at hagwon would be of little help in going to universities of choice. The Monthly Chosun interviewed Dr. Suh on March 6, the day after KAIST announced its 2010 admission plan. Monthly Chosun: The KAIST admission plan for 2010 that you announced yesterday can be the starting point of suppressing private teaching business in Korea. Suh: It was a little too late. Private teaching is a big problem for the nation. It is a big problem that a half of the entire education cost in this nation goes to private teaching market. MC: Many parents send their children overseas to escape from private teaching. Suh: Recently I visited the University of Queensland of Australia. There I learned that some 7,000 Korean students were in the small university town. It was almost the same number as the entire KAIST enrollment. About 20 percent of University of Queensland students are from outside the country, giving the university a large income. Korean students form the largest group among the international students. They must have had many reasons to go there, but if the money spent on overseas study is used wisely here, the education environment in Korea would be greatly improved. Correcting such problems will take time. MC: How long will it take to end private teaching in Korea? Suh: Korea decides everything with examination. During the Joseon Kingdom, there was the Gwageo system, which is equivalent to the bureaucratic recruitment examination of today. Some pass the state test during the senior year at university, which means that they only prepared for the examination while attending university. Things will change, but it will take time. There are people who take advantage of the present situation. We should judge the desirability of a present system by examining whether it fits the basic purpose of education. I can’t insist that the admission system we announced yesterday is the best, but at the moment it is the most desirable alternative. After 10 or 20 years when society will have changed, there may be different judgment. MC: Do you mean KAIST’s 2010 admission plan is necessary for a change, even if not the best? Suh: Yes. Without such an experiment, there will be no change. I should admit that it may be unreasonable to ask every high school to recommend just one student, although some schools are twice, three times bigger than others. MC: Don’t you think gaps in the academic level between schools should be considered? Suh: If we consider such factors too, the process will be too complicated. Anyway, we are to select 150 out of 1,000 and we are offering them chances which were absolutely unavailable in the past. We give them a chance and it is up to the students to be able to catch it or not. Opportunities should be offered equally to students from rural areas or from poor families. MC: What about possible favoritism in the course of recommendation? Suh: We may be cheated once but never again. If a high school principal fails to recommend a good student, it will leave a bad record in our database. At present, the database shows students from which science high school are doing well and those from which high school are negligent in study. MC: You have database for science high schools and other special-purpose schools but not one for general high schools? Suh: We will soon have the database for general high schools. We will be interviewing teachers too and the results will also be stored in the database. If recommended students from certain high schools prove unfit for study at KAIST, we will not accept students from those schools. MC: You are not to give advantage to high scorers from nationwide mathematics and science contests. But we should recognize that such examinations stimulate students to study harder. Suh: Science high schools in Korea maintain high standards of education. But everything deteriorates if it is left to go on in the same direction for a long time. Each system needs to be reviewed and corrected if any defect is found. The admission system we are going to implement will have to be corrected some time. MC: What is the most desirable human character in your view as KAIST president? Suh: People quite incorrectly believe that man learns everything from school. It is impossible because the world changes constantly and new knowledge is created in every minute. Education aims to produce persons who can identify problems, who can establish goals, who think and learn by themselves. We at KAIST aim to produce the best people in the world of science and technology. When the best people lead, others follow. People who are accustomed to one-way teaching under professors can do well in the second position in a group but not as the leader. In the science and technology community, some people are able to identify problems and address them while some others do well only when they are put into a certain course of action. The Korean education system should try to produce more people of the former category. KAIST wants to find and educate this kind of people. MC: You mean creative leaders? Suh: Yes. There are fewer people who can lead than those who follow. KAIST attracts good students, has good facilities and good teachers, so we can produce creative leaders. In recruiting professors, we spot some attractive candidates whose resumes boast of degrees from prestigious universities and fine career experiences. But some are found unqualified through interviews. A good professor is one who can drive students to study by themselves with creative ideas of guidance. Finding such professors is not easy, but we are making progress. MC: Have you found any drawbacks in screening students mainly through interviews? Suh: Three professors interview 40 to 50 applicants in three days, 14 hours a day. By the afternoon of the third day, they are quite tired and find it extremely difficult to make a choice because students are mostly of high standards. Initially, they rather easily pick up the top group and the bottom group, and then they come to the hard phase of choosing from among those who are not much different from each other. It could be just a matter of luck sometimes. MC: From your long teaching experience in the United States, what problems do you find in the examination systems in Korea? Suh: When questions are difficult, they may have plural correct answers. The professor could have wanted to test how students think. In Korea, examiners demand testees to produce just one correct answer. There are many different ways to go to Busan from Seoul. We should teach students how to think by themselves. At KAIST, we teach freshmen students design as a compulsory course. In design class, students are given varied questions with varied answers and they are taught how to find good solutions. Perhaps, KAIST is the only university in the world that has the design course for freshmen. MC: Design sounds like something related to fashion in search of beauty. What is the concept of design taught in KAIST? Suh: Design was the first thing I did at KAIST for its reform. When I came to KAIST, I set the goal of making it the best S&T university in the world. I drew up nine action plans for the goal and each plan has various practical tasks. My colleagues at the university are each given a task and I oversee how they fulfill their responsibilities. As professors and staff members develop their own ways of performing their tasks, an operation system is designed at KAIST. It must be more or less same with the mass media. Who should do what task and assume responsibilities under what process, this is the system design. MC: Then the national reconstruction project is a big design. Suh: A nation needs a good design to be prosperous. The president should be a good designer. MC: KAIST formally merged with the Information and Communications University (ICU) a few days ago. What is the expected effect of the merger of the two state-run universities? Suh: The primary merit is that the merger created critical mass that provides the momentum for self-sustaining and further growth which requires certain size. In the area of information technology, KAIST has about 90 professors and ICU has 46 while our competitor universities have an IT faculty of 200 or so. We need some 50 more professors to be really competitive in the area of information technology. MIT has 100 professors in the faculty of biology while KAIST has a little more than 20. To improve the situation, I proposed to the Korea Research Institute of Biology and Bioengineering (KRIBB) which is located next to KAIST to conduct joint research. But there were people who opposed it, and I still don’t know why they opposed it. MC: Was it a joint research, not merger that you proposed to the KRIBB? Suh: At first, we proposed three options: merger, joint research and individual-level exchanges. But nothing happened despite the great advantage of adjoining locations. In the Daedeok Science Complex, there are too many small research institutes and critical mass is hard to achieve. They are so much specialized that only experts in the same field mingle among themselves and make little contact with people of other scientific fields. Without contact with outsiders, no great new ideas can be produced. I am not a mathematician, nor a physicist but a mechanical engineer. Yet, I believe when biologists and physicists collaborate with engineers, when they seek a fusion of their capabilities, better results can be achieved. MC: Is it the reason why KAIST established the College of Cultural Science? Suh: Yes. The idea is to put science and technology into culture and culture into science and technology. Some want to put science into culture while others insist that culture should be put into science and there is tension between the two opinions. But this kind of tension is a good thing because it is a creative tension which can produce good ideas. MC: But the president should make a final decision. Suh: I take part in the process but decision is to be made by professors and departments concerned. I am not an expert although I offer my own ideas. MC: Do professors follow you when you make a point? Suh: I don’t like people to follow me right away. The university will not do well if all professors just follow what the president says. I want professors to make a decision after considering my suggestion. KAIST has a department-centered operation system. Department chairs are the real boss. This system has resulted in tenured professors in their thirties and professors in their fifties without tenure. MC: It is likely that the tenure screening has caused dissatisfactions from faculty members. Suh: Yes. Whoever passed the tenure screening believe we have the best system and those who failed believe that the system is worst. MC: President Lee Myung-bak attended the 2009 commencement ceremony. Have you had any opportunities to establish personal relationship? Suh: No. I met him for the first time when he visited Daejeon as a presidential candidate. People here suggested that I discuss with him national investment in science and technology but I declined. There was too much pressure because KAIST budget would be directly affected, and the vice president made presentation. I have met President Lee a few times through the National Science Commission. In conversations with the president, I found common thinking between us. He agreed to me when I spoke about developing electric cars and the mobile harbor, but officials at government ministries do not understand me. MC: Did you accept the directorship of the New Growth Engine Search Group at the request of President Lee? Suh: The Knowledge and Economy Ministry asked me to take the post. Through this public service, I have been acquainted with many people who have helped me a lot. I don’t know if I made any contribution to the Group but I am sure I benefited a lot from it. MC: What contribution do you think KAIST can make to the development of new growth engine industry? Suh: Most important is developing original technologies. Institutions like KAIST should be able to develop many original technologies that Korea can sell overseas. The mobile harbor and electric cars are very promising projects in this regard. (The “mobile harbor” being developed by KAIST is a marine transportation system capable of loading and unloading cargo with a ship being at anchor in the sea far from the shore in a situation of congestion. Equipped with a self-propulsion apparatus and a loading/unloading system, the mobile harbor comes to ships far from the land to handle cargoes.) MC: Is the mobile harbor project to receive government support? Suh: We are trying to get government funding for it. Some in the government are in favor while some others are desperately against it for reasons that I don’t know. MC: What about the “online electric car” KAIST developed? Suh: It is a very important project which promises to resolve the problems of high energy cost and air pollution. It is most suitable for cities like Seoul but there are people who oppose its commercial production. MC: President Lee had a test-riding in the online electric car, but government support has not been decided yet. Why? Suh: I can’t understand it. We are seeing a project stalled by the rejection of some section chiefs even though the president endorsed it. These opponents are not scientists. Previously developed electric cars need big batteries while the KAIST model requires a small battery. I am confident that the better product always beats the worse one, the more efficient technology emerges as the winner at the end. MC: When do you think can KAIST overtake MIT where you belonged? Suh: Within 10 years, I believe. Let me tell you this. KAIST established the Department of Marine Systems this year, but MIT has abolished its marine systems department. They only taught how to build ships for a long time so students did not apply and the department has been merged with the mechanical engineering department. At KAIST, we teach mobile harbor as well as shipbuilding at the new marine systems department. We are behind in some areas but we are ahead in many others. I am sure we can overtake MIT in about 10 years. MC: Are donations to the university made smoothly? Suh: We received 70 billion won ($60 million) last year and we are optimistic about attaining the goal of 1 trillion won in donations. MC: What is the most difficult problem in collecting donations? Suh: It is not easy for a man of my age to go about asking people to donate money that they earned in hard way. But it has to be done to operate the university. MC: You are said to be a Korean-born scientist closest to receiving the Nobel Prize. Suh: I am not a scientist but an engineer and I not at all interested in the Nobel Prize or anything like that. If one endeavors to contribute to society with research, prizes come to him. MC: How is the prospect of Korean scientists winning the Nobel Prize? Suh: I am positive. There are many young professors in Korea who are engaged in very interesting research projects. But what is important is globalizing their research efforts, by competing and collaborating with top-notch scientists of the world. MC: How do you compare the cultures and climates of academic communities in the United States and Korea? Suh: Famous U.S. professors I know are real workaholics. They devote themselves to research and are interested in little else. A university develops when it has many such professors. I want to make a point that there are few avid golfers among famous professors at MIT. They have no time to spend on the golf course. I see many good golf players among professors in Korea. MC: Do Korean professors cooperate well among themselves in research? Suh: What I realized first upon returning to Korea was that professors rarely discuss their academic matters in private conversations. They discuss everything but their own research work. This was something I found different from what I had witnessed in the United States where professors openly exchange ideas about their academic fields. What we need in the academic society is opening our hearts about what we are working on and what we have achieved. New ideas evolve in the course of such interactions. I’m inspired these days as I find younger professors gradually show such attitudes. MC: What was the most difficult part in your reform efforts at KAIST? Suh: Persuading people was of course the most difficult part. I explained to professors the purpose of changing the existing system and tried to win their consent on the process to achieve our objectives. But I was not able to persuade them all. Perhaps about half must still believe that the past system is better. The common trait of people is that they judge something is good or bad based on whether they benefit from it or not. MC: You went to the United States in the second year of high school in Seoul. Weren’t you hesitant to decide to come back to Korea after so many years? Suh: It wasn’t an easy decision to pack up and come here. I had many things to do over there, which was the reason why I did not catch previous opportunities to return to Korea. Children and their education were big obstacles in the past. But this time I just made up my mind and now I realize that it was a good decision. MC: Did you believe it was the last opportunity to serve your motherland? Suh: It is too much to say so. I am trying a lot but I don’t know if I am of any help to the country.
2009.04.23
View 11811
Respected Entrepreneur Chung Elected New Board Chairman of KAIST
Moon-Soul Chung, founder and former CEO of Mirae Corp. who is well known as the first-generation venture entrepreneur in Korea, was elected new chairman of the KAIST Board of Directors at the 193rd Regular Board Meeting held on March 20 in Seoul, school authorities announced Monday, March 23. Born in 1938 in Imsil, North Jeolla Province, Chung graduated from the Oriental Philosophy Department of Won Kwang University. Chung founded Mirae Corp., a semiconductor equipment manufacturer, in 1983 and got his company listed on KOSDAQ and NASDAQ markets later. His business principles stressing transparency, integrity, and technology, earned the respect of Korean businesspeople. In 2000, he suddenly announced retirement and handed over the presidency of his company to one of his managing directors. One year later, he donated 30 billion won to KAIST. It was by then the largest amount given by a single donor. In 2007, he was awarded an honorary degree of doctor of engineering from KAIST. He formerly served as chairman of Venture Leaders Club, President CEO of Lycos Korea and chairman of the board of directors of Kookmin Bank.
2009.03.26
View 11178
President Lee Myung-bak's Congratulatory Address at 2009 KAIST Commencement Ceremony
Following is the full text of President Lee Myung-bak"s congratulatory address at the 2009 KAIST Commencement Ceremony. Beloved graduates, proud parents, dear family members, Mr. Cho Jeong-nam, Chairman of the Board of Directors, Dr. Suh Nam-pyo, President of KAIST, Esteemed faculty and staff members, Distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen, It is great to see you all. First of all, I must begin by extending my most sincere congratulations to the 1,976 graduates who are receiving their degrees today. You worked hard, you earned it and I congratulate you. We must also remember your parents who worked just as hard as you did, if not more, to support you. You may have family members whom you wish to thank for their support and understanding. I also thank and congratulate the faculty and staff members who worked hard to provide the best possible education for you. Today is also a great day since we can all join together to recognize the achievements of Dr. Ryu Geun-chul and show him how deeply we respect and appreciate his generous contributions to KAIST. Today, Dr. Ryu received an honorary doctorate in science for his life-long contributions in the field of Korean traditional medicine. He has also donated a vast portion of his personal wealth to KAIST for educating future leaders in science and technology. Dear graduates, faculty members, KAIST has been in the forefront of leading Korea’s development over the last thirty-eight years. As the preeminent institution devoted to educating the very best minds in science and technology, more than 20% of all doctorate degree holders in Korea’s science and engineering field are KAIST alumnus. KAIST has led the drive to create more than 470 venture start-ups, opening up a vast new horizon for Korea’s scientific and technological breakthrough while leading the economic growth of Korea. KAIST has done exceptionally well even compared to the world’s best. It is ranked 34th in engineering and IT. It is ranked 46th in natural sciences. These rankings are a demonstration that KAIST is a research-focused institution with global competitiveness. Moreover, KAIST has been an example for other higher institutions seeking to reform the way colleges and universities operate. KAIST has demonstrated its forward-looking and reform-minded vision in terms of selecting students, recruiting and evaluating professors and managing its courses. In particular, when KAIST selects its students, it doesn’t look only at their test scores but looks for creative and innovative minds with real character and potential. Such practices are having positive influences on how other universities and colleges select their students. Furthermore, KAIST has taken the lead in applying their research skills to matters of global concern through its EEWS initiative. I am proud of such visionary work and will continue to have high hopes for KAIST. Our promising future depends on gifted individuals and gifted individuals are nurtured through solid education. For a country such as Korea with no natural resources, human capital is our greatest and most precious resource. We must overcome our lack of natural resources with our abundant and limitless brain power. The 21st century will be a knowledge-based society and so national competitiveness of individual countries will be determined by how competitive its universities and research institutes are. And the time calls for universities with world-class capabilities in research. Especially, our investments in science and technology today will ensure a brighter tomorrow. I assure you that this government will spare no effort to KAIST so that it can continue to foster the best minds for even greater achievements. My dear graduates and professors, proud parents and family members, All of us are going through difficult times due to the global economic crisis. At the same time, we must face global climate change which is our common concern. And this global concern must not be put aside or given less priority because of the economic crisis. We must do all we can to overcome the economic crisis while aggressively and consistently implementing measures to deal with climate change. At the same time, we must continue our quest to develop the next-generation engines of growth in preparation for the future when this economic crisis is eventually over. This is killing three birds with one stone and this is the core of my Low Carbon/Green Growth vision for Korea’s future. For a country like Korea with no oil reserves whatsoever, Low Carbon/Green Growth is a must. We simply do not have any other choice. It is also the path that the global community must take. Korea was late in joining the club of industrialized countries but we are ahead in the information technology sector. But, because we did not possess the core technologies in information and communication, we were unable to fully benefit from being ahead. Now, we must excel in all areas in the age of green growth. Korea’s future growth will depend on how many core technologies we manage to accrue in green technology, such as technologies to conserve energy, development of new and renewable energy. The government will double, compared to last year, its investments into research and development of green technology. The government has a long-term vision and this vision calls for continuously increasing strategic investments into the new engines of growth and they include basic sciences, core technologies and big science. Deregulation will continue so that we can foster scientific and technological advancements and also attract more investments and people from abroad. Dear graduates, Another source of our new engine of growth and our green technology is none other than fusion technology. Our bio, IT and nano technology will come together, and coupled with what is already a world-class IT industry, we can create future engines of growth. President Suh Nam-pyo stressed that “Inter-disciplinary study that takes place amidst the boundaries of different disciplines is where new discoveries and added-value are found.” This is a reminder of the importance of fusion research. And we all know that KAIST is the leader in this endeavor. Fusion technology will greatly improve our quality of life and introduce new and innovative ways to solve our real concerns. Healthcare and medical science are just two examples. As our society becomes an aged society, identifying the causes of and finding the cure for degenerative diseases such as Pakinson’s and dementia are becoming more and more important. If we manage to successfully combine our knowledge in medicine, science and engineering, we can come up with revolutionary ways to detect and cure these and other diseases. In particular, we will soon see science and medicine come together to create an entirely new paradigm in how we take care of our health. Medicinal research and high-tech research hospitals will be the norm. I truly believe that we can save both this planet as well as ourselves by utilizing green technologies and high-tech fusion technology. The government will continue to support such efforts. Dear graduates, the heroes of today, Some of you may wish to pursue higher degrees in order to reach even loftier academic goals. Some of you may opt to venture into society. Wherever you go and whatever you decide to do, do not be afraid of failure. Pursue your dreams. Face the challenges that come your way. And when you boldly face these challenges with the most precious gift you have, your youth and ideals, your dream will come true. Remember that history is made by those who take up the challenge. Do not be discouraged if you fail today. Just pick yourselves up tomorrow and try again. And again. Do not be consumed by selfish ambitions. But instead, always think what you can do for your society, your country and for humankind. Science and technology that is used for personal gains or new innovations and technologies lacking even the very basic ethical standards can become a curse to mankind. This is why those aspiring to become scientists and engineers must first agonize over how they plan to better the lives of man before they learn how to conduct experiments. Once you’ve gone through this, you will then be eligible to become true leaders, with your character and technological know-how. Remember the time you spent hunched over a book, in the classroom, in the library or in laboratories. Do not forget why you came here in the first place. Aim for higher goals in your respective fields. With that, I wish you a wondrous and exciting new journey. Again, congratulations and well done! Thank you.
2009.03.13
View 11822
KAIST to Admit 150 Students Based on Recommendations
KAIST will select 150 students from regular high schools, excluding those from special purpose schools, on the basis of their principals" recommendations and interview results beginning in the next school year in an effort to diversify admissions, President Nam-Pyo Suh said on Thursday (March 5). Award-winning records at math or science competitions will not be put into account in admissions to prevent after-school tutoring aimed at winning such contests. President Suh unveiled the new admission plan at a news conference in Seoul. "We expect the principals to recommend students with special talents or potential rather than high grades," Suh said. Established under a special law in 1971, KAIST is given full liberty to recruit freshmen students in whatever method it deems right, without being required to use the scholastic ability test scores of applicants as the basic criteria. KAIST plans to initially select 1,000 students across the country based on recommendations. Admission officers will single out 300 for further review. Out of the 300, the final 150 students will be chosen through in-depth interviews. "Years of receiving principal recommendations would accumulate a database on high schools nationwide. If a student recommended by a principal turns out to be no good, we might not pick more students from that school," President Suh said. Over 80 percent of students admitted to KAIST this year were graduates of elite institutions, mostly science high schools. Only 20 percent came from regular high schools. The 150 additional openings next year will be allotted to only those attending ordinary high school. Ten percent of the 150 openings will be assigned to students from rural areas and another 10 percent will go to students from low-income households. "One high school was not able to send even a single student to KAIST for the last 10 years. I"m sure there are talented students in that school. If we give the school a chance, the education system will be upgraded," President Suh said. KAIST-affiliated Korea Science Academy, a Busan-based high school for gifted students, will also adopt similar admission policy of recruiting students solely on the basis on recommendation and interview results from 2011.
2009.03.10
View 10312
Workshop on High Risk, High Return Projects Slated for Jan. 14
KAIST will hold the first workshop on "high risk, high return" projects at its Creative Learning Center on Jan. 14. Under the leadership of President Nam-Pyo Suh, KAIST has instituted high risk, high return research-support programs to encourage creativity and innovation in research activities. Professors and graduate students can apply for HRHR funding any time they have creative ideas that they believe deserve support by the university"s HRHR program. Once they prove the validity of their ideas, they can then go for the special HRHR funding. The HRHR support does not prevent researcers from applying for any outside sponsorship. Although the program has been in existence for only a short time, the results are encouraing, university authorities said. Research projects currently underway on such innovative ideas as "transforming ice to icy fuel and ice-like magnets," "mini-lunar lander mission," "mobile floating harbor for increased container handling capacity" and "marine oil spill protection robot design." During the workshop, a total of 44 research subjects which were picked up in 2008 will be presented. Presentations will be made focused on the three categories; idea, research procedures and current status. Among the 44 research ideas, 40 came from professors and four from students. Posters showing the research content of the 44 subjects will be on display also.
2009.01.08
View 10218
Five KAIST Students Offered Internship from Qualcomm
Qualcomm Inc., a wireless telecommunications research and development company based in San Diego, California, has offered internship for five KAIST students of the Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, university authorities said on Monday (Jan. 5). The five students who are graduate and doctoral students studying communication and RFID (radio frequency identification) design will be working for six months at Qualcomm"s RFIC (radio frequency integrated circuits) Department in Santa Clara, Calif., as co-researchers. These interns will receive about $7,000 a month each with other benefits. It is the first time that Qualcomm has offered internship for students outside the U.S., according to external relations officials at KAIST. Students who have shown outstanding research output during the internship period will be offered employment at Qualcomm. "Qualcomm"s internship for KAIST students is designed to help young Korean talents to become professionals who will lead global advancement in the IT sector and strengthen its research network with Korea," Seung-Soo Kim, senior director of Qualcomm Korea, was quoted as saying. Qualcomm plans to continue providing internship program for KAIST students, as well as pursuing joint research initiatives, the officials said.
2009.01.08
View 12670
Prof. Seong Publishes English Book on Reliability in Digital Control Systems
Prof. Poong-Hyun Seong of Department of Nuclear and Quantum Engineering has recently published an English-language book on reliability and risk issues in large scale safety-critical digital control systems used in complex facilities such as nuclear power plants. The book entitled “Reliability and Risk Issues in Large Scale Safety-critical Digital Control Systems” is a result of Prof. Seong’s collaboration with some KAIST graduates who used to be under his guidance. The 303-page publication has been published by Springer, one of the world’s leading publishers of academic journals, as part of the Springer Series in Reliability Engineering. The book consists of four parts; part I deals with issues related to hardware, part II software, part III human factors and finally the last part integrated systems. It can be purchased through some on-line book stores such as Amazon.com. Prof. Seong served as an editor-in-chief for Nuclear Engineering and Technology (NET), an international journal of Korean Nuclear Society (KNS), from 2003 to 2008. He also worked as a chair of the Human Factors Division (HFD) of American Nuclear Society (ANS) from 2006 to 2007. Prof. Seong is now a commissioner of Korea Nuclear Safety Commission which is the nation’s highest committee on Nuclear Safety.
2008.12.26
View 13019
Prof. Kim's Team Wins Silver Prize at International Design Contest
A KAIST team led by Prof. Myung-Suk Kim of the Department of Industrial Design won a silver prize (given by the Mayor of Osaka) at the 17th International Design Competition held at the Osaka International Convention Center on Nov. 27. The team, made up of KAIST students Da-Woon Chung (representative), Ji-Hoon Kim and Bo-Yeon Kim, presented a sonic energy absorbing (SONEA) system to transform noise energy into electrical energy. At the 2008 competition held under the main theme of "Earth-Life: Clean Aqua, Clean Air, Clean Energy," a Chinese team won the gold prize, Japanese and Korean groups shared silver prizes, and bronze prizes were given to U.S. and German contestants. It was noteworthy that the KAIST team was the only undergraduate contestants who won the prize. Ji-hoon Kim had already won a bronze prize last year at the same competition. The International Design Competition Osaka has been held annually or biannually, organized by the Japan Design Foundation, since 1983 and is considered as one of the most prestigious design competitions.
2008.12.09
View 13183
KAIST Collaborating with U.S. Universities to Advance Humanoid Robotics
Hubo, a life-size walking bipedal humanoid robot, is perhaps the best-known character in Korea that KAIST has ever produced. It was shown to the government heads of the Asia-Pacific region during the APEC held in Busan, Korea, in 2005 and appeared at the hit concerts of the pop singer Jang-Hoon Kim. The humanoid robot is soon likely to catch the fancy of Americans as a U.S. government-funded project seeks to create a Hubo that can work and interact with people in collaboration with Korean scientists. "We are going to give the brains to Hubo. (Japanese) Asimo can do only pre-programmed actions. We want to create a Hubo that can help people, interact with people," said Prof. Paul Oh of the Department of Mechanical Engineering & Mechanics at Drexel University in Philadelphia and leader of the five-year international project which was launched in November 2007. The U.S.$2.5 million project is funded through the Partnership for International Research and Education (PIRE) Program of the National Science Foundation (NSF) of the United States. It brings together world-renowned experts in humanoid design and information technologies. "Dr. Jun-Ho Oh"s lab at KAIST (that has created Hubo) is the world"s leader in humanoid design and the U.S. has advanced technologies in the areas such as artificial intelligence, mechanical learning and robot vision. Combining the strengths of the two countries can create a synergy effect and develop a more advanced humanoid robot," said Paul Oh. He is currently serving as Program Director of Robotics of the NSF which is overseeing robotics research (non-military) in the U.S. consisting over 150 robotics faculty. Paul Oh"s research team consists of experts from five U.S. universities -- Drexel, Bryn Mawr College, Colby College, the University of Pennsylvania and Virginia Tech -- and KAIST. Leading a delegation of six professors and eight students, Dr. Paul Oh made a two-day visit to KAIST on Nov. 18-19 to review the progress of the project and have a technical meeting with participants. "The U.S. universities participating in this program are scattered across the nation. So we decided to have a technical meeting here in Korea," he said. Asked the reason why he chose KAIST as a partner for the program, Dr. Oh said that KAIST is willing to open Hugo to international researchers, whereas in Japan only Honda engineers are allowed to touch Asimo, which is a humanoid robot created by Honda Motor Company. The project is to establish no barrier for roboticists anywhere in the world to pursue the humanoid research; a suite of humanoid platforms will be available for researchers to develop and advance capabilities like locomotion and human-robot interaction. The team has been initially involved in development of three tools, all of which are based on the Hubo platform, in order to kick-start humanoid research in the U.S. They are the Mini-Hubo (a small, light-weight and affordable humanoid purchasable at the price lower than $8,000), On-Line Hubo (a program to operate Hubo online) and Virtual Hubo (a simulation program to do researches in cyberspace). As the first outcome of the project, the Mini-Hubo is expected to be released in the U.S. around next April. Another important purpose of the PIRE program is to seek transformative models to train scientists and engineers to effectively work in global multi-disciplined design teams. To this end, an aggregate number of 20 students from U.S. universities are to stay at the KAIST during the next five years, with two students taking turns on a six-month term. "I was really amazed how much work is done with small funding here. This is really an excellent example to learn," said Roy Gross, an undergraduate from Drexel who has been staying at Prof. Oh"s Lab for the past three months.
2008.11.21
View 14211
SoC Robot War 2008 Wraps Up 4-Day Competition
The 2008 Intelligent SoC Robot War hosted by KAIST wrapped up its four-day competition on Sunday, Oct. 19, at the Indian Hall of Convention & Exhibition Center (COEX) in southern Seoul. At the annual contest featuring battles between mechanical robots utilizing System on Chip (SoC) technology, Seoul National University of Technology"s "Fiperion" won top award in the Tank Robot category and Chungbuk National University"s "What is FPGA?" was the champion in the Taekwon Robot category. In the Tank Robot contest, robots in the form of tanks engaged in duels with laser beams through visual recognition, wireless communication, and audio recognition. On the other hand, the Taekwon Robot contest was a hand-to-hand fight. The robots had to be capable of recognizing the opponent, defending and attacking without external control. A total of 20 teams in the Tank Robot category and 10 teams in the Taekwon Robot category passed through the preliminary assessments and vied in the final competition. The annual event started seven years ago. The preliminary assessments conducted between July and September drew a total of 150 teams nationwide. Any team consisting of more than two people and under six undergraduate or graduate students are eligible to take part in the competition. This year"s event was co-sponsored by Altera, a U.S.-based leading semiconductor manufacturer. Each of the two top-award winning teams received U.S.$1,000 in cash and 10 pieces of DE2 board which is worth $2,700.
2008.10.22
View 9952
KAIST Ranks 95th among World Universities
Oct. 13, 2008 --KAIST is ranked 95th among Top 200 Universities of the World this year, scoring a notable increase from last year"s ranking of 132nd. KAIST, Seoul National University which was placed 50th, and POSTECH ranked 188th became the only three institutions of higher education in Korea to make it to the list, called "The Times Higher Education -- QS World University Rankings." KAIST"s advancement was more conspicuous in specific area evaluations. In the area of Engineering and Information Technology, it is ranked 34th (49th last year), in Natural Sciences 46th (86th last year), and in Biological Sciences and Biotechnology 134th (166th last year). While North America dominates the ranking with 42 universities on the list, Europe and Asia Pacific are also well represented with 36 and 22 institutions, respectively. The list, compiled by The Times (of London) newspaper annually, is topped by Harvard University (USA), followed by Yale University (USA) and University of Cambridge (United Kingdom). Last year, only KAIST and SNU were included in the top 200 list. This year, Yonsei University raised its ranking to 203rd from last year"s 223rd while Korea University improved from 243rd to 236th, showing overall improvement of universities in Korea. Again this year, Japan and China had most of the top ranked universities in Asia, each sharing three in the top 50. University of Tokyo, ranked 19th, led all Japanese universities; Kyoto University was placed 25th and Osaka University 44th. University of Hong Kong was listed 26th, followed by Hong Kong University of Science and Technology on 39th and the Chinese University of Hong Kong on 42nd. The Times Higher Education--QS World University Rankings evaluates four main categories: quality of research, globalization, and quality of education and work of graduates in society. The evaluation also considers academic peer review, citations per faculty, recruiter review, international faculty, international students and faculty-student ratio. QS Top 100 Universities 2008 Source: QS Quacquarelli Symonds (www.topuniversities.com) Copyright?004-2008QSQuacquarelliSymondsLtd. 1 HARVARD University United States 2 YALE University United States 3 University of CAMBRIDGE United Kingdom 4 University of OXFORD United Kingdom 5 CALIFORNIA Institute of Technology (Calt... United States 6 IMPERIAL College London United Kingdom 7 UCL (University College London) United Kingdom 8 University of CHICAGO United States 9 MASSACHUSETTS Institute of Technology (M... United States 10 COLUMBIA University United States 11 University of PENNSYLVANIA United States 12 PRINCETON University United States 13= DUKE University United States 13= JOHNS HOPKINS University United States 15 CORNELL University United States 16 AUSTRALIAN National University Australia 17 STANFORD University United States 18 University of MICHIGAN United States 19 University of TOKYO Japan 20 MCGILL University Canada 21 CARNEGIE MELLON University United States 22 KING"S College London United Kingdom 23 University of EDINBURGH United Kingdom 24 ETH Zurich (Swiss Federal Institute of T... Switzerland 25 KYOTO University Japan 26 University of HONG KONG Hong Kong 27 BROWN University United States 28 ?ole Normale Sup?ieure, PARIS France 29 University of MANCHESTER United Kingdom 30= National University of SINGAPORE(NUS) Singapore 30= University of CALIFORNIA, Los Angeles (U... United States 32 University of BRISTOL United Kingdom 33 NORTHWESTERN University United States 34= ?OLE POLYTECHNIQUE France 34= University of BRITISH COLUMBIA Canada 36 University of California, BERKELEY United States 37 The University of SYDNEY Australia 38 The University of MELBOURNE Australia 39 HONG KONG University of Science & Techno... Hong Kong 40 NEW YORK University (NYU) United States 41 University of TORONTO Canada 42 The CHINESE University of Hong Kong Hong Kong 43 University of QUEENSLAND Australia 44 OSAKA University Japan 45 University of NEW SOUTH WALES Australia 46 BOSTON University United States 47 MONASH University Australia 48 University of COPENHAGEN Denmark 49 TRINITY College Dublin Ireland 50= Ecole Polytechnique F??ale de LAUSANNE... Switzerland 50= PEKING University China 50= SEOUL National University Korea, South 53 University of AMSTERDAM Netherlands 54 DARTMOUTH College United States 55 University of WISCONSIN-Madison United States 56 TSINGHUA University China 57 HEIDELBERG Universit? Germany 58 University of CALIFORNIA, San Diego United States 59 University of WASHINGTON United States 60 WASHINGTON University in St. Louis United States 61 TOKYO Institute of Technology Japan 62 EMORY University United States 63 UPPSALA University Sweden 64 LEIDEN University Netherlands 65 The University of AUCKLAND New Zealand 66 LONDON School of Economics and Political... United Kingdom 67 UTRECHT University Netherlands 68 University of GENEVA Switzerland 69 University of WARWICK United Kingdom 70 University of TEXAS at Austin United States 71 University of ILLINOIS United States 72 Katholieke Universiteit LEUVEN Belgium 73 University of GLASGOW United Kingdom 74 University of ALBERTA Canada 75 University of BIRMINGHAM United Kingdom 76 University of SHEFFIELD United Kingdom 77 NANYANG Technological University Singapore 78= DELFT University of Technology Netherlands 78= RICE University United States 78= Technische Universit? M?CHEN Germany 81= University of AARHUS Denmark 81= University of YORK United Kingdom 83= GEORGIA Institute of Technology United States 83= The University of WESTERN AUSTRALIA Australia 83= University of ST ANDREWS United Kingdom 86 University of NOTTINGHAM United Kingdom 87 University of MINNESOTA United States 88 LUND University Sweden 89 University of CALIFORNIA, Davis United States 90 CASE WESTERN RESERVE University United States 91= Universit?de Montr?l Canada 91= University of HELSINKI Finland 93= Hebrew University of JERUSALEM Israel 93= Ludwig-Maximilians-Universit? M?chen Germany 95 KAIST - Korea Advanced Institute of Scie... Korea, South 96 University of VIRGINIA United States 97 University of PITTSBURGH United States 98 University of CALIFORNIA, Santa Barbara United States 99= PURDUE University United States 99= University of SOUTHAMPTON United Kingdom
2008.10.14
View 14092
<<
첫번째페이지
<
이전 페이지
41
42
43
44
45
46
47
48
>
다음 페이지
>>
마지막 페이지 48