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KAIST's Partnership Agreement with the Imperial College of Science, Technology and Medicine, UK
KAIST signed an agreement on academic and research cooperation with the Imperial College of Science, Technology (Imperial College London) and Medicine in the United Kingdom (UK) on November 6th, 2013 in London.
The two universities have been implementing collaboration programs at the department level in the areas of plastic electronics since September 2012 and systems engineering and molecular simulation since February 2013, but have never had a formal partnership agreement.
President Steve Kang from KAIST and Provost James Stirling from Imperial College London signed the comprehensive cooperation agreement which will not only strengthen the existing collaborations between the two institutions but also explore areas of mutual interest in the interdisciplinary study of big data, as well as in the fields of mechanical engineering, synthetic biology, and quantum physics.
Workshops, seminars, lectures, and conferences will be jointly organized and held to facilitate the exchange of research staff and faculty and to promote collaborations in research assignments. The universities will also look into the possibility of exchange programs for undergraduate and graduate students.
The partnership agreement will be effective for five years.
Minister Moon-Gi Choi from the Republic of Korea’s Ministry of Science, Information and Communications Technology (ICT) & Future Planning attended the signing ceremony as well and congratulated the establishment of the partnership, saying:
“We are living in the age of highly advanced science and technology that requires us to have a new economic development paradigm for sustainable growth. Through convergence research based on the application of ICT and technology innovation, we will have new opportunities for development. I hope KAIST and the Imperial College London will be at the forefront of such endeavors in coming years.”With its history spanning over 100 years, the Imperial College London is a public research university located in London, UK, specializing in science, engineering, medicine, and business. The university is regarded as being one of the most prestigious universities in the world, having eminent alumni such as Thomas Henry Huxley (biologist), H.G. Wells (author), and Sir Alexander Fleming (pharmacologist).
From left to right: Provost James Stirling, Minister Moon-Gi Choi, and President Steve Kang
2013.11.12 View 9696 -
Observation of a water strider led to a new method of measuring properties of Nano films
Even the mechanical properties of Nano films of a few nanometers thick can be measured
Posted online Nature Communications on the 3rd of October
The joint research team of KAIST’s Department of Mechanical Engineering’s Professor Taek-Soo Kim and Doctor Seung-Min Hyun of the Nano mechanics laboratory of Korea Institute of Machinery and Materials has developed a new method to evaluate mechanical properties of Nano films using the characteristics of water surfaces.
The research findings have been posted on the online edition of Nature Communications on the 3rd of October. The technology can obtain accurate results by directly measuring the mechanical properties such as the strength and elasticity of Nano films. Academia and the industry expect the simplicity of the technology to present a new paradigm in the evaluation of mechanical properties of Nano films.
Evaluation of the mechanical properties of Nano films is essential not only in predicting the reliability of semiconductors and displays, but also in finding new phenomena in the Nano world. However, mechanical strength was difficult to test since the test demands the falling of objects to the ground to measure their strength, and nano films can easily break in the process.
The research team observed insects such as water striders freely floating on the surface of the water. The team used the properties of water, large surface tension and low viscosity, to float a 55 nanometers (nm) gold Nano film to successfully measure its mechanical properties without damaging it. The technology could be used to measure the mechanical properties of not only various types of Nano films but also films only a few nm thick.
Professor Taek-Soo Kim said, “We effectively performed an evaluation of the mechanical characteristics of Nano films, which was difficult in the past, by developing a new strength test using the properties of water.” He continued to say, “The team plans to discover the mechanical properties of 2D Nano films such as graphene that could not have been measured with the existing strength test methods.”
The research by KAIST’s Department of Mechanical Engineering’s graduate student Jae-Han Kim (lead author) under the supervision of Professor Taek-Soo Kim and Doctor Seung-Min Hyun of Korea Institute of Machinery and Materials was sponsored by the National Research Foundation of Korea.
Evaluation process of mechanical properties of Nano films by using the characteristics of water surfaces
Dr Seung-Min Hyun, Jae-Han Kim, and Professor Taek-Soo Kim from left to right
2013.11.11 View 9176 -
Collaboration with Korea Institute of Energy Research
KAIST and the Korea Institute of Energy Research (KIER) agreed on September 4th to further collaboration on energy research such as the development of nano-based hybrid solar cells, bio-fuels, artificial photosynthesis, and carbon dioxide reduction.
The two institutions will select 11 research projects to focus on their cooperation. President Steve Kang (in the right) stood with Jooho Whang, the president of KIER (in the left), holding the signed memorandum of understanding.
2013.11.04 View 8405 -
Prof. Song Chong received the IEEE William R. Bennett Prize Paper Award
The IEEE (Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers) Communications Society (ComSoc), a renowned global network of professionals with a common interest in advancing communications technologies, has announced the winner of the 2013 William R. Bennett Prize in the field of communications networking. The prize was given to a Korean research team led by Song Chong, Professor of Electrical Engineering at KAIST and Injong Rhee, Professor of Computer Science at North Carolina State University. In addition, Dr. Minsu Shin, Dr. Seongik Hong, and Dr. Seong Joon Kim of Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. as well as Professor Kyunghan Lee from Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology were recognized for their contribution.
The William R. Bennett Prize for communications networking has been awarded each year since 1994 in recognition of the best paper published in any journal financially sponsored or co-sponsored by ComSoc in the previous three calendar years. Only one paper per year is selected based on its quality, originality, scientific citation index, and peer reviews. Among the previous award winners are Robert Gallager of MIT, and Steven Low of the California Institute of Technology, and Kang G. Shin of the University of Michigan.
The Korean research team’s paper, On the Levy-Walk Nature of Human Mobility, was published in the June 2011 issue of IEEE/ACM Transactions on Networking, a bimonthly journal co-sponsored by the IEEE ComSoc, the IEEE Computer Society, and the Association for Computing Machinery (ACM) with its Special Interest Group on Data Communications (SIGCOMM).
In the paper, the research team proposed a new statistical model to effectively analyze the pattern of individual human mobility in daily life. The team handed out GPS (global positioning system) devices to 100 participants residing in five different university campuses in Korea and the US and collected data on their movements for 226 days. The mobility pattern obtained from the experiment predicted accurately how the participants actually moved around during their routines. Since publication, the paper has been cited by other papers approximately 350 times.
The team’s research results will apply to many fields such as the prevention and control of epidemics, the design of efficient communications networks, and the development of urban and transportation system.
The research team received the award on June 10th at the 2013 IEEE International Conference on Communications (ICC) held in Budapest, Hungary, from June 9-13, 2013.
Professor Song Chong
2013.07.06 View 14231 -
President Sung-Mo Steve Kang received an alumni award, PINNACLE, from his alma mater.
The following press release is provided by courtesy of Fairleigh Dickinson University:Teaneck, NJ (June 12, 2013) The FDU PINNACLE Society recognized the contributions and achievements of three distinguished alumni at a ceremony preceding the Charter Day reception and dinner on June 7, 2013.
This year’s PINNACLE honorees are: Sung-Mo “Steve” Kang, BSEE’70, president, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology, Daejeon, South Korea; Neil Koenig, BS’72, co-founder and managing partner, Imowitz Koenig & Co., LLP, New York City; and Robert Silberling, BA’69, special adviser to the CEO, T&M Protection Resources, LLC, New York City.
The annual class of The PINNACLE is chosen by past inductees, based on the following criteria: success or distinction in one’s chosen field of endeavor, significant contributions to society and humanity through public or humanitarian service and outstanding service to the University or reflection of the unique character of FDU in one’s life.The PINNACLE was introduced by Fairleigh Dickinson University in 1989 to formally recognize and acknowledge the contributions and achievements of its most distinguished alumni. Today’s ceremony honors the newest members of what has become an ongoing organization for leading FDU alumni. Since its founding in 1942, the University has been committed to providing its students with the education, values and encouragement needed to become active and contributing members of the larger world community. More than 118,000 FDU alumni have gone on to enrich and improve society through their work, volunteer activities and personal actions. Among their ranks, a select few have achieved the highest possible level of performance — the pinnacle — in their respective pursuits.
From left are PINNACLE inductees Sung-Mo “Steve” Kang, Neil Koenig, FDU President Sheldon Drucker and Robert Silberling. Photo Credit: Fairleigh Dickinson University
2013.06.14 View 7808 -
KAIST Department of Mechanical Engineering Ranked in 19th Place
- Ranked in 19th place in 2013 Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) World University Rankings by Engineering, Mechanical, Aeronautical and Manufacturing Subjects -
KAIST ranked 19th in 2013 QS World University Rankings by Subject in Engineering, Mechanical, Aeronautical and Manufacturing Subjects. This is great progress compared to last year’s 51st-100th rank.
The 2013 QS World University Rankings used four indicators, including academic reputation, employer reputation, citations per paper, and H-index citations, to assess 2,858 universities in the world, and evaluated up to 200th place in 30 academic subjects.
KAIST earned high remarks from the H-index citations indicator, which is a new criteria introduced in the employer reputation rating. Moreover, the employer reputation section has risen sharply compared to the previous year. The H-index measures qualitatively and quantitatively the research outcomes of the researchers and assesses the number of papers written per professor and the average citation frequency of the papers.
The proportions of the indicators differ by subjects. For the mechanical engineering field, they weigh 40%, 30%, 15%, and 15%, respectively.
Rank
Academic
Employer
Citations per paper
H-index Citations
Score
19 (51-100)
68.1 (78.9)
89.1 (60.2)
84.6 (83.1)
93.1 (N/A)
80.4 (74.6)
2013.06.10 View 7942 -
Neurotransmitter protein structure and operation principle identified
Professor Tae-Young Yoon
- Real-time measurement of structural change of bio-membrane fusion protein
- A new clue to degenerative brain diseases research
KAIST Physics Department’s Professor Tae-Young Yoon has successfully identified the hidden structure and operation mechanism of the SNARE protein, which has a central role in transporting neurotransmitters between neurons, using magnetic nanotweezers. SNARE protein’s cell membrane fusion function is closely related to degenerative brain diseases or neurological disorders such as Alzheimer’s. Hence, this research may provide a clue to the disease’s prevention and treatment.
Neurotransmission occurs when vesicles containing neurotransmitters fuse with cell membranes in neuron synapses. The SNARE protein is a cell-membrane fusion protein with a core role of releasing neurotransmitters. The academia speculated the SNARE protein would regulate the exchange of neurotransmitters, but its precise function and structure has been unknown. Professor Yoon’s research team developed an experimental technique using nanotweezers to measure physical changes to nanometer level by pulling and releasing each protein with force of 1 pN (piconewton). The research identified the existence of hidden SNARE protein"s intermediate structure. The process of withstanding and maintaining repulsive forces between bio-membranes in the hidden intermediate structure of SNARE to regulate the exchange of neurotransmitters has also been identified.
Professor Yoon’s research team developed an experimental technique using magnetic nanotweezers to measure physical changes of proteins to nanometer level by pulling and releasing each protein with force of 1 pN. The research identified the existence of hidden SNARE protein"s intermediate structure and its formation. The process of withstanding and maintaining repulsive forces between bio-membranes in the hidden intermediate structure of SNARE to regulate the exchange of neurotransmitters has also been discovered.
Professor Yoon said, “Ground breaking research results have been produced. A simple experimental technique of applying the smallest possible forces to proteins (with tweezers) to see their hidden structure and formation process can produce the same result as real observation has been developed.” He continued, “This technique will be very important in researching biological object with physical experimental technique. It will be a vital foundation to consilient research of different academia in the future.”
This research was a joint project of Physics Department’s Professor Tae-Young Yoon, KAIST, and Biomedical Engineering Institute’s Professor Yeon-Kyun Shin at KIST. KAIST Physics Department’s Professor Yong-Hoon Cho, Ph.D. candidate Do-Yong Lee and KIAS Computational Sciences Department’s Professor Chang-Bong Hyun participated. The research was published on Nature Communications on April 16th.
a) Neurotransmission occurs when vesicles containing neurotransmitters fuse with cell membranes in neuron synapses. A SNARE protein is a cell-membrane fusion protein with a core role of releasing neurotransmitters.
b) A schematic diagram using magnetic nanotweezers to measure protein structure changes on molecular level. The nanotweezers exert an exquisite pull and release of each protein with a force of 1 pN to measure physical changes to nanometer level in real-time to observe the hidden intermediate structure and operation principles of bio-membrane fusion protein.
2013.05.25 View 9714 -
KAIST Alumni Association Selects 'Proud Alums'
KAIST Alumni Association selected ‘Proud Alums’ who have contributed to the development of Korea and society and brought honor to KAIST.
The Alums selected were: CEO of Hyundai Heavy Industry Lee Jae Seong, Vice President of SK Hynix Park Sang Hoon, President of Samsung Display Kim Ki Nam, Director of Korea Research Institute of Standards and Science Kang Dae Lim, and President of Dawonsys Park Sun Soon.
Lee Jae Song (Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering, M.S. 3rd) has led Hyundai Heavy Industries through innovation and had contributed in the development of Korea and oversaw the growth of Hyundai Heavy Industries to number 1 in Shipbuilding.
Park Sang Hoon (Biological and Chemical Engineering, M.S. 5th) has led SK Hynix in the fields of energy, chemical and biological medicine and oversaw the development of world class R&D and production technologies to aid the development of Korea.
Kim Ki Nam (Electrical and Electronic Engineering, M.S. 9th) has led the development of innovative semiconductor technologies thereby helping strengthening the competitiveness of Korean semiconductor industry.
Kang Dae Lim (Mechanical Engineering, Ph.D. 1994 graduate) has helped in the development of Korean science and technology by leading the field of measurement standardization as Chairman of International Measurement Confederation and Chairman of Korea Association of Standards & Testing Organizations.
Park Sun Soon (Electrical and Electronic Engineering, M.S. 12th) has succeeded in advancing the field of electronics by pioneering the field of creative technology.
2013.01.22 View 10379
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Prof. Jang-Uk Choi develops Strong, Long-lasting Lithium-ion Battery
Lithium-ion secondary battery with high power, as well asmuch longer life span, has been developed using nanotechnology. Professor Jang-Uk Choi and his colleagues at KAIST University EEWS graduate school has succeeded in developing a new lithium-ion secondary battery that has more than five times the output and three times the life span of the conventional batteries.
The industry expects the new battery to significantly improve the acceleration performance and solve the drawbacks of slow electric cars, which occurred due to failure of battery performance to keep up with the output of the motors during acceleration.
It is also expected that the new battery could be utilized in various fields that require high power batteries such as Smart Grid, which is the next generation intelligent electrical grid, as well as electric tools and many others.
Currently, the most widely used commercial lithium ion batteries’ lithium-cobalt-based cathode material has the disadvantage of expensive cost, high toxicity, short life expectancy and long-charge/discharge time. Also, it has been difficult to apply in electric cars that require a large current density and are vulnerable to heat generated during charging/discharging.
On the other hand, Professor Choi and his colleagues’ lithium-manganese based cathode material is gaining popularity for having the advantages such as abundant raw materials, cheap prices, eco-friendliness and especially excellent high-temperature stability and high output, which are suitable for use as electrode material in electric cars.
The pure lithium manganese based cathode material has a critical drawback of a very short life expectancy, only lasting about average of 1-2 years, which is due to the elution when the melted manganese flows out into the electrolyte. There have been various studies to solve this problem; however, the unique crystal structure of the material remained as a challenge for many scientists.
Professor Choi’s team analyzed the structure of the crystal at the time shortly before manganese oxides were formed, while controlling the reaction temperature at the step of synthesizing nanomaterial. It has been found that, at 220℃, there are simultaneously existing two crystal faces, one that inhibits the dissolution of manganese ions and the other that enables lithium ions to move smoothly.
Each of these crystal faces improves both the life span and output, increasing the output more than five times and life expectancy over three times. In addition, the existing high temperature life span, that was known to be especially vulnerable, has improved ten-fold.
“By controlling the crystal face of lithium manganese anode material, which has previously existed in the battery as chunks of about 10 micro-meter particles, both output and life span has significantly improved,” said Professor Choi, “Domestic and international patent application for the regarding technology has been finished and we have plans to work with companies in the future for commercialization within 2-3 years.”
Professor Yi Cui of Stanford University, the world’s leading scholar on the secondary battery, has evaluated that “This research exemplifies how nanotechnology can innovatively develop the field of secondary battery.”
Meanwhile, the research led by Professor Jang-Uk Choi and participated by researcher Ju-Seong Kim has been published on the online edition (dated Nov 27th) of Nanoletters, the world’s leading authority on Nanoscience.
2012.12.21 View 9967
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'KAIST ONE" program run by international students
International Students at KAIST are currently running the ‘KAIST ONE (Overseas Networking Exchange)’ program which promotes cultural exchange with other students.
The program started in 2007 at ICU and continues on as the ‘KAIST ONE’ event, after the school was integrated into KAIST. Students from over 40 different nationalities have participated in the program and an average of 150 students participates in each event.
The ‘KAIST ONE’ event is held every other Thursday at the KAIST international center from 7 to 9pm. Columbian and Saudi Arabian students hosted the event in October and November respectively and displayed their traditional culture and food. Students from Denmark, Uganda and Cameroon will host the event on November 15th, 19th and on December 6th respectively.
Since last year, the event has received great interest from many different embassies, with foreign ambassadors participating in the events.
Karim Charfi (Tunisia, Junior at the Department of Electrical Engineering), who planned the event, said that “KAIST ONE is a great opportunity to introduce foreign to other students” and that “it has become a unique event that can only be experienced at KAIST”.
Anyone can participate in the program, from KAIST students to outsiders.
2012.11.22 View 9152 -
3rd EEWS CEO Forum Held
KAIST EEWS (Energy Environment Water and Sustainability) held the 3rd EEWS CEO Forum at KAIST Seoul Campus.
EEWS is a research/education project initiated by KAIST to solve the global issues that the world faces including issues such as: energy depletion, global warming, water shortage, and sustainable development.
The 3rd EEWS CEO Forum is dedicated to providing the opportunity to share the vision and experience on technology and policy for green growth. The forum was founded in 2011 with active participation from Woo Ki Jeong (Director of Statistics), Choi Kwang Sik (Korea City Airport, Logistics and Travel, CEO), Kang Young Joong (Daekyo Group, CEO), Yoo Kyung Sun (Eugene Group, CEO), all experts in the field of green growth.
The forum consisted of presentations and debate on topics such as: international outlook on green growth, development projects based on new renewable energy, battery of electric vehicles, and development of solar cells.
Kim Sang Hyup member of the Presidential Committee on Green Growth started off the series of lectures with the topic of ‘International Outlook on Green Growth’. Kim Joong Gyum CEO of KEPCO followed up with ‘the Future of Electricity Generation Industry and Renewable Energy’, Kim Soo Ryung Director of LG Chemicals gave a talk on ‘Electric Vehicles and the Future of the Battery Industry’, and finally Choi Gi Hyuk CEO of SDN Ltd. gave the final lecture on ‘the Inflection Point of Solar Cell Industry’.
2012.10.16 View 10283
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KAIST 63rd in 2012 QS World University Ranking
KAIST was ranked 63rd in the 2012 World University Ranking conducted by British University Ranking Institution Quacquarelli Symonds.
The result is an all-time high for KAIST and a quantum leap of 135 places from 198th in 2006.
The criteria are: Student Evaluation (40%), Industry Evaluation (10%), Dissertation Citation per Professor (20%), Professor to Student Ratio (20%), Ratio of Foreign Students (5%), and Professor Ratio (5%).
The most notable improvement was in the ‘Academic Reputation’ criteria where KAIST scored 85.1 points and recorded 68th in the world, an improvement of 17 places from last year.
The Engineering College was ranked 24th, Natural Science College was ranked 48th, Biological Science College was ranked 110th, demonstrating that KAIST has now been established as a world class research oriented university.
The 2012 QS World University Ranking ranked MIT as the best university in the world followed by Cambridge, Harvard, ULC, and Oxford.
Domestically Seoul National University was ranked highest at 37th followed by KAIST (63rd), POSTECH (97th), Yonsei University (112th), Korea University (137th), and Sungkyunkwan University (179th) in the top 200 places.
2012.09.22 View 9974