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Professor Sang Ouk Kim receives the 2014 Prime Minister Award for Nano Research
Professor Sang Ouk Kim
Sang Ouk Kim, a professor of Materials Science and Engineering at KAIST, received the 2014 Prime Minister Award from the Korean government for his nano research. The award ceremony, Nano Korea 2014, was held on July 2, 2014 at Coex in Seoul, Korea.
Professor Kim was recognized for his research on the control of various shapes of ultra-fine nano-structures using molecular assembly with ductile materials, such as polymers and carbon nano materials, and for his contribution to the growth of the nano field in Korea.
He developed a new molecular assembly control technology, for the first time in the world, which produced large-scale, ultra-fine nanopatterns through controlling the molecular arrangement of block copolymers. Using this technology, he further created a new semiconductor nanotechnology to reinforce the existing lithographic process of semiconductor manufacturing.
In addition, Professor Kim has focused on making a new type of three-dimensional carbon nano-materials by assembling carbon nanotubes or graphene at the molecular level. Developing a new process to produce nano-materials through the chemical doping process of carbon materials, which can be widely applied to solar cells or energy devices, is one of his research interests as well.
Professor Kim has published a total of 124 papers in international journals, such as Nature, Science, Nature Materials, Nature Communications, Advanced Materials, and Nano Letters. He was recently invited by Advanced Materials to contribute a review article for its 25th anniversary issue.
Professor Kim received both the KAIST Academic Award and the 13th Young Scientist Award of Korea in 2010. Since March 2014, he has served as one of the chair professors of KAIST.
Most recently, he was selected as the Scientist of the Month in June 2014 by the Ministry of Science, ICT and Future Planning, Republic of Korea, and the National Research Foundation of Korea.
2014.07.08 View 8645 -
The ICISTS-KAIST International Conference from August 4-8, 2014 in KAIST Campus, Korea
"Does science lead progress?"
This thought-provoking question will be explored this summer with hundreds of university students gathered from all around the world at the campus of the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST), a leading science and technology university in Korea.
Established in 2005, the International Conference for Integration of Science, Technology and Society (ICISTS)-KAIST has been hosted every summer for Korean and international university students in Daejeon, Republic of Korea. The conference features distinguished speakers from academia, business, and public sectors and enables participants to exchange views, identify issues affecting science and society, and explore possible solutions.
The ICISTS-KAIST is the largest interdisciplinary conference in Asia. It is organized by undergraduate students of KAIST and promotes the idea of a science- and technology-integrated society through international cooperation of college students from diverse backgrounds. Last year alone, about 400 participants from 103 universities in 25 countries attended the conference.
Marking the 10th anniversary, the ICISTS-KAIST International Conference 2014 will scrutinize the fundamental aspect of scientific and technological progress versus social advancement under the theme of "Does Science Lead Progress?"
"We hope that the conference provides students with an interactive platform to look into some of the essential, yet easily neglected, questions such as the purpose of science and technology education in a broader context of social values," said Dong-Yeon Woo, President of Organizing Committee for the ICISTS-KAIST International Conference 2014.
Among keynote speakers are Langdon Winner, a professor of Science and Technology Studies at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Stephen Hilgartner, an associate professor of Science and Technology Studies at Cornell University, and Steve Breyman, an associate professor of Science and Technology Studies at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute.
Langdon Winner will speak about the fallacy of the public perception that technological innovation leads to social revolution (his presentation is entitled "The Myth of Innovation"). Stephen Hilgartner will present four aspects of the politics of vision in today's science and technology ("Science, Technology, and the Politics of Vision"), and Steve Breyman will talk about the origin of scientific deception, misrepresentation, and prevarication ("The Agnotology of Hydrofracking").
The conference lasts five days, beginning on August 4th through August 8th, 2014 at KAIST campus. For participation, regular online application opens until July 11, 2014 at http://www.icists.org.
2014.07.04 View 9116 -
Professor Haeng-Ki Lee appointed as "ICCES Distinguished Fellow"
Professor Haeng-Ki Lee
Professor Haeng-Ki Lee from the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at KAIST has been appointed as “Distinguished Fellow” and has also received the “Outstanding Research Award” at the International Conference on Computational & Experimental Engineering and Sciences (ICCES).
Founded in 1986, ICCES is regarded as one of the most prestigious international conferences in the field of computational mechanics and experimental engineering.
The Nominating Committee at ICCES recommends the appointment of a distinguished member who has made significant contributions to the development of computational mechanics and experimental engineering. Professor Lee was the first Korean who received such title. Furthermore, he was the recipient of the “Outstanding Research Award” presented by ICCES for his academic research on damage mechanics of complex systems.
Professor Lee is currently serving as the Head of the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at KAIST and the Director of BK Plus Agency, a Korean government’s research program. He received an award from the Minister of Science, ICT and Future Planning in 2013 for the promotion of science and technology.
2014.07.02 View 10194 -
"KAIST Day" at the Korean Baseball League: Hanwha Eagles Home Game
KAIST is out to promote school spirit and to strengthen the communication with Daejeon citizens.
KAIST’s Graduate Student Union held “KAIST Day” by supporting a baseball game between the Lotte Giants and Hanwha Eagles, a home team of Daejeon City, on June 26, 2014 at Daejeon Baseball Stadium.
Marking the third KAIST Day this year, the event has been organized to provide graduate students with opportunities to leave their labs and enjoy a moment of relaxation, such as watching baseball games.
The event began with an opening ceremony, followed by the main baseball game. The KAIST cheering squad, ELKA, held a pregame performance to root for a home-team victory. KAIST President Steve Kang and Sin-Yeong Kim, a master’s student at KAIST, threw the first pitch to celebrate KAIST Day.
Picture below:
President Steve Kang, Mia Kang, and graduate students cheering at the Hanwha Eagles' home team baseball game on June 26, 2014 at Daejeon Baseball Stadium
2014.07.02 View 6956 -
JEROS, a jellyfish exterminating robot, appears in a US business and technology news
Business Insider, a US business and technology news website launched in 2006 and based in New York City, published a story about JEROS, a robot that disposes of ever-increasing jellyfish in the ocean.
JEROS was the brainchild of Professor Hyun Myung at the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, KAIST. It can shred almost one tons worth of jellyfish per hour.
For the story, please visit the following link:
Business Insider, June 24, 2014
“These Jellyfish-Killing Robots Could Save the Fishing Industry Billions Per Year”
http://www.businessinsider.com/jellyfish-killing-robot-2014-6
JEROS in action
2014.06.26 View 8277 -
Forbes Asia: 48 Heroes of Philanthropy
Mun-Sul Jeong
Hui-Jeong Park
Forbes Asia, an American business magazine covering the latest news on Asian markets, politics, business, and finance, announced the list of 48 philanthropists in the Asia-Pacific region in its July 21, 2014 issue.
Four Koreans made the list: Mun-Sul Jeong (a former chairman of KAIST's Board of Trustees), Hui-Jeong Park (a wife of the late Dr. Geun-Chul Ryu, a philanthropist who gave the funds to build the Sports Complex in KAIST campus), Yuna Kim (a former Olympics figure skater and a gold and silver medalist), and Nam-Kyu Min (the chairman of JK Group, a plastics and petrochemical products manufacturer).
Mun-Sul Jeong, the founder of Mirae Corp., a semiconductor equipment manufacturing company, donated $21 million to KAIST for brain science research this year. He also donated $235 million to KAIST in 2001 for convergence research in information and business technology.
Hui-Jeong Park, a former professor of nursing at Korea University, endowed a $100,000 scholarship fund for KAIST students in January 2014. Her late husband, Dr. Geun-Chul Ryu, contributed over $55 million in real estate to KAIST, allowing the university to have a new sports facility. He was an eminent doctor of Oriental medicine in Korea and also served as a professor at KAIST.
For more, please click on the link below:
Forbes Asia, July 21, 2014
“48 Heroes of Philanthropy”
http://www.forbes.com/sites/johnkoppisch/2014/06/25/48-heroes-of-philanthropy-3/
2014.06.26 View 8664 -
KAIST Researchers Develops Sensor That Reads Emotional States of Users
A piloerection monitoring sensor attached on the skin
The American Institute of Physics distributed a press release dated June 24, 2014 on a research paper written by a KAIST research team, which was published in its journal entitled Applied Physics Letters (APL). APL features concise, up-to-date reports in significant new findings in applied physics.
According to the release, “KAIST researchers have developed a flexible, wearable 20 mm x 20 mm polymer sensor that can directly measure the degree and occurrence on the skin of goose bumps, which is caused by sudden changes in body temperature or emotional states.”
The lead researcher was Professor Young-Ho Cho from the Department of Bio and Brain Engineering at KAIST.
If you would like to read the press release, please go to the link below:
American Institute of Physics, June 24, 2014
“New technology: The goose bump sensor”
http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2014-06/aiop-ntt062314.php
2014.06.26 View 8188 -
A KAIST startup, YBrain, builds a wearable device to cure Alzheimer's
A group of KAIST graduates from the Departments of Bio and Brain Engineering, Computer Science, Materials Science Engineering, and Industrial Design created a startup called YBrain (http://ybrain.com/). YBrain develops a wearable neuroscience technology to treat or reduce the symptoms of degenerative brain diseases such as dementia and Alzheimer’s. Their recent technological developments were covered in e27, one of the leading blogs based in Singapore. The blog covers topics like the latest technology innovation, startups, and entrepreneurship in Asia. A news article follows below:
e27, June 24, 2014
“This wearable tech may be able to combat effects of Alzheimer’s”
http://e27.co/this-wearable-tech-may-be-able-combat-effects-of-alzheimers-20140624/
2014.06.25 View 10747 -
The First Demonstration of a Self-powered Cardiac Pacemaker
As the number of pacemakers implanted each year reaches into the millions worldwide, improving the lifespan of pacemaker batteries has been of great concern for developers and manufacturers. Currently, pacemaker batteries last seven years on average, requiring frequent replacements, which may pose patients to a potential risk involved in medical procedures.
A research team from the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST), headed by Professor Keon Jae Lee of the Department of Materials Science and Engineering at KAIST and Professor Boyoung Joung, M.D. of the Division of Cardiology at Severance Hospital of Yonsei University, has developed a self-powered artificial cardiac pacemaker that is operated semi-permanently by a flexible piezoelectric nanogenerator.
The artificial cardiac pacemaker is widely acknowledged as medical equipment that is integrated into the human body to regulate the heartbeats through electrical stimulation to contract the cardiac muscles of people who suffer from arrhythmia. However, repeated surgeries to replace pacemaker batteries have exposed elderly patients to health risks such as infections or severe bleeding during operations.
The team’s newly designed flexible piezoelectric nanogenerator directly stimulated a living rat’s heart using electrical energy converted from the small body movements of the rat. This technology could facilitate the use of self-powered flexible energy harvesters, not only prolonging the lifetime of cardiac pacemakers but also realizing real-time heart monitoring.
The research team fabricated high-performance flexible nanogenerators utilizing a bulk single-crystal PMN-PT thin film (iBULe Photonics). The harvested energy reached up to 8.2 V and 0.22 mA by bending and pushing motions, which were high enough values to directly stimulate the rat’s heart.
Professor Keon Jae Lee said:
“For clinical purposes, the current achievement will benefit the development of self-powered cardiac pacemakers as well as prevent heart attacks via the real-time diagnosis of heart arrhythmia. In addition, the flexible piezoelectric nanogenerator could also be utilized as an electrical source for various implantable medical devices.”
This research result was described in the April online issue of Advanced Materials (“Self-Powered Cardiac Pacemaker Enabled by Flexible Single Crystalline PMN-PT Piezoelectric Energy Harvester”: http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/adma.201400562/abstract).
Youtube link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZWYT2cU_Mog&feature=youtu.be
Picture Caption: A self-powered cardiac pacemaker is enabled by a flexible piezoelectric energy harvester.
2014.06.25 View 15657 -
KAIST doctoral student wins prize at 2014 International Military Science and Technology Fair
Min-Kyu Yoo (far left), a doctoral student in the Department of Materials Science Engineering, KAIST, received a silver prize at the 2014 International Military Science and Technology Fair held from May 29 to June 1, 2014 at KINTEX, Ilsan City, Korea.
Yoo presented a paper on aluminum composite materials that were reinforced by carbon nanotubes. Carbon nanotubes reinforced aluminum composite materials have strong mechanical properties, and some nations have used them to manufacture battle tanks.
Aluminum generates hydrogen in an alkaline solution. Utilizing this property and the galvanic corrosion of carbon nanotubes and aluminums, Yoo developed a hydrogen energy system that is fueled with composite materials of carbon nanotube reinforced aluminum. He produced 5 kW electric power and maintained it 22 days using 10 kg of the composite materials for a proton exchange membrane fuel cell and its auxiliary power system.
Yoo’s research will alleviate the difficulty of transporting fuels during wartime and can be applied to the development of an auxiliary power system for next generation aircrafts and battle tanks.
2014.06.24 View 8042 -
2014 Conference on Korean Sociology Held at KAIST
The Korean Sociological Association (KSA) hosted a two-day conference in 2014 entitled “In the age of anxiety, sociology can present answers” at the College of Liberal Arts and Convergence Science, KAIST, on June 20-21, 2014. Professor Jung-Ro Yoon of the Department of Humanities and Social Sciences at KAIST is the President of KSA. The conference addressed issues such as big data and risk society. During the conference, 40 sessions took place, and 150 research papers were released.
Professor Yoon said, “The conference will offer a great opportunity for Korean sociologists to discuss anxiety, chaos, risk, and the uncertainty that Korean society experiences and suggest answers and a new vision upon which Korean society should move forward.”
2014.06.22 View 7431 -
Professor Won Do Heo on LED Light Technology for Controlling Proteins in Living Cells
With the newly developed LED technology, Professor Won Do Heo at the College of Life Science and Bioengineering, KAIST, was able to suppress cell migration and division when cells are exposed to LED light. This suggests a breakthrough to apply in future cancer cell research.
Professor Heo talked about the impact of his research in the following excerpt from a news article:
“We are already conducting research on the spread of cancer, as well as brain science in animal models with the Light-Activated Reversible Inhibition by Assembled Trap. I believe this technology will be a breakthrough in investigating cancer treatments and the function of neurons in a complex neural network, which existing technologies have not been able to do.”
From EE Times Europe, June 19, 2014
“LED Light Technology Controls Proteins in Living Cells”
http://www.ledlighting-eetimes.com/en/led-light-technology-controls-proteins-in-living-cells.html?cmp_id=7&news_id=222909336
2014.06.22 View 7499