Massachusetts+Institute+of+Technology
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Top University Leaders Urge Innovation for the Post-COVID Era at the KAIST Summit
- Presidents of KAIST, MIT, Tokyo Tech, and Northwestern to define new roles and responsibilities of universities for the post-COVID and 4IR eras during an online summit in celebration of KAIST’s 50th anniversary. -
Universities are facing ever-mounting pressure to address impacts brought on by COVID-19 and the emerging technologies of the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR).
Presidents from MIT, Tokyo Tech, and Northwestern University will join the KAIST Summit to explore new directions for higher education during the post-COVID era intertwined with the 4IR. They agree that addressing these dual challenges requires pushing for innovations to rebuild the competitive edges of universities.
This summit is one of KAIST’s series of events to envision the future of KAIST and higher education in celebration of its 50th anniversary. The online summit will be live streamed on KAIST’s official YouTube channel (https://www.youtube.com/c/KAISTofficial) on February 3, 2021, from 10 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. Korean time (February 2, 7:00-9:00 p.m. CST and 8:00-10:00 p.m. EST, respectively).
The KAIST Summit titled “The Roles and Responsibilities of Universities in a Global Crisis” will discuss a range of issues affecting many aspects of universities in the coming decades.
“This summit will allow us to measure the level of risk that universities face today and will face in the future. Although there will be varying views on what a post-COVID world might look like, one thing for sure is that universities cannot go back to the way they used to exist and operate. Moreover, the 4IR continues to infiltrate and shake up our daily lives. Changes are inevitable, and universities must pursue bold and innovative responses to remain sustainable and relevant to society,” said KAIST President Sung-Chul Shin on the background of hosting the event.
The keynote speakers include KAIST President Shin, MIT President L. Rafael Reif, Tokyo Tech President Kazuya Masu, and Northwestern University President Morton Schapiro. After the keynote speech session, the speakers will take part in a panel discussion on three topics: “The Digital Divide,” “Emerging Challenges in AI,” and “Social Entrepreneurship and University-Industry Collaboration.” A Q&A session with an online audience consisting of KAIST faculty, staff, and students as well as high school students across the nation will follow shortly afterwards.
President Reif of MIT will congratulate KAIST on its successful 50-year journey from meager beginnings to achieving its current status as one of the finest global universities in science and technology. Then he will give a talk titled “Universities as Engines of Change” to present how universities have played a critical role in advancing solutions to humanity’s most urgent problems.
President Masu of Tokyo Tech will stress the importance of universities’ continuous dialogue with society as drivers of innovation. In his speech titled “Designing Our Future—Tokyo Tech DLab’s Approach,” he will introduce the activities of Tokyo Tech’s Laboratory for Design of Social Innovation in Global Networks (DLab) and explain how DLab collaborates for the future with members of society.
President Schapiro of Northwestern University will speak about how universities might incorporate the lessons they learned in dealing with COVID-19 to improve their research, teaching, and public service in the post-pandemic era. He will also look into issues arising from changing labor market needs associated with the 4IR and the aftermath of COVID-19 in his talk titled “The University in the ‘New Normal.’”
Finally, President Shin of KAIST will deliver a presentation on the “Visions & Innovations for the Next Dream of KAIST.” He will reflect on the remarkable track record from KAIST’s first 50 years and how it has contributed significantly to the rapid growth of Korea as a hi-tech powerhouse. Furthermore, he will elaborate on a new vision for the development of KAIST over the next 50 years and roll out a set of strategic innovation plans in the five areas of education, research, technology commercialization, globalization, and future strategy.
In the panel discussion, the four presidents will dive into a more intense conversation on such topics as universities’ role in bridging the increasing digital divide through their research, education, and international cooperation; the socioeconomic implications and ethical challenges of the fast deployment of AI and robotics; 4IR disruptions that will transform higher education; ways to foster social innovation and youth entrepreneurship; and how to build university-industry cooperation.
More information on KAIST’s 50th anniversary celebrations can be found on its special celebratory website at https://50.kaist.ac.kr/eng/. The official anniversary ceremony is scheduled for February 16, 2021, from 10 a.m. Korean time, and live-streaming will also be made available on KAIST’s official YouTube channel at https://www.youtube.com/c/KAISTofficial.
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2021.02.01 View 12508 -
A KAIST graduate to become a professor at a prestigious university in UAE
A KAIST graduate to become a professor at a prestigious university in UAE
Dr. Jerald Yoo, a KAIST graduate, has been appointed as an assistant professor at the Masdar Institute of Science and Technology (MIST) in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates (UAE), by the recommendation of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) since April 1, 2010.
The MIST is a private, not-for-profit, independent, research-driven institute developed with the support and cooperation of MIT and the Abu Dhabi government, which was opened in September 2009. Currently, at the school, there are 25 professors and 100 students from 22 countries around the world. The institute has a campus in Masdar City where the Abu Dhabi government plans to nurture it as a “place for zero carbon emissions.”
According to an agreement between the MIST and MIT, Professor Yoo will teach and work on co-research projects at MIT for one year beginning in May 2010 and then working at the MIST thereafter.
Professor Yoo received all of his degrees (BS, MS, and Ph.D.) from KAIST majoring in electrical engineering and earned his doctoral degree in January 2010. His research works included developing a wearable patch to monitor bio signals with an application of wearable sensor networks and low energy electronic circuit technologies. During his doctoral study, Professor Yoo published papers at the IEEE International Solid-State Circuits Conference (ISSCC) and in journals of IEEE Solid-State Circuits Society (SSCS).
Professor Yoo said, "The wearable health care system is certainly necessary to improve the quality of our lives, and the field should receive a sustaining support for further research. I will do my best to continuously produce valuable research results and hope that my research works will be helpful for an academic exchange between South Korea and Abu Dhabi.”
About the Masdar Institute of Science and Technology (MIST) in Abu Dhabi:
http://www.masdar.ac.ae/
The Masdar Institute is the centerpiece of the Masdar Initiative, a landmark program announced in April 2006 by the government of Abu Dhabi to establish an entirely new economic sector dedicated to alternative and sustainable energy. Masdar is a highly-strategic initiative with primary objectives of: helping drive the economic diversification of Abu Dhabi; maintaining and expanding Abu Dhabi"s position in evolving global energy markets; positioning Abu Dhabi as a developer of technology; and making a meaningful contribution towards sustainable human development.
The Masdar Institute is a private, not-for-profit, independent, research-driven institute developed with the support and cooperation of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). The Institute offers Masters and (eventually) PhD programs in science and engineering disciplines, with a focus on advanced energy and sustainable technologies. It welcomes and encourages applications from qualified local and international students and provides fellowships to talented students who meet its high admission standards. Its faculty is of the highest quality and the intent is to have the structure of its top administration similar to MIT"s.
2010.04.13 View 12001