Nam+Pyo+Suh
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Beginning of First Semester for Academic Year 2010
Welcome Ceremony for Freshmen Held at KAIST on February 1st, 2010
KAIST held a welcome ceremony for freshmen on February 1st, 2010 at an auditorium with an attendance of parents and guests. A total of thousand students enrolled this year to begin their new college career at KAIST.
The ceremony proceeded with recitation of the freshmen pledge by student representatives, Yong-Tak Kim (a graduate from Korea Science Academy) and Hyun-Jin Oh (a graduate from Daejeon Science High School) and a welcome speech by President Nam Pyo Suh. At his speech, President Suh introduced to the freshmen a glimpse of new life at KAIST while stressing student development through involvement and leadership opportunities offered by the university.
After the welcome ceremony, KAIST Chorus, composed of existing students, performed a celebratory event. There was a meeting organized between school staff and parents as well. During the meeting, the faculty members (Kwang-Hyung Lee from Dean of Academic Affairs Office; Do-Kyung Kim, Dean of Admissions Office; and Kyung-Wook Paik, Dean of Academic and Student Affairs Office) and parents exchanged views on various topics such as educational programs and students’ campus life.
KAIST has shortened its winter recess and extended summer vacation to three months instead since 2009. Adopting such an academic calendar, KAIST hopes, will spur students to have diverse opportunities for more experiences beyond the school life.
2010.02.02 View 10721 -
President Nam Pyo Suh of KAIST discussed cooperation with KUSTAR on the training of skilled manpower for research and development (R&D)
Representatives from Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST), Khalifa University of Science, Technology and Research (KUSTAR), Emirate Nuclear Energy Corporation (ENEC), and the Institute of Applied Technology (IAT) had a meeting on mutual cooperation at the Intercontinental Hotel in Abu Dhabi, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), on January 14, 2009.
Participants of the meeting were President Nam Pyo Suh of KAIST, President Arif Sultan Al Hammadi of KUSTAR, President Mohamed Al Hammadi of ENEC, and Director General Abdullatif Mohamed Al Shamsi of IAT.
A press conference on the training of skilled manpower for research and development (R&D) in the UAE followed afterwards.
At the end of December in 2009, a Korean consortium led by Korea Electric Power Corporation (KEPCO) beat bids from its competitors to construct four nuclear power plants in the UAE. Representing the consortium, Minister Kyung Hwan Choi of Knowledge Economy Ministry signed a comprehensive agreement with KUSTAR and the Institute of Applied Technology (IAT) for the delivery of nuclear power plants.
On his visit, President Suh discussed with KUSTAR the agreement above in greater detail on subjects, where KAIST renders its cooperation, such as research collaboration, university degree program, and training to produce qualified personnel necessary for the development of UAE’s nuclear energy industry.
On research collaboration, sharing its expertise and knowledge accumulated years from the operation of academic and research programs, KAIST agreed to provide cooperation to KUSTAR in developing the latter as a leading science, technology, and research university in ten years through mutual activities such as research collaborations, recruitment and exchange of outstanding researchers and graduate students, expansion of research facilities, and creation of major research policies. Furthermore, in support of nuclear energy program in the UAE, KAIST agreed to develop a joint research program in nuclear engineering and exchange faculty members and students for research collaboration.
On a university degree program, KAIST agreed for mutual cooperation to launch academic programs at KUSTAR, covering BSc, MSc, and PhD degrees to specialize in areas such as mechanical engineering, electrical engineering, nuclear engineering, biomedical engineering, nano technology, science, and information technology. To that end, KAIST will dispatch its faculty to KUSTAR; provide assistance in developing curriculum and teaching materials; and exchange students for research collaboration.
President Arif of KUSTAR mentioned that the university will cooperate with the relevant institutions in Korea, i.e., Korea Development Institute (KDI) and the Korea Institute of Nuclear Safety (KINS), to train skilled workers required for the development of nuclear energy program in the UAE.
He also added, “These cooperative programs will introduce more educational opportunities to our students, and as a result, they can make greater contributions to the development of our nation’s future technologies in various areas. Our students will have a chance to study a broad range of academic subjects through partnership made with the Republic of Korea, and I expect to see improvements in our engineering programs by integrating KAIST’s state-of-the-art academic courses into our system.”
President Arif expressed his hope “to increase cooperation beyond the agreement made between the two countries, like allowing more exchanges and interactions with KAIST for the development of science and technology in Korea and the UAE.”
“Establishing mutual cooperation between KAIST and KUSTAR is a historic event not only for our two universities but also for our two countries. The two universities will make a great contribution to the improvement of the future of humanity by working together to solve the most important, difficult issues faced in the 21st century,” said President Suh.
He also said that “all members of KAIST community will make our utmost efforts to advance the quality of education in two schools and to implement innovative researches through mutual cooperation.”
KUSTAR, a national university in the UAE, was founded on February 13, 2007 by a mandate of the current President Shaikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan to create a higher education institute.
KUSTAR has been building its permanent campus in Abu Dhabi, the capital of UAE since establishment and merged with the campus in Sharjah (formerly known as Etisalat University College with 18 years of history) in 2008. The University offers education and research programs in five disciplines of engineering, logistics and management, health science, homeland security, and applied science.
There are more or less 30 foreign accredited universities set up in the UAE from countries like the US, UK, Australia, France, Ireland, and Canada. Examples of such, among other things, are New York University Abu Dhabi campus and Middlesex University Dubai campus.
Many of the foreign universities in the UAE, however, have colleges of pharmacy, computer science, aviation, management information, fashion design, business management, and medical science including Harvard Medical School Dubai Center, but not many in science and research. Therefore, KAIST’s assistance in KUSTAR’s endeavor to become a leading science and research university in the UAE is timely. The current government of UAE anticipates, with a great interest, to see a leading science and research intuition built in their nation.
Attachment: Current Status of Universities in the UAE as of 2009
Background Information
The United Arab Emirates (UAE) is a federation of seven emirates (Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Sharjah, Ajman, Umm al-Quwain, Ras al-Khaimah, and Fujairah) situated on the Arabian Peninsula, which borders with Oman and Saudi Arabia.
The UAE has the world"s sixth largest oil reserves. As of 2008, its gross domestic product is $2,621,000.5 million and its nominal per capita gross domestic product is $5 5,028, becoming one of the most developed economies in the Middle East. The UAE’s total population as of the said year is 4,760.4 thousand, and its purchasing power per capita is 40th largest in the world. The UAE’s Human Development Index for Asian continent is relatively high, ranking 31st globally.
In 1985, the UAE launched its own airline, Emirates Airline, which has become one of the fastest growing airlines in the world. The Emirates Airline is a sponsor for Arsenal soccer club.
The Republic of Korea established full diplomatic relations with the UAE in June of 1980. On December 27, 2009, a Korean consortium led by Korea Electrical Power Corporation (KEPCO) signed a contract with the UAE to build nuclear power plants.
2010.01.15 View 17315 -
2010 New Year Message
The State of KAIST in 2009 & 2010:
Assessing the Past Year’s Accomplishments and
Next Year’s Challenges and Opportunities
Nam Pyo Suh
President, KAIST
January 4, 2010
Summary
2009 was a great year for KAIST, with every member of the KAIST family working to cement KAIST’s position among the world’s leading universities. Faculty, staff and students alike have made unique and important contributions to toward this goal through major advances in research, education, and service. Our work in science, technology, and education will profoundly impact industry and society, in Korea and throughout the world. In addition to achieving major scientific discoveries and developing technologies and processes, our faculty has greatly improved KAIST’s curriculum and pedagogical practices. Many professors have been recognized by many organizations in and outside of Korea in 2009. Our students have contributed to KAIST through their involvement in research and a wide array of extracurricular activities. Our staff has accomplished a seamless merger of ICU and KAIST, in addition to managing a variety of other demanding projects. As a result of all of these contributions, KAIST is a stronger, more dynamic institution today than it was a year ago.
In the coming year, KAIST must continue its efforts to become one of the best universities in the world. While building on our previous accomplishments, we will face new challenges. We will have to identify and commence challenging research projects, while continuing to evolve our educational programs. We have several construction projects to complete. And we must continue to expand KAIST’s sphere of influence, collaborating with colleagues around the world. With our dedication to excellence, 2010 will be a productive and intellectually rewarding year.
Our past efforts have attracted attention both internationally and domestically. Our progress in education and research has been recognized by international ranking agencies (QS/The London Times) and domestic newspapers. For example, international ranking agency QS listed KAIST 21st in engineering and IT, 39th in sciences, and 69th overall -- from 243th in 2005 and 198th in 2006 – making KAIST the fastest rising university. And domestic newspapers, JoongAng Ilbo and Chosun Ilbo, rated KAIST the top university in Korea.
I am personally most grateful to thousands of financial contributors to KAIST, who have enabled us to undertake critical projects, both physical and academic. Thanks to their contributions, KAIST will continue to renovate and innovate in the years to come. Chairman Byung-Ho Kim made the largest gift in 2009, following the important tradition established by Chairman Moon-Sool Chung, Chairman Chong-Moon Lee, Dr. Byiung-Joon Park, Chairman Neil Pappalardo, Professor Geun-Chul Lyu, Chairman Donald C. W. Kim, Dr. Hyung-Kyu Lim, and many others. Their contributions will be remembered for establishing the tradition of philanthropic giving in Korea.
KAIST has also been fortunate to receive tremendous support from the Korean government. The government and the National Assembly have enabled KAIST to undertake two ambitious and bold projects: the On-Line Electric Vehicle (OLEV) project and the Mobile Harbor (MH) project. By demonstrating these projects’ success, we hope the government will continue to provide strong support in 2010, as we believe they will yield rich educational, scientific, technological, and economic returns to taxpayers.
CY 2009 – A Retrospective Assessment
CY 2009 has been a remarkable year for KAIST. We have made great strides in making KAIST into one of the best universities in the world, with a strategy that addresses the most important challenges of the 21st century – in the spheres of energy, environment, water and sustainability (EEWS) – through multi-disciplinary education, research, and technological innovation.
The following are the major highlights of the past year (listed in no particular order):
Education in 2009
1. Three years ago, KAIST developed educational and research strategies that have continued to evolve and improve. In education, our goals have been to admit the most capable students, to teach synthesis as well as analysis, and to produce graduates who can compete both globally and locally. To achieve the first goal, we have adopted new admissions policies, which have proved effective at bringing some of the best and the brightest minds to KAIST (see 6). Regarding the 2nd goal, freshman students are now required to take the freshman design subject to make them “bi-functional” in both synthesis and analysis. As for the 3rd goal, The Mileage Program continues to broaden the outlook of our undergraduate students. To make our students competitive globally, we have actively recruited international students and faculty and adopted English as the official language of instruction.
2. KAIST has tried to instill a sense of responsibility in our students. To this end, we have asked them to complete their prescribed degree programs within the allotted time. While we emphasize academic achievements, we also believe that health and physical exercise are also important. Therefore, we are constructing a new athletics facility to strengthen our students’ mental fortitude by augmenting it with active participation in sports and through physical exercise.
3. To re-focus our educational and research programs, we have re-organized KAIST into six Colleges and created three new academic departments. The six colleges are: College of Natural Science, College of Engineering, College of Information Science and Technology, College of Life Science and Bioengineering, College of Business, and College of Cultural Science. Four new academic units created in 2009 are the Department of Knowledge and Service Engineering in the College of Information Science and Technology, the Department of Ocean Systems and Graduate School of EEWS in the College of Engineering, and the Graduate School of Nano-Science and Technology in the College of Natural Science.
4. KAIST has also initiated new graduate-level educational programs in a number of fields -- ocean systems, nano-science and technology, EEWS, knowledge and service engineering, intellectual property, science and technology journalism, and Ph.D. education for medical doctors (MDs). We also have received strong support for the WCU programs in a number of fields from the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology (MEST).
5. In addition, we have strengthened our programs in systems and design in order to change the nature of engineering education and the intellectual perspective of the freshman at KAIST. Colleagues who have taught the freshman design course attest that it has achieved its educational goal -- Professors Kate Thompson and Taesik Lee have done a great job making it successful. We have also launched many new programs, including the Renaissance Ph.D. Program under the direction of Professor Dong-Yul Yang. Also, KAIST has two new masters of science (MS) programs – MS in Intellectual Property and MS in Science Journalism – under the leadership of Dean Kwang Hyung Lee. Professor Chul-Ho Kim will direct the MS in IP Program and Dean Kwang Hyung Lee will direct the MS in Science Journalism.
6. KAIST is committed to seeking and admitting talented students. In 2009, we initiated a new process for selecting and admitting the most qualified undergraduate students from normal high schools, in addition to continuing the interview-based admissions process introduced two years ago. Under the new process, the principal of each normal high school (there are roughly 1,300 in Korea) was asked to recommend one student for KAIST. After a preliminary screening by the Admissions Office, followed by an interview at the KAIST campus, 150 students were admitted from this group.
(These newly admitted students have been given the opportunity to make up for any deficiencies in mathematics, physics and chemistry by taking on-line KAIST courses. Dean Kwang Hyung Lee created the experimental Bridge Program this year, with over 130 high school students subscribing to complete the final semester of high school education. Mid-term examination results indicated that these students are thriving at KAIST.)
This new admissions process supplements the process successfully introduced two years ago, in which students are admitted based on interviews and high school grades only – a change that has proved of great interest to other universities in Korea. Using this process, KAIST will admit an additional 850 students from the Science High Schools, the Korea Science Academy, and normal high schools. The composition of the incoming 1,000-student freshman class is consistent with the goals established in the Five Year Plan.
7. KAIST has signed several agreements with universities and research institutes abroad for student exchanges, dual degree programs, and post-doctoral studies. In 2009, international students from 72 countries studied at KAIST. KAIST has also sponsored two recent Ph.D.s as post-doctoral fellows at the NASA Ames Research Center, California, United States.
8. In December 2009, as a part of the UAE-Korea agreement, KAIST agreed to collaborate with the Khalifa University of Science, Technology and Research (KUSTAR), the leading scientific and technological university in Abu Dhabi. Under this program, KAIST will aid KUSTAR with its educational and research programs in a number of fields. There will be an exchange of personnel and research collaboration, in addition to curricula development, establishment of laboratories, and infrastructure strengthening. This program is expected to last about ten years with a major review in five years.
Research in 2009
1. KAIST has developed a research strategy that will help it become a leader in the fields of science and technology. This strategy consists of a two-pronged approach: (a) encourage and support Faculty-Initiated Individual Research (FIIR) and (b) undertake concentrated, multidisciplinary, system-scale projects in a few select areas. The most important means of supporting FIIR has been KAIST’s Fellowship, HRHR , and EEWS Programs. To balance FIIR projects, KAIST has supported multi-disciplinary group research through the KAIST Institutes (KI) and also the EEWS Program.
2. KAIST has also provided start-up funds to new faculty members for equipment and other scholarly activities (rather than using the funds to support graduate students, since many of our incoming students are provided with fellowships).
3. In basic research, our professors and students have made important advances in sciences (e.g., mathematics, biology, chemistry, and physics). In technological innovation, KAIST has developed many new processes and technologies (e.g., applied biochemistry, biochemical processing, robotics, On-Line Electric Vehicle (OLEV), Mobile Harbor (MH), semiconductor processing, IC design, electronic packaging, fuel cells, optics, propulsion, complex systems, ship insulation, nanotechnology, and many others). These research contributions will gain international recognition as their results become better known and widely used.
4. To promote research collaboration between KAIST and leading European universities, the Office of External Affairs organized a trip to Europe. Five professors, Dean Yong-Taek Im, two students, and I visited four leading European universities – Technical University of Denmark, Delft University of Science and Technology, RWTH Aachen University, and Ecole Polytechnic/
ParisTech. On this trip, Professors Jie-Oh Lee and Yong-Mahn Han presented their work in biological chemistry and stem-cell research, respectively, and Professors Joong-Myeon Bae, Kyung-Cheol Choi, and Otfried Cheong presented their work on fuel cells, displays, and combinatorial geometry, respectively. These visits clearly indicated that KAIST is at the forefront of science and technology.
5. The OLEV and MH Projects are large, multi-disciplinary R&D projects specially funded through the 2009 Supplementary Budget. The goal of the OLEV Project, headed by Professor Dong-Ho Cho, is to eliminate internal combustion engines in order to lower CO2 levels in the earth’s atmosphere and to also help Korea reduce its imports of fossil fuels. Many professors and research staff members (Professors Chun-Taek Rim, Joung-Ho Kim, In-Soo Suh, Yong-Hoon Jeong, Hang-Ki Lee, and others) have worked on this project. A company named OLEV&E Company was established by the KAIST Development Foundation to attract industry involvement and accelerate the commercialization process as stipulated by the government as part of the 2009 Supplementary Budget. CEO Chung-Goo Lee, the former CEO of Hyundai Motors, is heading this commercialization effort. KAIST has developed OLEV buses and cars that draw electric power and recharge a small battery system from underground cables without any mechanical contact to power electric motors. The efficiency of power transmission is over 72% and the electromagnetic force (EMF) is well below specifications. This system is being installed in Seoul Grand Park. We have filed for many patents.
6. The goal of the Mobile Harbor project is to create “moving harbors” that can load and unload containers to and from large container ships and deliver them to small as well as large harbors -- the central goal being to eliminate the need for large, deep-water harbors by making “mobile harbors” that can go out to ships moored in deep waters. The team headed by Professor Byung-Man Kwak has demonstrated the viability of the original technology. Many professors – Professors Yun-Sik Park, Jun-Ho Oh, Gyung-Jin Park, Taesik Lee, Soon-Heung Han, Soo-Hyun Kim, and others -- have contributed to this project. The CEO of the Mobile Harbor Corporation, Daniel C. S. Ahn, and his team directed the design of two large mobile harbors, which will be submitted for certification for commercial use. We have many patents filed.
(It should be noted that initially, the OLEV and MH projects were supported by the EEWS project, the HRHR Initiatives, and KI.)
7. The EEWS has funded 24 projects related to 10 critical topics in EEWS: Solar Energy, Photosynthesis and Carbon Capture & Storage, Fuel Cell, Bio Fuel, Battery and Green Car, Safe Nuclear Energy, Enhancing Energy Efficiency, Environment Monitoring and Recovery, Sustainable Manufacturing and Building, and EEWS Strategies.
8. A number of the KAIST Institutes (KI) have been gaining momentum. The KI for IT Convergence, which has a great number of faculty members from many disciplines, is conducting joint research projects. The KI for Design of Complex Systems has developed complex insulations systems for special-purpose large vessels. There are many other achievements that will be noted in a more expanded report.
Merger
We have successfully merged ICU and KAIST to forge stronger programs in IT. This strengthened group at KAIST has initiated new research and education in IT. We also accepted the operational responsibility for the Korea Science Academy to foster creative and intelligent high school graduates, especially those interested in science and engineering.
Construction of New Buildings and Facilities
We are constructing several new buildings: the Chunghi and BJ Park KI Building for multidisciplinary research; the Pappalardo Medical Center; the Sports Complex; the International Center; an apartment complex for international faculty; and dormitories for students. We have also renovated many buildings (e.g., the student dining facilities). In addition to the seven new buildings under construction now, we will be building several new buildings: the Kim Byung-Ho IT building, the Second Chung Moon-Soul Building for Brain science and Engineering, and an Animal Facility. Construction will begin soon.
Faculty
1. As of December 2009, KAIST has 548 tenure-track professors and 322 non-tenure track professors. Of these, 39 are international faculty (including 20 Korean-Americans) and 34 are female. Our goal is to increase our international and female faculty to 20% each.
2. KAIST has appointed 56 outstanding new faculty members, including 15 international and 8 female members. The quality of these faculty members is exceptionally high. The search committees and department heads should be commended for an excellent recruiting job.
3. We have a truly outstanding faculty. Many members are known nationally and internationally for their contributions, and continue to receive awards for their work. Many of the young professors who recently joined KAIST are among the most outstanding scholars in their respective fields, showing much promise for KAIST’s future.
Students
1. In 2009, KAIST had 3,766 undergraduate students and 5,029 graduate students (2,456 MS candidates and 2,573 Ph.D. candidates). We have 289 more undergraduate students than we should have had, as these students have not completed all the requirements for their undergraduate degrees within the standard time frame. It is important that our students learn to complete their studies within the time allocated for their degrees, and for that matter, for any task. In order to encourage our graduate students to complete their formal academic training as soon as possible and assume long-term career paths, we have imposed a time limit for their tenure as graduate students.
2. To encourage students to finish their undergraduate studies in four years, we have instituted a tuition system that requires all students, regardless of GPA, to pay full tuition if they do not finish their undergraduate degrees within that time frame. MS students and Ph.D. students who do not finish their degree in two and five years, respectively, are also required to pay partial or full tuition.
The Pappalardo Medical Center
With the financial support of Chairman and Mrs. Neil Pappalardo, we are constructing the Pappalardo Medical Center. The purpose of the Pappalardo Medical Center is to provide primary care to KAIST family members -- students, staff, professors and their families. The Pappalardo Medical Center will be increasingly important as we have more members of the KAIST family who do not speak Korean. Thanks to the efforts of Professor Ook-Joon Yoo, Dean for the Graduate School for MD/PhD Program and the Director of the Center for Bio-Medical Research, the Pappalardo Medical Center will be dedicated in May 2010. Professor Yoo will soon be hiring medical and support staff for the medical center.
Meetings, Conferences, and Workshops
KAIST hosted many conferences and workshops in 2009, including the Second International Presidents Forum (IPF) and the International Workshop on EEWS. Hosting such events has served many important functions – increasing global visibility, teaching best practices, creating inter-personal connections, fostering financial support, and building good will throughout the world.
In Recognition of the Special Support of Government
Most of the new programs in education, research, and infrastructure construction described above have received strong budgetary support from the government. The top leaders of the Korean government have given us opportunities to explore bold new concepts in science and technology through the General Appropriation of the Budget and the special Supplementary Funding of 2009. We are grateful for their support. I am personally grateful to President M.B. Lee for his support of the OLEV and the Mobile Harbor Projects.
Awards and Achievements of the Faculty
Our colleagues have received many awards as follows:
- Professor Jung Woong RA is the recipient of the Korean Engineer Award.
- Professor Seong Hwan CHO won the Best Thesis Award from IEEE Transaction on Circuits & Systems.
- Professor Chang Hee LEE was elected as IEEE Fellow.
- Professor Seung Hyup YOO was awarded an Outstanding Poster Award at the 9th International Meeting on Information Display.
- Professor Kyung Cheol CHOI received Outstanding Poster Award at the 9th International Meeting on Information Display
- Professor Joung Ho KIM received Best Student Paper Award at the 18th Electrical Performance of Electronic Packaging and Systems.
- Professor Gun Woo MOON was awarded the Best Paper Prize at 2nd International Telecommunication Energy Conference.
- Professor Kwang Jo KIM received an Award from the President of Korea for his service in Information Security.
- Professor Kyu Young WHANG was elected as ACM Fellow.
- Professor Dong Man LEE received the Distinguished Service Award from Korea Internet & Security Agency.
- Professor Dong Jun KIM is the recipient of Microsoft Young Professorship Award.
- Professor Sung Eui YOON received the Distinguished Paper Award from Pacific Graphics Society.
- Professor Jae Hyuk HUH received the Distinguished Paper Award from Pacific Graphics Society.
- Professor Sue Bok MOON won the Female Scientist Award from Amore Pacific.
- Professor Byoung Kyu CHOI was awarded the Order of Merit for Science Technology (Ungbi Medal) as well as the Korean Engineer Award.
- Professor Ha Yong SHIN received Gahun Academic Award from Gahun Foundation for Science and Technology.
- Professor Hark HWANG is the recipient of Young Scientist Prize of the International Conference on IML 2009 and Symposium on GT/CM 2009.
- Professor Myung Suk KIM won the Korea Robot Award from the Minister of Knowledge Economy.
- Professor Sang Min BAE received Good Design Award.
- Professor Youn Kyung LIM is the recipient of Microsoft Young Professorship Award.
- Professor Hyeon Jeong SUK was awarded the Best Thesis Award of International Journal of Sensibility Engineering.
- Professor Sung-Chul SHIN was awarded the National Academy Sciences Award of 2009 by the National Academy of Sciences, Republic of Korea.
- Professor Wonho CHOE was awarded KSTAR Merit Award of 2009 by the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology.
- Professor Kee Joo CHANG was named as the Fellow of 2009 by the American Physics Society.
- Professor Sangil OUM was awarded TJ Park Bessemer Science Scholarship.
- Professor Suh-Hyun CHOI was awarded Amore-Pacific Frontier Award.
- Professor Jinhyun PARK was awarded Sangsan Young Mathematician Award.
- Professor Hyotcherl IHEE was awarded Distinguished Lectureship Award by the Chemical Society of Japan.
- Professor Juhyoun KWAK was awarded Q.Won Choi Academic Award by the Korean Chemical Society.
- Professor Ryong RYOO was awarded Creative Knowledge Awards by KISTI.
- Professor Changyoung IM was awarded the Order of Service Merit, Red Stripes, from the government.
- Professor Tae Gwan PARK was awarded the Clemson Award from the Society for Biomaterials, USA, the highest honor in biomaterials research field in the world.
- Professor Tae Gwan PARK was also awarded the first Creative Knowledge Award from the KISTI, selected as one of most highly cited six Korean scientists for the past 10 years.
- Prof. Chulhee CHOI was awarded the Minister Prize for Excellence in University-Industry Cooperation from MEST, Korea (2009. 11. 5); Selected as one of the 60 best researchers in 2009 by the National Research Foundation, Korea.
- Prof. Jung Kyoon CHOI was awarded the TJ Park Bessemer Science Fellowship (Junior Faculty).
- Prof. Jong Chul YE was awarded the Best paper award, Korea Society of Human brain mapping conference (2009); A Winner of Recon Challenge, Data Sampling and Image Reconstruction, ISMRM Workshop Series (2009. 1); Invited Guest Editor for Special Issue of “Compressed Sensing Signal Processing,” Journal of Korea Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineer (KIEE).
- Prof. Young-Ho CHO was awarded the Grand Prize for Pre-CEO (DAEDEOK INNOPOLIS).
- Prof. Jaeseung JEONG was awarded the "2009 Young Global Leaders" selected by World Economic Forum (a.k.a. Davos Forum).
- Prof. Dongsup KIM was awarded the best performance in the SH3 section of the DREAM4 Peptide Recognition Prediction challenge.
- Prof. Hee-Seok LEE, Ji-Young YOON and Se-Hee HAN received Best Paper Award, the Knowledge Management Society of Korea.
- Prof. Tong-Suk KIM and Byoung-Kyu MIN (student) received the 3rd Financial News & KAFA Doctoral Student Dissertation Award.
- Professor Kwang-Woo PARK received Best Bank Management/ Investment Bank Award, Shinhan Bank & KAFA (Korean American Finance Association).
- Prof. Byung-Tae LEE and Chang-Woo SUH (student) received Excellence Paper Award, The Korea Society of Management Information Systems 2009.
- Prof. Su-Jin LEE received Best paper award (CM Division Best Empirical/Theoretical Paper Award), the Academy of Management Conference 2009.
- Prof. Steven JORDAN was awarded 1st place prize for the best paper award at the 2009 FMA Asian Conference, the CFA institute.
- Prof. Seung-Kyu RHEE received Excellence paper award, The Korea Production and Operation Management Society.
- Prof. Young-Gul KIM (7th), In-Goo HAN (12th) and Jae-Kyu LEE (19th) were ranked as High Impact IS Papers and Researchers in the Pacific Asia Region, AIS(Association for Information Systems).
- Prof. Jae-Min JUNG named as Best translator, The Korea Association for Broadcasting & Telecommunication Studies (KABS).
Gifts and Donations from Generous KAIST Supporters
KAIST has been extremely fortunate to receive generous financial support from many leaders, alumni, friends, and supporters. In just a few years, the number of donors has increased from a few hundred to over 3,000. In 2009, KAIST received major gifts from supporters: Chairman and Mrs. Byung-Ho Kim donated 30 billion won, Chairman and Mrs. Donald C.W. Kim of Hawaii donated US$1 million, Chairman Hui-Yul Bae of Japan provided a 1 billion won gift, alumnus Dr. Hyung-Kyu Im, President of Samsung, gave a second gift of 200 million won, and the family of Seung-Yul Chung donated 100 million won. There have also been many generous donors too numerous to list.
As we look ahead at fundraising goals, KAIST is still in need of 20 billion won to support its Sports Complex, after a generous donation of 5.6 billion won from Woori Bank and POSCO.
Board of Directors
The Board of Directors (BoD) is the governing body of KAIST. It sets the policies, approves appointments and the budget, and selects and appoints the President of KAIST. The support of the Board is essential in planning and executing KAIST programs.
The new chairman of the BoD is Dr. Moon-Soul Chung, the Board’s longest serving member. In 2009, joining the esteemed group, many outstanding leaders joined as new board members. New members include Mr. Donald C.W. Kim, the former Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the University of Hawaii and CEO of AMKOR A&E; Dr. Chong-Moon Lee, the Chairman of Ambex; Dr Byiung-Jun Park, the Founder and former CEO of MTL, Inc.; Dr. Geun-Chul Lyu, Professor Emeritus at Moscow Technological University; Attorney Joo-Myung Whang, the former Chairman of the Board of Trustees of ICU.
New Appointments in the Administration
Professor Minho Kang, a professor in the Department of Electrical Engineering, has been appointed as the Vice President in charge of the newly established IT Convergence Campus.
We have two new academic deans. Professor Dong Won Kim has been appointed Dean of the College of Cultural Science. Dean Kim, who received his Ph.D. from Harvard University, is a specialist in the history of science. He succeeded Dean Young-Hae Noh, who did an outstanding job leading the College for three years. Professor Ravi Kumar is the new Dean for the College of Business, succeeding Professor Byung-Hoon Ahn, who was the original founder of the College of Business in Seoul campus. Dean Kumar has a Ph.D. from Northwestern University and was formerly an Associate Dean at the University of Southern California.
Professor Do Kyung Kim, a professor of materials science, is now the Dean of Admissions, a newly created position.
Professor Dong-Ho Cho is the Director of the OLEV project. He is also the Director of KI for IT Convergence and the KT Chair Professor of Electrical Engineering.
Dr. Chung-Goo Lee has assumed the position of the CEO of the OLEV&E Company, which has the task of commercializing On-Line Electric Vehicles. He also has an appointment as a KAIST Distinguished Professor of Practice.
Professor Byung Man Kwak of the Department of Mechanical Engineering, is the Director of the Mobile Harbor project.
Dr. Daniel Choong-Seung Ahn was appointed to be the CEO of the Mobile Harbor Company, a unit set-up for the commercialization of Mobile Harbors. He also has an appointment as a KAIST Distinguished Professor of Practice.
A number of our colleagues assumed new functions for KAIST as well. They are as follows:
Professor Han, In-Goo – Senior Associate Dean, College of Business
Professor Kim, Bo-Won – Dean, KAIST Graduate School of Management
Professor Kim, Young-Gul – Associate Dean, College of Business
Professor Yang, Tae-Yong – Dean, Graduate School of Innovation and Technology Management
Professor Park, Chul-Soon – Head, Department of Information Communication Engineering
Professor Yoon, Wan-Chul – Head, Department of Knowledge Service Engineering,
Professor Lee, Duk-Joo – Head, Department of Aeronautics and Astronautics
Professor Kang Jeung-Koo – Head, Graduate School of EEWS
Professor Shin, Joong-Hoon – Head, Graduate School of NanoScience and Technology
Professor Joong-Myeon Bae – Director, KAIST Institute for Eco∙Energy
Professor Kim, Chul-Ho – Head, Intellectual Property Program
CY 2010 – Challenges and Opportunities
In 2010, we must continue to pursue the ultimate goal of making KAIST one of the best S&T universities in the world. This goal can be achieved through effective education and research. KAIST must offer educational programs that produce future leaders. The basic research done at KAIST should shape the future development of human knowledge and society, and the technologies developed at KAIST should be innovative enough to solve important problems in the 21st century. The plans of our colleges, departments, and KIs are attached in the Appendix. We should refine and modify them in 2010 with the ultimate goals of KAIST in mind.
Education in 2010 and beyond
In 2010, we should continue to improve our educational programs. We should further strengthen the Renaissance Ph.D. Program to be sure that KAIST produces engineers and scholars with advanced degrees, who can deal with both the design and analysis of complex systems. At the same time, we should strengthen undergraduate subjects that deal with design, following the successful development of the freshman design subject.
We should review our curricula to be sure that it is more codified, streamlined and simplified to make learning more effective and productive. It might benefit some students if we can teach them the essences of their chosen fields while providing enough flexibility for broad educational experiences and independent learning. Developing new subjects (or courses) is intellectually and physically demanding. Yet it is a necessary function of leading universities. We should recognize our major innovative contributions to education just as we do our innovative research.
Our students should finish their degrees within a reasonable period of time. Staying in school longer than necessary is a waste of both human talent and financial resources. Our students will find their true innate capabilities when they leave KAIST and pursue their careers. No one benefits by unnecessarily prolonging formal education. Certainly, the taxpayers should not be asked to bear the financial burden when a student is lax in fulfilling his or her share in the educational process.
KAIST should develop new educational materials, methods, aids and tools. The distance learning/teaching program – the Bridge Program initiated by Dean Kwang Hyung Lee to teach the high school students admitted to KAIST before they actually enroll at KAIST – is a good example of how modern IT can be used to increase the effectiveness and productivity of education.
Research – Basic Research
Basic research in science and engineering is the intellectual sustenance of research universities. Most basic research is often initiated and executed by individual professors, researchers, and students. They come up with ideas and seek answers to the problems posed. In addition to pursuing independent individual research, we must foster multi-disciplinary research at the interface between disciplines where rich intellectual issues and questions lie. KAIST as a leading research university must support the multi-disciplinary research conducted by a group of researchers from many disciplines. To achieve this goal, the KAIST Institutes (KIs) are providing both intellectual leadership and major new facilities. At this time, there are eight (8) KIs. They are concerned with energy, IT, nano-science, bio-science, environment, water, materials, and design. A new building is being constructed to better accommodate these activities.
We must constantly seek new ideas and problems that can yield rich intellectual dividends. Among the new multi-disciplinary subjects are brain research and high resolution MRIs.
Research -- Technology Innovation
At the opposite end of the research spectrum from basic research is technology innovation. A couple of major examples of technology innovation we have undertaken recently are the “on-line electric vehicle” and the “mobile harbor” projects. Another example is the new process of converting natural bio-products into polymers, which was the invention of Dean Sang-Yup Lee. We need to constantly probe new areas and problems that are ready for major technological innovations.
We have been asking how we can reduce the CO2 generation by jet engines and save 20% of the fuel consumed by current commercial airliners. While we have come up with a couple of ideas, nothing concrete had been developed. (Recently, other research has disclosed that a way of improving fuel efficiency of jet engines is to uncouple the speed of the fan from the compressor in turbojets. This shows that we have been probing the right questions.)
There are many other topics we could consider. We need major innovations in generating, handling, and using hydrogen. We also need new innovations in energy storage such as more efficient, lightweight batteries that can store and discharge electric energy at a much faster rate. We also need to develop medical diagnostic tools and systems for various heath related problems.
To encourage creative thinking and technology innovation, KAIST has been supporting HRHR (High Risk/ High Return) projects. We also have the EEWS funding to come up with major solutions for problems related to EEWS. KAIST faculty, staff and students should be encouraged to identify major problems that require technological innovations.
New KIs
In 2010, KAIST Institutes will consolidate, improve, and expand many of the programs we have initiated in 2009. We also hope to launch new multi-disciplinary units – the KAIST Institute for Theoretical Studies and the KAIST Institute for Brain Research. We should also consider closing down some of the existing KIs if they are no longer needed.
Globalization of KAIST Education
Other countries have approached us about transplanting our educational programs to their countries. This is in recognition of the fact that Korea’s rapid growth during the past three decades is in large part due to Korea’s high educational standards and strong universities.
Our new initiative with KUSTAR of Abu Dhabi should set an important milestone in expanding the global activities of KAIST and encouraging its growth.
Graduation Exercise
In February 2010, we are looking forward to holding graduation exercises in the new Sports Complex. This project was partially funded by Woori Bank and POSCO. This will surely reduce the anxiety level of Dean Kyung-Wook Paik, who is in charge of the graduation exercise, as in the past the Committee for Graduation Ceremony had to monitor the weather, as the ceremonies were held in KAIST’s outdoor amphitheater. We were fortunate that the weather cooperated the last few years, and we were pleased that President M.B. Lee delivered a memorable graduation address that was warmly received by our graduates and guests.
Construction
In May 2010, we will dedicate four new buildings, in addition to the Sports Complex: the Chunghi and BJ Park KI Building, the Pappalardo Medical Center, and the International Center. We are hoping that we will soon have a major donor for the Sports Complex as well.
We will also complete the new apartment complex for international faculty and two dormitories for students in 2010. These buildings will help in reduce the pressure for accommodation for faculty and students.
In 2010, KAIST will build several new buildings to accommodate new research and educational programs. We will build the Chung Moon-Soul Building II for Brain research and education, the Kim Byung-Ho IT Building, Animal Facility, and a new Natural Science Building. These buildings should be ready for occupancy in 2011. The new Kim Byung-Ho IT Convergence Center should incorporate futuristic IT technologies.
Several of our old buildings were built more than 20 years ago. They are in urgent need of complete remodeling and renovation. We are hoping to convince the government that these buildings should be completely renovated to reduce the endless repair costs that are currently being incurred to maintain the minimal functions of the buildings. The cost of the renovation is estimated to be 80 billion won.
Academic Programs by Colleges and Departments
Departments, colleges and programs have developed their own plans for 2010, which are attached to this report. These plans will be refined in 2010 once we have a firm budget from the government.
Finance and Budget
In the past, without a full-time CFO, KAIST’s sizable finances were challenging to administer. On January 1, 2010, Mr. Cho, Koog-Jun, with his deep experience in finance and banking, will become the first CFO of KAIST. He will oversee all aspects of finance, including the budget, outsourcing, and expenses associated with major projects.
A major concern for KAIST is the future of its government support. KAIST’s budget increased during the past three years because of the special funding of special projects such as the Globalization Project, the EEWS program, the WCU program, the OLEV Project, and the MH Project. However, KAIST’s base budget has not increased at a rate commensurate with its successful educational and research programs. In order to achieve its goals, KAIST must receive substantial increases in its base budget in the future.
Issues Related to Faculty
Our Five-Year Plan was based on the idea that the number of KAIST’s tenure-track faculty would grow to about 700, so that KAIST can be competitive with the best universities in the world. In the past three years, 150 new professors joined our faculty. Even with the merger of ICU and KAIST, we now have only about 550 tenure-track faculty members, far short of where we should be. During the next 10 years, about 34% of the faculty will retire, and in 15 years, about 54% of the faculty will retire. This high retirement number is a result of the faculty’s skewed age distribution, caused by the merger of relatively new institutions, i.e., KAIS, KIT, and ICU.
To overcome the problems associated with this loss of faculty, we must do the following two things: (a) extend the retirement age of some key faculty members and (b) add many more young professors and eminent scholars to the ranks of our faculty. Our current thinking is that we should extend the retirement age of about 15% of our faculty members to age 70, but careful planning is necessary to implement such a policy.
Sejong City
In January 2009 (well before the current controversy surrounding the relocation of the government), KAIST and the government signed an MOU, which stipulates that KAIST will purchase 490 thousand Pyung of land in Sejong City. Our plan is to establish a Research Hospital, the College of Life Science and Bioengineering, the Graduate School of Public Policy for Science and Technology, Research Centers for Green Technologies (OLEV, MH, and EEWS), an Apartment Complex for Faculty and Staff (for purchase), and a Convention Center for International Conferences. The government agency in charge of developing the city will be installing OLEV bus lines in the city.
The land we have agreed to purchase is adjacent to the widest section of Guem Gang River. It is a prime piece of real estate. KAIST will be able to establish a beautiful campus there, where our students and faculty can enjoy nature while pursuing scholarly and educational activities.
K-12 Education
As we recruit more faculty and staff from abroad, secondary education for their children will become an issue that must be addressed. Because an acceptable agreement with a local international school could not be arranged, we have decided to establish a K-12 school on the ICC campus. We hope to incorporate the school in 2010 and to begin to teach in 2011. Our K-12 school will be similar to the one started by Handong University.
We wish everyone a Happy New Year!
2010.01.07 View 23162 -
Research University Presidents Discuss Global Network to Increase Cooperation
Presidents and leaders of research universities participating in the 2008 International Presidential Forum on Global Research Universities (IPFGRU) held at the Westin Chosun Hotel in Seoul, Korea on Sept. 8, 2008 exchanged views and ideas on how to build and effectively utilize a global research network in order to increase cooperation and exchanges among institutions of science and technology across the world.
The participants agreed on the need to promote the sharing of expertise and facilities, conduct joint researches and positively implement dual degree, roaming professorship and other programs that help institutions in societies at different stages of scientific and technological development maximize the fruits of their research activities.
As a major goal, the participants agreed to create alliances for research and education that can become a new paradigm for global cooperation, with the outcome of discussions at the 2008 IPFGRU providing the guidelines for future endeavors in this direction.
Through the day-long symposium, participants reached general agreements on the following points:
--The concept of sharing faculty or roaming professorship should be actively promoted in order to accelerate global dissemination of academic expertise with the institutions and state authorities concerned easing existing restrictions to such arrangements and ensuring maximum academic freedom of professors involved.
--Dual degree programs especially those involving institutions of different countries need to be further encouraged in view of their benefits of resources sharing, expansion of knowledge and cultural exchanges and that educational authorities should try to remove various forms of limitations.
--As competitions over university ranking would grow intensive as institutions seek to attract better students and more donations, there is need to institutionalize a fairer, globally recognized national, regional and international assessment systems.
--In view of rapid expansion of interdisciplinary researches which calls for the sharing of facilities and expertise among different institutions, it is necessary to establish national or regional hubs to make state-of-the-art facilities and equipment available for researchers and research programs experiencing limitations in financial and material resources.
--National governments and political leaders should better recognize the importance of science and technology for societal and global prosperity and the science and technology community needs to make more communicative approaches to politicians so that greater trust may be built between them.
--Arrangements to conduct joint research involving international industries, academia and government should be accelerated with a view to addressing the common problems facing the mankind in the 21st century, including energy, environment, water, food and sustainability. The United Nations and other international organizations need to provide stronger support for research universities’ efforts in this direction.
--Research universities across the world should make concerted efforts to establish a global cooperative network that can facilitate the flow of information, resources and research personnel to realize universal advancement of science and technology and, ultimately, enhance the quality of human life.
Keynote speakers and panelists and the subjects of their presentations were:
Participants" List
Topic
Name of University
Speaker
Position
1. Roaming Professorships: To Whose Benefit?
Illinois Institute of Technology
John L. Anderson
President
Improving the Competitiveness of Global University Education
National University of Sciences and Technology
Muhammad Mushtaq
Pro-Rector
Improving the Competitiveness of Global University Education
Tianjin University
Fuling Yang
Director of International Cooperation Office
Sharing Differences in Culture and Environment for Sustainable Education for the Future Generation
Kumamoto University
Tatsuro Sakimoto
President
Sharing Differences in Culture and Environment for Sustainable Education for the Future Generation
Odessa National I. I. Mechnikov University
Sergiy Skorokhod
Vice Rector for International Cooperation
Promoting Science and Engineering Education among Secondary Students
Czech Technical University of Prague
Miroslav Vlcek
Vice Rector
Promoting Science and Engineering Education among Secondary Students
South China University of Technology
Xueqing Qiu
Vice President
Preserving and Utilizing Expert Knowledge for Better Education
Eotvos Loran University
Jösef Nemes-Nagy
Vice Dean
2. Dual Degree Programs: Future Potential & Challenges
University of Queensland
Paul Greenfield
President and Vice Chancellor
Benefits of Dual Degree Program
Institut National des Sciences Appliquées de Lyon
Martin Raynaud
Director, International Relations
Benefits and Limitations of Dual Degree Program
National Institute of Development Administration
Pradit Wanarat
Vice President for Academic Affairs
The Role of Dual Degree Program Easing Brain Drain
Nanyang Technological University
Lam Khin Yong
Associate Provost, Graduate Education & Special Projects
International Dual Degree Programs and Strategies
Georgia Institute of Technology
Steven W. McLaughlin
Vice Provost, International Initiatives
Dual Degree Program and Global Learning Networks
City University of Hong Kong
Richard Yan-Ki Ho
Special Advisor to the President
Raising International IQs of Scientists and Engineers for Global Enterprise
Technion, Israel Institute of Technology
Moshe Shpitalni
Dean,
Graduate Studies
Luncheon Speech
“Beneficial Relationships between Academia and Companies”
Medical Information Technology
A. Neil Pappalardo
Chairman and CEO
3. Sharing Facilities and Expertise
KAIST
Nam Pyo Suh
President
Promoting International Sharing of Research Facilities and Expertise to Strengthen Research Outcomes
Griffith University
Ian O"Connor
President
Economic Benefits of Sharing Research Facilities and Expertise
POSTECH
Sunggi Baik
President
Economic Benefits of Sharing Facilities and Expertise: National NanoFab Center
National NanoFab Center
Hee Chul Lee
President
Communicating Science and Technology to Political Leaders
Office of the President of KOREA
Chan Mo Park
Special Advisor to the President for Science and Technology
Filling the Gap of University Resources
Bandung Institute of Technology
Djoko Santoso
Rector
4. An Approach to Joint Research Ventures with NASA
NASA
Yvonne Pendleton
Deputy Associate Center Director
Benefits of International Joint Venture Research Projects
University of Adelaide
Martyn J. Evans
Director, Community Engagement
Benefits of International Joint Projects
Mahidol University
Sansanee Chaiyaroj
Vice President
International Joint Research Projects
University of Iowa
P. Barry Butler
Dean, College of Engineering
Joint Research: University of Technology Malaysia’s Experience at National and International Level
University Technology of Malaysia
Tan Sri Mohd Ghazali
Vice-Chancellor
Sharing Intellectual Property Rights
Paris Institute of Technology
Cyrille van Effenterre
President
Global Economic and Social Contribution of International Joint Project Cooperation
Kyushu University
Wataru Koterayama
Vice President
5. Globalization through Interfacing with Existing Networking
Technical University of Denmark
Lars Pallesen
Rector
Establishing Global Science and Technology Networking
National Cheng Kung University
Da Hsuan Feng
Senior Executive Vice President
Establishing Global Science and Technology Networking
University of Technology of Troyes
Christian Lerminiaux
President
The Role of Global Science and Technology Network for Higher Education in the 21st Century
Iowa State University
Tom I-P. Shih
Department Chair
Regionalized or Globalized Science and Technology Networking
Babes-Bolyai University
Calin Baciu
Dean, Faculty of Environmental Sciences
Globalized Science and Technology Networking
Harbin Institute of Technology
Shuguo Wang
President
Connecting Regional Science and Technology Networks for the Global Networking
Ritsumeikan University
Sadao
Kawamura
Special Aide
to the Chancellor
How Can a Publisher Strengthen the Global Network of Universities?
Elsevier
Youngsuk Chi
Vice Chairman
2008.09.18 View 22396
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World Research University Heads To Discuss Global Networking at KAIST Symposium
About 70 leaders of the world"s major research universities will discuss how to strengthen and operate global networks to share faculty, students, facilities and other resources for common advancement at a symposium Monday, Sept. 8, at the Westin Chosun Hotel in Seoul organized by KAIST, Korea"s foremost institute of science and technology education and research.
Participants of the 1st International Presidential Forum on Global Research Universities are from 39 universities in 20 countries. They include nine presidents of Korean universities.
The international symposium, the first such event to be held in Korea, will proceed in five panel sessions. The subjects of each session and their keynote speakers are:
-- "Roaming Professorships: To Whose Benefit?" by Dr. John Anderson, president of the Illinois Institute of Technology, USA,-- "Dual Degree Programs: Future Potential and Challenges" by Dr. Paul Greenfield, president of the University of Queensland, Australia, -- "Sharing Facilities and Expertise" by KAIST President Nam Pyo Suh,-- "An Approach to Joint Research Ventures with NASA" by Yvonne Pendleton, NASA, and-- "Globalization through Interfacing with Existing Networking" by Dr. Lars Pallesen, rector of the Technical University of Denmark.
KAIST President Suh said of the purpose of the conference: "Research universities have become global enterprises. Collaborations that were once primarily between individual researchers are now increasingly occurring at institutional and international levels. Similarly, educating students which used to be the responsibility of a single university has now become a multi-institutional undertaking, involving many universities in different countries.
"Now leading research universities in many countries depend on the continuous supply of outstanding graduate students from the "feeder" schools of developing nations. There are concerns that the current system may not be serving the interest and need of some institutions, especially those in developing nations. This should be examined and understood to devise international mechanisms that can accentuate the positive aspects of globalization.
"Through this forum, we hope to forge an international network of universities that will strengthen the effort of individual universities and create alliance for research and education that can become a new paradigm for global collaboration."
Prime Minister Han Seung-soo will give a speech at a dinner after the conclusion of the symposium. President of the Korea International Traders Association Lee Hee-beom will make a welcoming address at the start of the conference.
Co-sponsors of the international university presidents" forum include the Dong-a Ilbo, a major national daily, and the Dong-a Science magazine.
The research universities presidential forum will be followed on Sept. 9 by an international academic workshop at KAIST"s Daejeon campus on EEWS (Energy, Environment, Water and Sustainability).
Under the theme of "Challenges as Opportunities," research teams from MIT, CalTech, the Korean Ministry of Knowledge and Economy, KAIST Institute and KAIST EEWS team will present their research results at the workshop. Major Korean businesses, including SK Energy, GS Caltex and the Samsung Group will also introduce their research programs concerning EEWS, the most pressing prblems of today"s world.
A groundbreaking ceremony will be held at the KAIST campus in the afternoon of the same day for the construction of the KI Building, which will house all the eight research institutes of KAIST. The KI for Bio Century, KI for IT Convergence, KI for Design of Complex Systems, KI for Entertainment Engineering, KI for Eco-Energy, KI for Urban Space and Systems, and the KI for Optical Science and Technology were established between 2006 and 2008. More than 230 professors from 18 departments have actively engaged in research activities in their respective fields.
KAIST will start construction of the Pappalardo Medical Center in a ceremony on Wednesday with the attendance of Mr. Neil Pappalardo, chairman-CEO of Meditech Inc. of the United States who donated $2.5 million for the project. The medical facility for KAIST students, faculty and the residents of the university area will be completed in September 2009.
The President"s Advisory Council (PAC) for KAIST will hold its 3rd general meeting on Sept. 10 to discuss KAIST"s short- and long-term strategies to become the world"s top-ranked research university. The PAC was formed in 2006 with 11 foreign and 14 domestic figures from the business and academic circles.
Foreign PAC members include John Holzrichter, president of Fannie and John Hertz Foundation; Donald C. W. Kim, chairman of AMKOR A&E, Inc.; Chong-Moon Lee, chairman of AmBex Venture Group; Byung-Joon Park, founder of Bureau Veritas CPS, Inc.; Lars Pallesen, rector of the Technical University of Denmark. PAC members have advised the KAIST president on international publicity on KAIST"s academic excellence, fund-raising, and promotion of cooperative relations with overseas institutions.
2008.09.04 View 21016
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KAIST to Open Liaison Office in Silicon Valley
KAIST will open a liaison office in Silicon Valley, California, within the first half of this year to serve as a beachhead of its operations in the United States, university authorities announced Monday.
The opening of "KAIST America" office will be financially supported by the Silicon Valley-based Ambex Venture Group. The liaison office will be located at the first floor of the AmBex building in Sunnyvale.
The liaison office will be responsible for overseeing joint research between KAIST and the U.S. National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and KAIST"s other cooperative projects in research and development with enterprises and universities in Silicon Valley. It will also be engaged in forming a network among KAIST alumni members in the United States, raising funds within the U.S. and managing the money. The office will arrange KAIST students" internship in the companies in Silicon Valley.
"KAIST America is part of the globalization strategies that KAIST has pursued consistently. It is aimed at helping set up venture firms based on the technologies that KAIST has developed so far and generating funds needed for further development of the university," said Sun-Heung Jang, KAIST vice president.
AmBex, a venture capital company that invests in information technology, health science and financial service firms, was founded by Jong-Moon Lee, a member of Presidents" Advisory Council at KAIST. The AmBex building is situated near Stanford University, University of California in Berkeley, Google and Yahoo.
KAIST President Nam Pyo Suh will invite Stanford and UC Berkeley professors, executives of Silicon Valley enterprises and KAIST alumni in the area to the opening ceremony of the liaison office to be held some time in the first half of this year.
2008.03.25 View 13819 -
2008 Commencement Ceremony Held
The 2008 KAIST Commencement Ceremony was held on Feb. 29 at the KAIST Amphitheater in the presence of KAIST President Nam Pyo Suh, U.S. Ambassador to Korea Alexander Vershbow, alumni representatives and parents.
Other dignitaries on hand included National Assemblymen Sang-Kee Suh, Chang-Sun Hong and Sang-Min Lee; and Daejoen City Major Sung-Hyo Park.
President Suh and Vice President Soon-Heung Chang presented degrees to each of the 1,321 graduates (200 doctors, 725 masters and 396 bachelors) instead of just to representatives. Since its inception in 1971, KAIST has produced 7,067 Ph.D. graduates, 18,636 master"s degree holders and 8,998 bachelor"s degree holders. This year, 40 percent of the Ph.D. graduates, 79, were in their twenties upon graduation.
President Suh called on the graduates to return the favor they received from society by making their share of contributions to humanity. "You were chosen to be students of this unique university because the Korean people -- not only KAIST professors and staff, but also ordinary taxpayers -- believe that outstanding young people like you can change the world in which we live for the better. Now it is time for you to pay back their support," he said.
Notable graduates of this year include So-Yeon Yi, 29, the first Korean female astronaut candidate, who earned her doctorate degree in bio and brain engineering. She was granted a special award in recognition of her role in advancing space science in Korea but she could not attend the graduation ceremony due to her training schedule in Russia which will continue until April.
Eun-Gyu Oh, 26, was the youngest doctorate recipient in the ceremony and Won Hye-jeong, 21, recorded the top undergraduate GPA with a score of 4.20 over 4.3. Civil and environmental engineering major Seung-Hee Park, 28, published a total of eight papers in major international journals while attending KAIST and two more papers are currently under review.
So-Yeon Yi said: ``I frequently stayed up all night to research and write the paper. It was tough experience for me. Thanks to ceaseless support from professors and colleagues, however, I was able to complete the task,"" she said. ``I have done my best in studying, exercising and so on. I"m sure that my active, participatory attitude brought about this honorable moment.""
She is now training at Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center near Moscow as a replacement astronaut in case Koh San, 31, who is to be the first Korean astronaut, is unable to go into orbit.
Koh and Yi were selected from more than 36,000 applicants last year. Koh was finally picked as the primary candidate last September. The two are serving as space ambassadors appointed by the Ministry of Science & Technology.
2008.03.09 View 16132
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2008 New Year's Message from President
New Year’s Greeting
I would like to wish you and your family a prosperous and happy New Year. I also hope that 2008 will be a great year for KAIST.
2007: Year in Review
Thanks to all of your hard work and dedication, 2007 has been a productive year for KAIST. We have undertaken many difficult and challenging tasks in order to make KAIST one of the leading universities in the world. As president, I would like to express my deep appreciation to all members of our community for your many contributions. You have all worked effectively and with great dedication toward accomplishing many of our goals.
With your help, leadership, and support we have taken three major steps towards raising our standards. We have improved undergraduate education, created KAIST Institutes to undertake important interdisciplinary research, and improved our system of governance. I believe that these changes will make KAIST much stronger, increasing the intellectual productivity and performance of our students and faculty.
But our job is not done yet. We have far to go before reaching our goal of making KAIST one of the best universities in the world.
Goals of KAIST
KAIST is a great university. Its students are among the brightest young people in the world. We have a first-rate faculty. We have hard working staff, and KAIST benefits from the generous support of the Korean people. It is clear we have what it takes to be one of the leading universities in the world.
The history of science and technology teaches us that academia continually creates new intellectual fields to deal with emerging opportunities and to respond to societal needs. Universities that are most successful are those that are best at responding to our changing world. KAIST has the opportunity to become a leading university by searching for and solving important problems that require new approaches and new thinking.
There are many reasons KAIST should strive to be the best. Doing so will enable the university to attract the best students and resources, in an increasingly competitive and global academic environment. This will create an atmosphere of intellectual excitement and vigor benefiting both faculty and students. This environment will put our faculty and students in league with the world’s other leading universities’ experts.
Tasks Ahead
To this end, we still face formidable obstacles. However, we can overcome them through great resolve, ingenuity, planning, and sacrifice.
Without change, KAIST will of course continue to advance. But the world’s other leading universities are advancing exponentially faster. KAIST must do more to be in the same league. We must identify new opportunities in all areas, invest in innovative ideas, and lead the field in important areas of science and technology.
What we have done in 2007
We have already made progress towards these goals in 2007. Some of our efforts have been difficult and painful to implement.
a. Undergraduate education We introduced many measures to educate our students in a way that will prepare them to become future leaders. We have taken measures to make students more accountable for their actions, while also teaching them to be bi-modally functional in synthesis and analysis.
We have also pursued international collaborations by establishing dual degree programs, which will begin in 2008 with Carnegie Mellon and Georgia Institute of Technology. We are currently working to establish similar programs with European and Asian universities as well.
b. KAIST Institutes We have established research institutes to focus on KAIST’s current strengths. And we have also instituted “high risk/ high return” research-support programs to encourage creativity and innovation.
c. EEWS In order to address the most pressing concerns of the 21st century, we have begun major research support in areas related to energy, the environment, water and sustainability. These global problems require international collaboration, which we are actively seeking.
d. Governance We restructured KAIST into a department-centric system to enable those who know their fields best to be the primary decision makers. Departments will have the primary responsibility for personnel, finance, space, and education, all of which will be coordinated by the central administration for consistency and checks and balances. We will further develop this system, establishing deep roots in the years to come.
e. Buildings and Generous Donors We were extremely fortunate to find generous donors who were willing to provide the financial support for KAIST. I am personally very grateful to Dr. & Mr. Byiung Joon Park for the KI building, and Dr. & Mrs. Neil Papparlardo for the hospital and medical center. We are hoping to find other generous donors for the Sports Complex and other important undertakings of KAIST.
Tasks for 2008
In 2008, we must do the following:
1. Teach well.
2. Generate outstanding graduates who can function and compete in a global environment.
3. Produce outstanding research results by identifying important and challenging problems that require creative thinking, new ideas, and innovative paradigms to replace those that do not work any more.
4. Lead the field of science and engineering by anticipating future needs and opportunities.
5. Secure financial resources to compensate outstanding faculty and staff at a globally competitive scale and to maintain an infrastructure fit for research.
6. Increase the size of the faculty and student body to a more competitive level.
7. Recruit outstanding students, faculty and staff. 8. Build new facilities such as the Park Building for KAIST Institutes, the Pappalardo Hospital and Medical Center, the International House, and the Sports Complex.
To achieve these tasks, we have created the Five-Year Development Plan and have implemented new programs and policies with the support of the faculty, the students and the staff.
New Opportunities Ahead
We may have new opportunities to make major contributions in a number of different areas. Before implementing any new programs and policies, the faculty, staff, and administration must consider them carefully and evaluate them thoroughly.
I will discuss a few these opportunities that we should consider exploring:
1. Information Technology (IT)
The fact that IT is an important area does not need any elaboration. Korea is a leading IT nation. IT has changed the way people communicate, live and produce. It has increased the productivity of the world. IT will continue to evolve and let us do things that cannot be done today.
How will the field of IT change in the future? How should KAIST lead the change?
Much of the IT revolution consists of hard technologies such as advances in semiconductors, wireless communications, fiber optics, displays, communications technology (switching, networking, etc.), and others. Although these hard technologies will continue to be important and occupy the minds of our brightest engineers, they may evolve in the way the computer field has evolved. For example, in the past, the limited and costly storage of data occupied much of the thinking in the computer science and engineering field. Also the speed of microprocessors was a major limiting factor in the use of computers. However, today the cost of data storage is almost insignificant in comparison to other costs. Advances in data storage have changed the practice and opportunities in the field of computers. Similarly, the current limiting factors involving hardware and data transmission may cease to drive the IT field in the future. What may be equally important is the management and engineering of content that are generated optically, by software, and by the users in a network.
Examples of possible new directions in IT (in addition to traditional IT):
(a) KAIST should explore whether or not we need to create a new curriculum and a department for “content creation, management and engineering” and generate new kinds of graduates. (b) Another topic that may be considered as being a part of the IT content management issue is the healthcare and management. In this field, Professors WonJoon Kim (BEP), BumSoon Park and SoYoung Kim (Culture Science), and Taesik Lee (Industrial Engineering) are exploring how to deal with health-related issues which will require a new use of IT as well as other disciplines such as design and social science
2. Ocean Systems Engineering and Science
KAIST does not currently teach or conduct research on topics related to ocean, shipbuilding, and sea transportation systems, despite their importance in the 21st century.
Two-thirds of the earth is covered by water. It is the arbitrator of earth’s climate and holds abundant natural resources. It also provides the cheapest means of transporting goods. It may be the place to sequestrate excess materials such as CO2 that needs to be removed from the atmosphere and land. Furthermore, current shipping systems and harbor design may be outdated and inefficient. Yet research and education in ocean science and engineering are not responding to the current needs of society.
Shipbuilding is a very important industry to Korea. Korea builds more ships than any other nation, and ship-building contributes the most to the nation’s current account balance.
Further, it appears that the demand for ships will continue to increase as the global shipment of goods and natural resources by ships continues to increase with the rapid industrialization of China and India. With increases in international trade, the need to use the ocean transportation system is likely to grow and exceed the current capacity of the infrastructure.
KAIST should explore opportunities in areas related to shipbuilding, natural resource mining, sequestration of CO2 and deposition of other materials, ocean transportation systems, and environmental science and engineering of the ocean.
3. Life Science and Engineering
KAIST has made and will be making a major investment in biology, brain science, bioengineering, the ME/PhD program, and other life science and engineering fields. KAIST will be seeking a major funding for research in brain science and neuroscience from abroad as well as within Korea. We need to identify new opportunities to increase the productivity of these diverse investments. Right now, the collaboration and coordination between colleagues in the life sciences and engineering is not well organized, although the KI for the BioCentury is promoting multi-disciplinary research. There has to be a better integration from life science to life engineering and technology at KAIST if we are to convince funding agencies and foundations to give us major financial support and to attract outstanding scholars in this field to KAIST.
Concluding Remarks
In 2007, we worked hard to make KAIST one of the world’s top universities. We are moving in the right direction in enhancing our students’ long-term personal and professional growth, for advancement of science and engineering, for technological innovation, and for the future well being of humanity.
In 2008, we will continue to face new challenges that may appear to be beyond our capabilities, but we know we can achieve a lot when we work together. There are many things we have to do. We must continue to be creative in teaching and research, and we must use our resources wisely and frugally. We must support those amongst us, who are exceptionally creative and hard working, and continue to secure the necessary financial support to strengthen our educational and research programs.
Thank you again for your many important contributions.
I wish you and your family a most happy and prosperous New Year.
January 1, 2008 KAIST President Nam Pyo Suh
2007.12.31 View 13329
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KAIST and Carnegie Mellon University establish a Dual Degree Program
Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST) and Carnegie Mellon University make an agreement on collaboration in research and education, and a dual degree program.
KAIST and Carnegie Mellon make an agreement on ▲Exchange of Faculty Members ▲Exchange of Students ▲Dual Degree Program and ▲ Exploring cooperation in education and research. Presidents of both Universities had a signing ceremony at 11 A.M on Friday, Oct. 5th, 2007.
▲Lectures, joint research and exchange of faculty members ▲Undergraduate/graduate student exchange up to five students from one University each year ▲Dual degree program at the Ph. D. level ▲Opportunities for joint research projects and conferences will be explored according to the agreement between the two Universities.
KAIST and Carnegie Mellon have created a new dual degree program for Ph.D. students in civil and environmental engineering. Students admitted through the dual degree program are required to spend minimum 2 academic years in residence at each University. The total number of the student candidates participating in this program shall not exceed five in any given academic year initially. The students who met the graduation requirements shall be awarded two PhD degrees, one from KAIST and the other from Carnegie Mellon. All of its courses at KAIST are taught in English, which is the case starting in Fall 2007. Both Universities will explore the concept of sharing courses taught in English using videoconferencing technologies.
KAIST President Nam Pyo Suh said “We are delighted to have President Jared L. Cohon of Carnegie Mellon visit KAIST. I am looking forward to discussing various issues related to higher education and signing the Memorandum of Understanding between the two universities for student/faculty exchange programs, joint research, and the Carnegie Mellon- KAIST dual-degree program in civil and environment engineering. The dual degree program will initially begin in civil and environment engineering, and we hope to expand this to other areas in the future. Our goal is to generate future leaders who are able to lead global enterprises and conduct interdisciplinary research. This can be done through collaboration among leading scholars at Carnegie Mellon and KAIST. Our hope is that we can solve serious problems of the 21st century through the collaboration between our two institutions. I am especially excited to establish such a collaboration with Carnegie Mellon, my alma mater."
“Carnegie Mellon is well-suited to collaborate with KAIST. We believe this agreement will be a catalyst for future educational and research opportunities. I am especially pleased that this partnership is with an institution of KAIST"s stature” said Cohon.
About Carnegie Mellon:
Carnegie Mellon is a private research university with a distinctive mix of programs in engineering, computer science, robotics, business, public policy, fine arts and the humanities. More than 10,000 undergraduate and graduate students receive an education characterized by its focus on creating and implementing solutions for real problems, interdisciplinary collaboration, and innovation. A small student-to-faculty ratio provides an opportunity for close interaction between students and professors. While technology is pervasive on its 144-acre Pittsburgh campus, Carnegie Mellon is also distinctive among leading research universities for the world-renowned programs in its College of Fine Arts. A global university, Carnegie Mellon has campuses in Silicon Valley, Calif., and Qatar, and programs in Asia, Australia and Europe. For more, see www.cmu.edu ..
2007.10.09 View 19067 -
KAIST Graduate School of Information Media Management Opens Blog for Web2.0 Lectures
KAIST Graduate School of Information Media Management Opens Blog for Web2.0 Lectures
- http://webtwo.kaist.ac.kr
The Graduate School of Media Information Management of KAIST (President Nam Pyo Suh) has opened a blog to share the contents of and hear various opinions on Web2.0 Lecture programs, established this semester.
Web2.0 Lecture refers to a program to deliver and educate a variety of ongoing projects and market responses, along with scholarly and theoretical accesses in a real-time basis. The lectures will be made by invited experts in the fields of web and mobile, which are yet to be established academically, but have created huge markets. Lectures on recent hot issues, such as the relevant technologies, trends, cultures, policies, and markets of Web2.0, will be firstly made.
The blog provides highlight moving pictures of the lectures and comments by professors and assistants, and is expected to deliver high quality contents to faculty and students interested in Web2.0. In addition, professors and assistants will share opinions online with lecture takers.
Professors in charge: Prof. Sunghee Kim, Prof. Dongwan Cha, Prof. Choonghee Ryu, Prof. Jaesun HanAssistants in charge: Jinwoo Park, Daejin Chung, Kyungeun Sung.
Contents:1. Trens & Internet: Market and Technology① Web2.0 overview (Sangoo Cho, Managing Director of KTH)② Collective Intelligence (PRAK, President of Mar.gar.in)③ UCC (Jangho Kim, Manger, KBSi)④ Blog (Jeongseok Noh, President of T&C)⑤ Copyright and CCL (Jongsoo Yoon, Judge of CCK)⑥ Long-tail (Hyogon Chang, President of Innomove)⑦ Search 2.0 (Byungkook Chun, President of Searching Engine Mast)
2. Web2.0 and Beyond① Web2.0 & Convergence (Kyungjeon Lee, Professor of Kyunghee University)② Web2.0 & business (Sooman Park, President of Double Track)③ Social Computing (Sangki Han, President of Opinity AP)④ Web2.0 & Media (Yongseok Hwang, Professor of Kunkook University)⑤ Attention Economy (Taweoo Ki, Taewoo’s log)⑥ Mobile Web2.0 (Jonghong Chun, Senior researcher of ETRI)
2007.05.14 View 13547 -
3rd KAIST Junghoon Cho Academic Award Ceremony
3rd KAIST Junghoon Cho Academic Award Ceremony
3rd KAIST Junghoon Cho Academic Award CeremonyAcademic award to Sehoon Kim, scholarship to Yougdae Kim, Daehyun Kim, Sunchul Park
KAIST (President Nam Pyo Suh) had the 3rd KAIST Junghoon Cho Academic Award ceremony at the conference room in the main administration building, Friday, May 11, at 2 pm with President Suh and the bereaved family attended.
Sehoon Kim, a doctoral researcher at the Agency for Defense Development (ADD) and KAIST graduate, was named as the 3rd recipient of the Junghoon Cho Academic Award in recognition of his achievement that establishes the design method of supersonic vacuum device. The scholarship was granted to Yongdae Kim (doctoral student of Aerospace Engineering, KAIST), Daehyun Kim (master student of Mechanical Engineering, Korea University), and Suncheol Park (senior of the Attached High School to the College of Education at kongju National University). The prize money is 20 million won, and the scholarship amounts to 3 million and 2 million won for university and high school students, respectively.
“Junghoon Cho Academic Award” is a meaningful award established by the donation of compensation money and personal properties, amounting to about 470 billion won, by Donggil Cho, father of the late Ph.D. Junghoon Cho who died at the explosion accident at the Wind Tunnel Laboratory in 2002, ▲ Ph.D. Sehonn Kim
2007.05.14 View 15192 -
KAIST to Publish Newsletter - 'KAISTAR'
KAIST to Publish Newsletter - ‘KAISTAR’
First edition on May 7To be issued every two weeks
KAIST (President Nam Pyo Suh) will be publishing the first edition of a newsletter targeting high school students on May 7. The newsletter is named ‘KAISTAR’, combination of ‘KAIST’ and ‘STAR’, meaning any KAIST students can be a world-class star in scientific circles. The newsletter will be issued every two weeks, beginning May 7.
KAISTAR is designed to convey a variety of happenings in KAIST to prospective students, thereby letting them know the excellences of KAIST and consequently attracting further talented students to the school. The newsletter will cover introduction of departments and student clubs, stories about graduates, and various events. KAIST is expecting the newsletter will play key roles in advertising the school to high school students. “The publication of KAISTAR is a brand-new challenge that informs the authentic aspects of KAIST to attract talented young boys and girls. I’m sure the authentic aspects of KAIST conveyed by KAISTAR will make prospective students and their parents ensure the excellences of KAIST,” said President Suh, giving his congratulatory remark to the publication. Free subscriptions are available and the newsletter can be seen on the official web site of the Admissions Team, http://admission.kaist.ac.kr.
2007.05.08 View 13640