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New Diagnosis System for Cardiovascular Disease Developed
Professor Park Hyun Kyu of the department of Biological-Chemical Engineering developed a new diagnosis system for diagnosing cardiovascular diseases using E.coli to test the homocysteine concentration in the blood.
The research team used the genetic recombination process to produce two different biologically illuminant nutrition cultures and compared the growth rate of the homocysteine between the two cultures by comparing the degree of luminescence.
The technology can allow the simultaneous analysis of blood samples en masse and is also economical and thus is being regarded as a major step forward in the field of homocysteine concentration analysis which is a rapidly growing field.
The conventional method used high performance liquid chromatography which took a long time to complete and was costly to run.
The advantage of the newly developed system is that it gets rid of costly steps as it only needs to grow E.coli and measure the luminescence of the naturally occurring illuminant.
The research was published as the cover paper of the April edition of ‘Analytical Chemistry’.
2011.05.11 View 8953 -
Artificial Photosynthesis Technology Developed using Solar Cell Material
Humanity is facing global warming and the exhaustion of fossil fuel. In order to remedy these problems, efforts to produce fuel without the production of carbon dioxide using solar energy continues constantly.
KAIST’s Professor Park Chan Beom and Professor Ryu Jeong Ki’s research teams of the department of Material Science and Engineering has developed an artificial photosynthesis system that mimics the photosynthesis in nature using solar cell technology.
The development of the technology is sure to pave the way to ‘Eco-Friendly Green Biological Process’.
Photosynthesis is the process by which a biological entity produces chemical products like carbohydrates using physical and chemical reactions using solar energy as its energy source.
Professor Park’s team was able to develop the artificial photosynthesis technology with a biological catalyst as its basis.
The result of the experiment was published in ‘Advanced Materials’ magazine on the 26th of April edition and has been patented.
2011.05.11 View 11389
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Oh Myung Chairman of the Board gives Special Lecture in the S+ Convergence AMP Program
Chairman Oh Myung (CEO of Woong Jin Energy Poly Silicon) gave a special lecture in the KAIST S+ Convergence AMP Program with the topic of ’Dream of a Korea 30 years into the future’.
Chairman Oh insisted to the program attendees that they do their best in developing Korea through development of new technology and IT and that he considers education and development of new technology as the reason for Korea’s rapid development.
The program invites a guest speaker every month, apart from the planed lectures. The guest speakers were the top of their respective fields. In addition, various activities like riding the OLEV or domestic workshops or educational trips abroad imparted the ability to take on a global perspective.
2011.05.11 View 9159
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Lee Kang Gook Chief of Constitutional Court gives Lecture at KAIST
Chief of Constitutional Court Lee Kang Gook (66) gave a lecture on the 29th of April in Turman Hall on the topic of “Constitutional Trial: the Present and the Future”.
Chief Lee graduated from Seoul National University’s College of Law and was sworn into Chief of Constitutional Court on January of 2007.
He gave a lecture to those students enrolled in Leadership Program which is a program that aims at broadening the perspective and thought of KAIST students.
2011.05.11 View 7788
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World?'s First Automated Maritime-Docking between Naval Vessels
KAIST demonstrated the technology that allows automated maritime docking between naval vessels on the 26th of April at Busan, Korea.
The docking technology is seen as one of the key components for the mobile harbor as it prevents collision between two naval vessels upon docking. It was recognized as an important technology worldwide, but its technological limitations made it hard to commercialize.
The demonstrated included approaching a barge next to a cargo vessel, performing automated docking, and maintaining the docking and solutions in the advent of an emergency.
The mobile harbor is, in essence, is a ‘moving port’ and the automated docking technology is imperative to commercialize the mobile harbor. In order for a large container ship to unload cargo, the mobile harbor needs to approach the container ship and dock onto the side of the ship.
The technology required to keep the two moving vessels docked, out at sea, in an efficient and safe manner, is daunting. The conventional method involved sailors tying the two vessels together with rope which made it time consuming and hard to react quickly in emergency situations.
The KAIST mobile harbor research team developed the docking technology with ‘Mirae Industrial Machine’ Maritime Corporation, and ‘Ocean Space’. The mobile harbor will allow two vessels to perform loading and unloading of cargo regardless of wind and current, using robotic arms, vacuum attachment pads, wench, and are a complex, integrated system.
KAIST is planning on having a demonstration that encompasses all the technology required for mobile harbor: from the docking technology to the stabilizing crane technology.
Advancements made by KAIST are expected to speed up the commercialization and the real life application of mobile harbor.
2011.05.11 View 10325
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From Pencil Lead to Batteries: the Unlimited Transformation of Carbon
Those materials, like lead or diamond, made completely up of Carbon are being used in numerous ways as materials or parts. Especially with the discovery of carbon nanotubes, graphemes, and other carbon based materials in nanoscale, the carbon based materials are receiving a lot of interest in both fields of research and industry.
The carbon nanotubes and graphemes are considered as the ‘dream material’ and have a structure of a cross section of a bee hive. Such structure allows the material to have strength higher than that of a diamond and still be able to bend, be transparent and also conduct electricity. However the problem up till now was that these carbon structures appeared in layers and in bunches and were therefore hard to separate to individual layers or tubes.
Professor Kim Sang Wook’s research team developed the technology that can assemble the grapheme and carbon nanotubes in a three dimensional manner.
The team was able to assemble the grapheme ad carbon nanotubes in an entirely new three dimensional structure. In addition, the team was able to efficiently extract single layered grapheme from cheap pencil lead.
Professor Kim is scheduled to give a guest lecture in the “Materials Research Society” in San Francisco and the paper was published in ‘Advanced Functional Materials’ magazine as an ‘Invited Feature Article’.
2011.05.11 View 11779
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Jang Young Shin Chairwoman of AeKyung Group donates 3billion Won to KAIST
AeKyung Group donated 3 billion Won for the development of KAIST and the betterment of Korea’s Science. The ceremony was held on the 2nd of May with President Seo Nam Pyo of KAIST and Jang Young Shin Chairwoman of AeKyung Group in attendance.
Chairwoman Jang insisted that the donation be used for the establishment of a stable study environment at KAIST and the improvement of student welfare.
Chairwoman Jang is a CEO with an engineering background. She majored in Chemistry in Chestnut Hill College with National Scholarship in 1950 and established the AeKyung Group’s many subsidiaries that deal with Chemicals.
2011.05.11 View 10467
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Dong Ah Newspaper Publish '100 Koreans who will Represent Korea in 10 years'
The 2011 list of ‘100 Koreans who will Represent Korea in 10 years’ published by Dong Ah Newspaper includes people of varying ages, vocation, and gender.
In terms of University Professors, five professors from each of KAIST and SNU (Seoul National University) were selected. Especially Professor Charles Ahn received the most votes due to his world class talent, potential, and dedication.
Professor Kim Sang Wook of the Department of Materials Science and Engineering is the world leading expert in the field of ‘Atom Construction Nanotechnology’ which deals with using macromolecules, carbon nanotubes, and grapheme to form various structures. His work on ‘low cost, large area nano patterning technology’ is expected to overcome the limits of nano treatment processes and its application in semi-conductors or displays carries great promise.
Professor Kim Eun Sung of the Department of Physics discovered a new quantum behavior, supersolidity, in a low temperature, solid Helium for the first time in the world and is the leading scientist that leads the mechanics behind such a phenomenon. Professor Kim is leading the field of supersolidity through his works on hidden phase in a low temperature solid Helium, the understanding the role of crystalline faults in the supersolidity phenomenon, and the destruction of the supersolid’s macromolecular phenomenon through spinning solids.
Professor Charles Ahn of the Graduate School of Innovation and Technology Management has been working as the developer of the V3 series (an anti-computer virus Vaccine Program) since 1988. He established the ‘Charles Ahn Research Center’ in 1995 and his solid and practical management style won him rave reviews. Professor Ahn was appointed as the Professor of the Graduate School of Innovation and Technology Management and has been teaching entrepreneurial perspective and Technology Management.
Professor Lee Sang Yeop of the Department of Biology and Chemical Engineering developed world’s most efficient production method of succinic acid, developed high efficiency, tailored, culture for the production of key amino acids, Valine and Threonine, developed the production culture off bio-buthanol which is superior to bio-ethanol, and is widely known as one of the leaders in the field of metabolic engineering.
Professor Jeong Ha Woong of the Department of Physics is being regarded as world leader in the field of Complex System Network Sciences. He implemented Statistical Physics to Complex Systems and also used the concept of ‘Networks’ and published 80 papers, including 5 which were published in Nature Magazine.
2011.04.30 View 13949
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KAIST Festival [May 2~ May 4]
The annual Spring Student Festival will be starting this coming Monday (2nd of May) and will continue till Wednesday (the 4th of May).
The annual Spring Festival is aimed at bringing students closer together and offering an opportunity to relieve stress and socialize with other members of the KAIST community. Famous celebrities and singers are invited to the festival to perform and liven up the festival atmosphere.
On top of the celebrities, various clubs and groups in the KAIST community will be opening up booths to serve the students an large assortment of food and drinks and open up venues for students to sit down in the shade and socialize whilst enjoying the treats.
The annual Spring Student Festival never fails to show non-KAISTians that KAIST students do not only study hard, but also know how to play hard.
Look out for updates on the festival during the dates above.
2011.04.30 View 8192
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Low Cost and Simple Gene Analysis Technology Developed
Professor Park Hyun Kyu of the Department of Biology and Chemical Engineering has developed a ‘real time CPR’ using Methylene Blue (nucleic acid bonding molecule with Electro-Chemical property).
The current gene analysis being used in the field is the real time PCR (Polymerase Chain Reaction) which takes advantage of the luminescent property of the gene and therefore requires expensive machines and chemicals to run.
By contrast, the electro-chemical method is easy to use and low cost and, most importantly, it allows the machine to become small and portable.
Professor Park’s research team used the decrease in the electro-chemical signal when the Methylene Blue reacts with nucleic acid and applied this to PCR which allowed for the real time analysis of the nucleic acid amplification process.
With the result of the experiment as the basis, the team was able to perform a trial with Chlamydia trachomatis, a pathogen that causes sexually transmitted disease.
The result showed that the electro-chemical method showed the same performance level as the real time PCR, which proved that the technology can be applied to diagnosing various diseases and gene research.
2011.04.30 View 10275
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Genetic Cause of ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder) Found
The cooperative research team consisting research teams under Professor Kim Eun Joon and Professor Kang Chang Won of the department of Biological Sciences discovered that ADHD arises from the deficiency of GIT1 protein in the brain’s neural synapses.
ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder) is found in around 5% of children around the world and is a disorder where the child becomes unable to concentrate, show over the top responses, and display impulsive behavior.
The research team found that the difference between children with ADHD and those without it is one base in the GIT1 gene. The difference of a single base causes the underproduction of this protein, and those children with low levels of the protein had a higher probability to develop ADHD.
In addition, further evidence was provided when the research team conducted mice experiments. Those mice with low levels of GIT1 exhibited impulsive and exaggerated reactions like humans with ADHD, had learning disabilities, and produced abnormal brain waves. And upon injecting these mice with cure for ADHD, the symptoms of ADHD disappeared.
The impulsive behavior of ADHD children disappears as the child enters adulthood and a similar pattern was found in mice. A mice with low levels of GIT1 showed impulsive behaviors when 2 months old, but these behaviors disappeared as it got older to around 7 months old (equivalent to 20~30 years old for humans).
Professor Kim Eun Joon commented that there has to be equilibrium between mechanisms that excite the neurons and mechanisms that calm the neurons, but the lack of GIT1 leads to the decrease in the mechanisms that calm the neurons which causes the impulsive behavior of ADHD patients.
In addition, Professor Kang Chang Won commented that the results of the experiment has been receiving rave reviews and is being seen as the new method in the production of the cure for ADHD.
The result of the experiment was published in the online edition of Nature Medicine magazine.
2011.04.30 View 11433
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The Harvard Crimson: Engineers Who Can Lead, April 14, 2011
An inspiring opinion on the role of engineers as global leaders in the era of science- and technology-based economies was published in the Harvard Crimson, the university’s newspaper, dated April 14, 2011. The piece was coauthored by Cherry A. Murray, the dean of the Harvard School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, and Andrew R. Garman, a graduate of the Harvard School, who is a managing partner at New Venture Partners.
For the opinion piece, please go to http://www.thecrimson.com/article/2011/4/14/engineering-engineers-science-new/.
Engineers Who Can Lead
By Andrew R. Garman and Cherry A. Murray
Published: Thursday, April 14, 2011
2011.04.20 View 9663