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"Our addiction to oil is the major cause of global warming."
Joongang Daily, one of the major newspapers in Korea, interviewed Professor John Spengler from Harvard University, an internationally renowned scholar in environmental science, who visited Korea for a conference. He mentioned KAIST’s online electric vehicle (OLEV) during the course of interview.
The paper interviewed him on a wide range of environmental issues, and below is a translation of the original Korean article. For the Korean article, please download the attached picture file.
“Our addiction to oil is the major cause of global warming.”
Interview with Professor John Spengler from Harvard University—he is an internationally renowned scholar in environmental science.
By Chan-Soo Kang, Joongang Daily
September 3, 2010
“The oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico by British Petroleum (BP), a multinational oil company, took place against the backdrop of our addition to oil,” said Professor John Spengler (66 years old) from Harvard University on September 2.
“The fact that we are addicted to oil means we are obsessed with mobility as well. Throughout the history of mankind, there has never been the time when we move from one place to another as frequently as today and are dependent on fossil fuels as much as today.”
Visiting Korea to attend a conference co-sponsored by International Society of Exposure Science (ISES) and International Society of Environmental Epidemiology (ISEE) that was held at Coex in Seoul from August 28 to September 2, he gave his speech at plenary talks of the conference on the a topic titled, “Our health is our planet.”
Professor Spengler is an internationally well-known expert in the research of indoor air pollution and environmental exposures of chemical compounds. At the conference, he mostly talked about an ecological catastrophe resulted from the explosion of an oil rig operated by BP in the Gulf of Mexico.
He pointed out,
“It’s been a problem that oil companies are more willing to take risks of exploring dangerous places to obtain oil as the demand for oil has increased. Excessive oil consumption cannot help but lead to global warming.”
“Particularly,” he said, “the unusual climate events, frequently happening in recent years, including severe heat wave and drought in Russia this summer, are somewhat expected to occur by weather forecast models. However, it seems that the extreme weather patterns are taking place more frequently, and accordingly, we are facing more severe effects of weather conditions.”
Professor Spengler emphasized that “We should change our diet and lifestyle to reduce the stress put on our ecosystem, such as getting protein from vegetables rather than from fish or meat and having a habit of curtailing energy consumption.”
“While I’m here, I have a chance to see an online electric vehicle (OLEV) developed by KAIST. If this technology is applied, we can reduce environmental problems as such,” he assessed the development of OLEV.
He also said that “the State of Utah in the US has expressed its intention to adopt the OLEV technology.”
With regard to his research focus on indoor air pollution, Professor Spengler said, “We are having problems like “New House Syndrome” because we try to build a house with cheap materials. Governments should set a standard and control pollutants released from building materials in order to reduce risks resulted from indoor air pollution.”
He argued, “In the early 1990s, when the Irish government introduced an enhanced regulation of air pollution in Dublin, the mortality rate of the city in that winter dropped dramatically.”
“It’s been proven that as fine particle pollution gets worse, more patients with cardiovascular diseases die. Therefore, we need to make efforts to reduce the air pollution.”
“Compared with other nations,” Professor Spengler estimated Korea as a nation that “definitely improved its air quality by introducing buses with a Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) engine to its public transportation system.”
(End)
2010.09.06 View 10783 -
Nanowire crystal transformation method was newly developed by a KAIST research team.
Figure 1
Schematic illustration of NW crystal transformation process. FeSi is converted to Fe3Si by high-temperature thermal annealing in diluted O2 condition and subsequent wet etching by 5% HF.
Figure 2
Low-resolution TEM images of FeSi; Fe3Si@SiO2 core—shell; Fe3Si NW after shell-etching; and Scale bars are 20 nm
Professor Bongsoo Kim of the Department of Chemistry, KAIST, and his research team succeeded to fabricate Heusler alloy Fe3Si nanowires by a diffusion-driven crystal structure transformation method from paramagnetic FeSi nanowires. This methodology is also applied to Co2Si nanowires in order to obtain metal-rich nanowires (Co) as another evidence of the structural transformation process. The newly developed nanowire crystal transformation method, Professor Kim said, would be valuable as a general method to fabricate metal-rich silicide nanowires that are otherwise difficult to synthesize.
Metal silicide nanowires are potentially useful in a wide array of fields including nao-optics, information technology, biosensors, and medicine. Chemical synthesis of these nanowires, however, is challenging due to the complex phase behavior of silicides.
The metal silicide nanowires are grown on a silicon substrate covered with a thin layer of silicon oxide via a simple chemical vapor deposition (CVD) process using single or multiple source precursors. Alternatively, the nanowires can be grown on the thin silicon oxide film via a chemical vapor transport (CVT) process using solid metal silicide precursors.
The CVT-based method has been highly effective for the syntheses of metal silicide NWs, but changing the composition of metal silicide NWs in a wider range, especially achieving a composition of a metal to silicon, has been quite difficult.
Thus, developing efficient and reliable synthetic methods to adjust flexibly the elemental compositions in metal silicide NWs can be valuable for the fabrication of practical spintronic and neonelectronic devices.
Professor Kim expliained, “The key concept underlying this work is metal-enrichment of metal silicide NWs by thermal diffusion. This conversion method could prove highly valuable, since novel metal-rich silicide NWs that are difficult to synthesize but possess interesting physical properties can be fabricated from other metal silicide NWs.”
The research result was published in Nanao Letters, a leading peer-reviewed journal, and posted online in early August 2010.
2010.08.25 View 10370 -
KAIST has developed a powerless and wireless keyboard that can be folded and easily carried around.
The KAIST Institute for Information Technology Convergence (KIITC) has developed the next generation keyboard that does not need power and wires.
The powerless/wireless keyboard developed by KIITC is flexible, foldable, portable, and compact, making the possession of keyboard easier and more convenient.
The idea of this technology was derived from "Idea Contest for Future Device" opened by KIITC in 2007, and Future Device Team (Team Leader: Dr. Sungkwan Jung) of KIITC embodied the idea and developed full-flexible powerless/wireless keyboard by using the passive Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) technology to support the convenient data input for daily mobile life.
Through the technology, KAIST expects to realize ubiquitous computing and communication environment, open a new market for foldable keyboards, and secure the competitiveness of mobile devices industries in the world market.
KIITC has also successfully transferred the technology of powerless/wireless keyboard to Hanyang Demitech for commercialization.
2010.08.12 View 11524 -
A graduate-level education for working professionals in science programs and exhibitions will be available from mid-August this year.
The Graduate School of Culture Technology (GSCT), KAIST, has created a new course for professionals who purse their career in science programs and exhibitions, which will start on August 19 and continue through the end of November 2010. The course will be held at Digital Media City in Seoul.
The course, also co-sponsored by National Science Museum, will offer students tuition-free opportunities to brush up their knowledge on the administration, policy, culture, technology, planning, contents development, and technology & design development, of science programs and exhibitions. Such subjects as science contents, interaction exhibitions, and utilization of new media will be studied and discussed during the course. Students will also have a class that is interactive, engaging, and visual, as well as provides hands-on learning activities.
A total of 30 candidates will be chosen for the course. Eligible applicants are graduates with a B.S. degree in the relevant filed, science program designers and exhibitors, curators for science and engineering museums, and policy planners for public and private science development programs.
2010.08.12 View 10962 -
Bioengineers develop a new strategy for accurate prediction of cellular metabolic fluxes
A team of pioneering South Korean scientists has developed a new strategy for accurately predicting cellular metabolic fluxes under various genotypic and environmental conditions. This groundbreaking research is published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the USA (PNAS) on August 2, 2010.
To understand cellular metabolism and predict its metabolic capability at systems-level, systems biological analysis by modeling and simulation of metabolic network plays an important role. The team from the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST), led by Distinguished Professor Sang Yup Lee, focused their research on the development of a new strategy for more accurate prediction of cellular metabolism.
“For strain improvement, biologists have made every effort to understand the global picture of biological systems and investigate the changes of all metabolic fluxes of the system under changing genotypic and environmental conditions,” said Lee. The accumulation of omics data, including genome, transcriptome, proteome, metabolome, and fluxome, provides an opportunity to understand the cellular physiology and metabolic characteristics at systems-level. With the availability of the fully annotated genome sequence, the genome-scale in silico (means “performed on computer or via computer simulation.”) metabolic models for a number of organisms have been successfully developed to improve our understanding on these biological systems. With these advances, the development of new simulation methods to analyze and integrate systematically large amounts of biological data and predict cellular metabolic capability for systems biological analysis is important.
Information used to reconstruct the genome-scale in silico cell is not yet complete, which can make the simulation results different from the physiological performances of the real cell. Thus, additional information and procedures, such as providing additional constraints (constraint: a term to exclude incorrect metabolic fluxes by restricting the solution space of in silico cell) to the model, are often incorporated to improve the accuracy of the in silico cell.
By employing information generated from the genome sequence and annotation, the KAIST team developed a new set of constraints, called Grouping Reaction (GR) constraints, to accurately predict metabolic fluxes. Based on the genomic information, functionally related reactions were organized into different groups. These groups were considered for the generation of GR constraints, as condition- and objective function- independent constraints. Since the method developed in this study does not require complex information but only the genome sequence and annotation, this strategy can be applied to any organism with a completely annotated genome sequence.
“As we become increasingly concerned with environmental problems and the limits of fossil resources, bio-based production of chemicals from renewable biomass has been receiving great attention. Systems biological analysis by modeling and simulation of biological systems, to understand cellular metabolism and identify the targets for the strain improvement, has provided a new paradigm for developing successful bioprocesses,” concluded Lee. This new strategy for predicting cellular metabolism is expected to contribute to more accurate determination of cellular metabolic characteristics, and consequently to the development of metabolic engineering strategies for the efficient production of important industrial products and identification of new drug targets in pathogens.”
2010.08.05 View 12296 -
A stream of generous donations to KAIST continues to grow.
Yi-Won Oh is nothing but an ordinary person who lives in Seoul. Ever since retirement, she has looked into ways to donate her savings for a bigger cause that will benefit the people in need and the nation as a whole.
On the inauguration day of President Nam Pyo Suh who took his second term in office, Ms. Oh joined the ceremony and pledged to donate her savings to KAIST, which amounted to 10 billion won.
“I’ve always thought that the best way for our country to become a developed nation that lacks natural resources and has a small land is to develop science and technology by producing excellent manpower through a quality education. I talked to President Suh a couple of times, and we shared our common belief that the future of our nation hinges on the advancement of science and technology in Korea,” said Ms. Oh.
She added, “I support for President Suh’s vision and leadership, who has brought reformative and innovative changes to KAIST. I have no doubt that KAIST will become a leading research university in the world and play an important role in the development of our nation. It is indeed my pleasure that I can make announcement to donate my money to KAIST on the day President Suh is assigned to lead such a distinguished university one more time.”
KAIST plans to create and operate a fund dubbed “Yi-Won Oh Scholarship and Grant for Young Chair Professors.” Through the fund, talented students suffering financial difficulties and promising, young professors will have a richer opportunity to study and research.
2010.07.21 View 9209 -
Inauguration ceremony for the 14th President of KAIST held on July 14, 2010
President Nam Pyo Suh was sworn in as the 14th President of KAIST at an inauguration ceremony taken place on July 14, 2010. He has become the first incumbent president who succeeded to secure a second term in office.
While vowing to continue to make his efforts in developing KAIST as one of the world’s leading science and technology universities, President Suh noted, in his inauguration address, that “over the past four years, KAIST has instituted many difficult and controversial policies and procedures, and as a result, the university has become more competitive and stronger for the future.”
The president also laid out major goals of education policies and principles to be implemented in the next four years. The full text of the inauguration address follows below:
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Inauguration Address
Nam Pyo Suh
The 14th President of KAIST
July 14, 2010
Members of the KAIST family: Thank you for joining this illustrious gathering to commemorate the commencement of the 14th Presidency of KAIST.
In many respects, this is the beginning of a new era for KAIST. Today, we march forward – more boldly, more confidently than perhaps ever before – in our mission to become one of the world’s leading science and technology universities.
I am indeed honored – and humbled – to be leading this effort for KAIST. I do not take this responsibility lightly, and I would like to express my extreme gratitude to the many people who have given me their confidence and support, without which I would not be standing here today. In particular, I would like to thank the Chairman of KAIST Board of Trustees, Chung Moon Soul, for his guidance and unwavering support. He has been an inspirational leader for KAIST, and it has been my singular honor to learn from and work with him. I also would like to thank all the other members of the Board of Trustees, each of whom has provided thoughtful and productive advice and guidance.
I would also like to thank Minister Ahn Byung Man, Vice Minister Kim Joong Hyun, Director Kim Young Sik and Director General Yoon Hun Ju for their support of KAIST and my reappointment as the President of KAIST. Their continuing support of KAIST has enabled KAIST to make major strides toward achieving its goal of becoming one of the best universities in the world.
While this commencement signals a beginning, we are building upon a rich past. There are many who have admirably led and served KAIST since its birth in 1971. They achieved a great deal for the good of our beloved institution and for Korea. And thanks to the tremendous efforts of many here today, the past four years have been especially fruitful ones in KAIST’s history.
Today, KAIST stands as one of the world’s major research universities. No other university outshines us in terms of the quality of professors, staff and students, financial support for faculty and students, and our physical infrastructure. KAIST has become an idea factory, where education and research co-mingle to create solutions and establish new paradigms that benefit humanity – both present and future. You can see this clearly in the intellectual vigor and “can-do” attitude that permeates our campus.
In the field of research, our faculty, students, and staff have made seminal contributions to science and technology – contributions that will change the history of science and technology, and hence the way society functions and people think. In the field of education, our enhanced programs are empowering students with the ability to understand issues, analyze problems, and synthesize solutions. Our physical environment, which is key to the quality of education and research that KAIST provides, has also improved with many newly constructed and renovated buildings, thanks to the generous support of major donors from all around the world, the Korean government, and the Korean people.
Today, scholars in a number of countries across five continents pay attention to what we do here at KAIST. We are indeed blazing new pathways in many fields that will guide the work of future generations of scientists and engineers.
All this has not been achieved without sacrifice. Over the last four years, we have instituted many difficult and often controversial policies and procedures. I believe these have helped KAIST become more competitive and stronger for the future.
But change affects people and institutions in both negative and positive ways. While these new policies have benefited some, I am acutely aware that they have, at the same time, caused discomfort and pain for others. To those who have suffered because of the changes that have been made during the past four years, I ask for your understanding and offer my sincere apologies. We must endeavor to minimize the negative consequences of transformation, as we strive mightily to realize our dreams for this great institution.
To do so, we, as a community, must first redefine and recommit to common goals:
First, we must arm our students with the ability to think both creatively and logically, to work collegially across cultures, and to lead wisely and with integrity. We must give our students the foundation to become players on the world stage, whether they become captains of industry, heads of state, or leading inventors and academics.
Second, we must also support our professors as they impart their vast knowledge and experiences with students. We must also enable them to fulfill their aspirations to become the world’s leading scientists, engineers, and scholars.
Third, we must direct KAIST’s energies toward addressing the most pressing problems of the 21st century. Let us not forget that we have a responsibility far greater than ourselves.
Finally, we must execute all these undertakings well for the benefit of the Korean people, in whose service KAIST was established 40 years ago.
It may now be the right time for us to assess our efforts over the last four years and set the course ahead.
KAIST’s successes are largely due to our professors. They have made major discoveries and inventions, which have won them international awards and recognitions. They have received significant research grants and contracts from many government agencies and companies, which have enabled KAIST to make unique contributions. They have published outstanding research results in leading journals and obtained patents in many countries. These achievements have helped bolster KAIST’s global standing.
KAIST professors have more opportunities to pursue research because our enviable financial structure provides the ideal balance between teaching and research. I can think of only a few other universities in the world that have such a situation. With these opportunities, we also have our share of challenges. One of the pressing challenges is to hire more professors, since 50 percent of our faculty will retire in 10 years. We will apply some of the gifts KAIST has received to create several junior chaired professorships to recruit promising talent. We also will work with the government to receive more faculty positions to prepare for the future.
KAIST also has an outstanding group of staff members, who manages all phases of KAIST’s operations, including our relationships with government and industry. Their workload has been heavy, since we have undertaken many major research projects and innovative educational programs during the past four years. I salute the effort of our staff for the job well done. To reward exceptional performance, we must improve our personnel policies so that the most productive and creative staff members are recognized and promoted in a timely manner.
Because of the achievements of our faculty and staff, the Korean people and friends abroad have responded with their support. Major gifts by Chairman Chung Moon Soul, the generosity of Dr. and Mrs. BJ Park, Chairman and Mrs. Neil Pappalardo, Dr. Lyu Keun Chul, Chairman and Mrs. Donald Kim, Chairman and Mrs. Kim Byung-Ho, Chairman and Mrs. Cho Chun-Sik, Chairman Bae Hwi-Yul, Chairman Lee Chong-Moon, Dr. Lim Hyung-Kyu, Chairman Lee Hak-Yong, Dr. Kang Baek-Hyun, Chairman Mr. Ahn Seung-Pil, Mr. Chung Seung-Ryul and his family, and thousands of other donors, including those who wish to remain anonymous, have made KAIST much more competitive. The number of donors has increased exponentially during the past four years to over 4,300 benefactors. On behalf of all members of the KAIST family, I say, “Thank you.”
While KAIST is stronger than ever financially, we have a long way to go to be competitive with richer universities of the world. It is up to us to show that we deserve the continued support of the Korean people and our benefactors.
We have almost completed the construction of seven new buildings and are about to start four more construction projects. While significant, KAIST still has many old buildings and facilities that require extensive maintenance. We must continue to raise the quality of KAIST’s infrastructure to support the groundbreaking research and teaching being undertaken in these buildings. Because we have neglected some of these buildings for so long, it will take a massive investment to renovate them.
Not one of the accomplishments of the past four years could have been made without the world-class leadership of vice presidents, deans, directors, and department heads. They have worked day and night to lead our university. I am particularly indebted to Provost Chang Soon Heung, who has led all aspects of KAIST’s operations. Vice President Yang Jiwon has ably dealt with our relationship with government and external organizations. Vice President Kim Sang Soo has played a key role in establishing and operating the KAIST Institutes, including the construction of the Park KI Building. Vice President Kang Minho effectively led the integration of KAIST and ICU. Dean of Academic Affairs Lee Kwang Hyung has done a superb job of administering our academic programs. Dean of Students Paik Kyung Wook has successfully dealt with all matters pertaining to the well-being of students. Dean Im Yong Taek has been outstanding in all aspects of our relationship with outside organizations. Dean for Research Professor Yang Hyun Seung, Dean for Academic Information Yoon Hyun Soo, Dean for Admissions Kim Do Kyung, Dean for EEWS Lee Jae Kyu, and Dean for Technology Transfer Park Sunwon have been exemplary leaders of KAIST. Our academic deans, Dean Do Young Kyu, Dean Dong Won Kim, Dean Sang Yup Lee, Dean Seung O Park, Dean Lee Yong Hoon, and Dean Ravi Kumar have shown great leadership and served KAIST most effectively. Professor Kim Soo Hyun has done a great job for the KAIST Development Foundation and for the KAIST Alumni Association. Director Lee Sang Moon has been a distinguished leader of our administration. Also I would like to thank the head of the Planning Office Jang Jae Suk and Team Leader Kim Kihan for their exceptional work, notwithstanding the difficult tasks they had to perform.
Many of our faculty members who have not held any office formally have made KAIST what it is today. Their commitment, scholarship, mentorship to our students, and their service for KAIST and Korea have made strengthened KAIST as an institution. In this regard, I would like to thank Professor Kim Jung Hoi for his great leadership of the Faculty Association.
Finally, I owe a great debt and special thanks to my office staff. Chief of Staff Won Dong Hyuck has been an exceptional colleague in executing the work of the office of the President of KAIST. He was ably assisted by Mr. Cho Boram, Ms. Hong Yoonju, and Mr. Kang Yong Seop. They have worked tirelessly and their achievements on behalf of KAIST have been tremendous.
I would be remiss not to recognize the most important member of my life, my wife, who shares my commitment and passion for KAIST’s success. Without her undying support and wise counsel, I would not be here today. I am eternally grateful.
There is a great deal of exciting and challenging work ahead. We will now begin to form a new team for the next phase of KAIST’s development. As of August 1, 2010, Professor Choi Byung Kyu will be the Provost, Professor Yang Dong Yul will be VP in charge of KI and research, Professor Joo Dae Joon will be VP for External Affairs, and Professor Lee Gyun Min will be the Dean for Academic Affairs. There will be some other changes as well. I ask each and every one of you to give them your support as they undertake new tasks for KAIST.
Our work will not be easy. We must move forward with an unparalleled dedication to excellence, a palpable and contagious sense of enthusiasm, a genuine trust in and respect for one another, and an unfailing belief in what KAIST should and can be.
I pledge to do my best to serve you and KAIST most effectively. With your help and through our work, we will fuel the pride into Korea and its people through the education of our young people and through innovative research that will fundamentally change our world for the better.
Thank you.
2010.07.15 View 14053 -
A donation to KAIST by a gambler
The Korea Herald ran an editorial on the news that a man who won the biggest-ever jackpot in Korean casino history on Saturday, May 15, 2010, decided to donate the entire prize money to the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST). Below is the full text of the editorial published on May 18, 2010.
http://www.koreaherald.com/opinion/Detail.jsp?newsMLId=20100518000648
The Korea Herald: [Editorial] Gambler’s donation
2010-05-18 18:09
KAIST, Korea’s leading research university, often makes news with donations from a variety of benefactors who wish to help develop science and technology in Korea with money they earned through their careers. The list of donors, which includes farmers, securities dealers, medical doctors, foreign businesspeople and popular entertainers, now has one unusual entry, a gambler.
Ahn Seung-pil, 60, may not be exactly a “gambler” – at least not a professional one. He has visited Kangwon Land, a casino located in the mountain region of Jeongseon, Gangwon Province, only a few times since it opened in 2000 as the only place Korean nationals could gamble. Ahn, who runs a small textile business in Seoul, hit the jackpot of 766 million won (about $665,000), the largest amount ever at Kangwon Land or from any slot machine at a Korean casino.
He said he was motivated to donate the money to KAIST in Daejeon City when he watched a television program after returning home, in which a professor emphasized the importance of advancing science and technology in the country. He had incurred heavy debts during the 1997 economic crisis and has yet to clear them all, but he thought of using the prize money for a good cause. The TV program guided him to KAIST, said Ahn, who has “not had a high level of education.”
Korea is known worldwide for its people’s strong zeal for university education. Parents do whatever they can to send their children to good universities but are so exhausted before the entrance that they barely pay the tuition once they get there. Universities have to rely mainly on tuition and meager subsidies from foundations or the state treasury. Private donations are rare, compared to European or American universities.
Major universities complain that members of the alumni societies are rather indifferent to calls for donation. The majority of donors who give significant amounts are people who weren’t lucky enough to go to university, such as Ahn Seung-pil.
2010.05.19 View 11230
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New director of National Nano Fab Center was named.
Professor Ki-Ro Lee from the Electrical Engineering Department of KAIST has been appointed as the new Director of National Nano Fab Center, an affiliated institute to KAIST and will serve the position for three years beginning from May 4, 2010.
Director Lee graduated from Seoul National University in 1976 and received his doctoral degree from University of Minnesota, Twincities, the US, in 1983. He has taught at the Electrical Engineering Department since 1986. While at KAIST, he served as the dean of research affairs from 1998-200 and 2004-2005, respectively. From 2005 to 2007, he worked as the Director of LG Advanced Institute of Technology.
2010.05.19 View 10400 -
The 6th president of KAIST passed away on May 7, 2010.
Dr. Sang-Soo Lee was the first president of Korea Advanced Institute of Science (KAIS) and the 6th president of KAIST, who died of a chronic disease at the age of 85. The KAIS was the matrix of KAIST today. Graduated from the physics department of Seoul National University in 1949, he later received a doctoral degree in optics from Imperial College of Science and Technology, University of London.
Dr. Lee has greatly contributed to the development of science and technology in Korea in the capacity of a policy administrator, educator, scientist, researcher, and engineer. He held numerous prestigious offices including President of Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute in 1967, of KAIS in 172, and of KAIST in 1989. Dr. Lee also worked as a professor at the physics department of KAIST for 20 years from 1972-1992.
The Society of Photographic Instrumentation Engineers (SPIE), an international society for optics and photonics, was founded in 1955 to advance light-based technologies. Dr. Sang-Soo Lee was a member of the SPIE that issued a news release expressing its sincere condolences to his death. The following is the full text of the news release: http://spie.org/x40527.xml
In memoriam: Sang Soo Lee
10 May 2010
Sang Soo Lee, known as the "Father of Optics" in Korea passed away on May 7, 2010, in Korea. He was 84.
Lee received a B.S. in Physics from Seoul National University in Korea and a Ph.D. from Imperial College of Science and Technology, University of London, UK. Receiving the first Ph.D. in Optics in Korea, Dr. Lee devoted his life to lay the foundation for optical science and engineering for more than four decades as an educator, researcher, and administrator in science policy.
"He was one of the architects of the extraordinary and rapid emergence of Korea as a world leader in science and technology, or perhaps with the rich history of contributions centuries ago, re-emergence would be more appropriate." said Eugene G. Arthurs, SPIE Executive Director.
During his teaching career, Dr. Lee mentored 50 doctoral and more than 100 masters" degree candidates. in the areas of laser physics, wave optics, and quantum optics. Many of his former students have become leaders in academia, government-funded research institutes, and industry both in Korea and abroad. He published more than 250 technical papers and authored five textbooks, including "Wave Optics", "Geometrical Optics", "Quantum Optics", and "Laser Speckles and Holography".
Lee was the first president of the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST), and the first president to establish a new government funded graduate school. He played a pivotal role in founding the Optical Society of Korea (OSK) in 1989 and served as its first president.
Lee was an active member of the international scientific community. In addition to his pioneering scholastic achievements at KAIST, he served as the Vice President of the International Commission for Optics (ICO), a Council Member of the Third World Academy of Sciences, and a Council Member of UN University, serving as an ambassador for the optics community, which showed a significant example of how a developing country like Korea can serve international optics community.
Dr. Lee was a Fellow of the International Society for Optical Engineering (SPIE), the Optical Society of America (OSA), and the Korean Physical Society (KPS). He was the recipient of many awards and honors, including the National Order of Civil Merit that is the Presidential Medal of Honor from the Republic of Korea (2000), the Songgok Academic Achievement Prize, the Presidential Award for Science, and the Medal of Honor for Distinguished Scientific Achievement in Korea. In 2006, he was awarded OSA"s Esther Hoffman Beller Medal.
2010.05.19 View 12741 -
News Article: Naro space rocket getting ready for second launch, April 12, 2010
News Article on KIAST published on April 12, 2010
The Korea Herald, 2010-04-12 17:07
Naro space rocket getting ready for second launch
By Bae Hyun-jung (tellme@heraldm.com)
The Ministry of Education, Science and Technology is checking on the second launch of Naro, Korea’s first space rocket, as all the necessary parts were transferred to the launch center last week.
The Science Technology Satellite No. 2 was transferred last Thursday from the KAIST Satellite Technology Research Center in Daejeon to the Naro Space Center in South Jeolla Province, said ministry officials.
The solid-fuel second-stage rocket reached the center last Monday and the liquid-fuel first-stage rocket did so on March 23. The latter was manufactured in Russia’s Khrunichev State Space Science and Production Center.
The satellite, a small one weighing 100 kilograms, was co-developed by the Korea Aerospace Research Institute, KAIST SaTReC and the Gwangju Institute of Science and Technology.
It is to revolve around the Earth for two years collecting data on climate change by gauging the hydrogen content in the atmosphere, said officials.
“With all the crucial parts ready here in the center, we have officially kicked off our final investigation before setting the details of the second Naro launch,” said a ministry official.
Second Vice Minister Kim Joong-hyun last week visited the Naro center to attend the overall inspection on all facilities related to the rocket launch.
The date has not yet been set for the second launch but will be fixed within this month, said officials.
With the general inspection completed on the facilities, the first-stage rocket and the satellite will be assembled and the combination will be joined by the second-stage rocket in May.
The first launching attempt ended in failure in August due to faulty electrical wiring or a mechanical problem in the fairing separation mechanism, according to panels.
The two fairings -- used to cover and protect the satellite placed on top of the Naro -- failed to separate timely and thus stopped the satellite from gaining sufficient velocity to reach its planned orbit.
Korea has so far spent 502.4 billion won ($428.1 million) on the Naro project since it began in August 2002.
2010.04.13 View 12673
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KAIST introduced environmentally friendly public transportation to Seoul Grand Park.
KAIST introduced environmentally friendly public transportation to Seoul Grand Park.
First step toward the commercialization of Online Electric Vehicle (OLEV)
An online electric vehicle (OLEV) developed by KAIST replaced a trackless combustion-engine train running inside Seoul Grand Park in Gwacheon City, South Korea. On March 9, 2010, Seoul City and KAIST celebrated the completion of OLEV that picks up electricity from power cables buried underground through a non-contact magnetic charging method, called electromagnetic induction. Electromagnetic induction is the process of inducing electric current in a coil with the help of a magnet.
The pickup unit installed underneath OLEV collects electricity from a roadway and distributes the power either to operate the vehicle or for battery storage. Whether running or stopped, OLEV constantly receives electric power through the underground cables. As a result, OLEV mitigates the burden of equipping electric automobiles with heavy, bulky batteries—OLEV’s battery size is one-fifth that of the batteries installed in electric vehicles currently on the market.
There is no need to establish massive charging stations or to set aside much time for recharging. If the underground power lines installed on road curbs, bus stops, parking lots, and intersections, the power system could support a substantial portion of public transportation: For example, KAIST estimates that by establishing 20% of the road infrastructure for a bus route in Seoul City, the city could offer its citizens the online electric buses.
The non-contact charging of vehicles while running, idling, or parking is an important and practical technology necessary for the development of commercialized electric vehicles. This technology solves many of the issues related to the current batteries of electric vehicles, including size, expense, and repair/maintenance. In addition, non-contact charging is safer because it prevents potential electrical hazards, such as electric shock, that result from direct contact with power sources. Furthermore, it is more convenient to drive vehicles without overhead wires directly connected to power lines, as is necessary for streetcars and trams.
The recharging strips are divided into several meters of segments in length, and vehicles receive the power each time they pass over one. In other words, a sensor is affixed within each segment. When a car with the pickup equipment drives over the segment, the sensor is turned on for the car to receive electricity. This means that when a car without the pickup equipment passes over the segment, it will not collect any electricity.
The power supply via on/off switch (sensors) relieves safety concerns about electromagnetic field (EMF). Pedestrians or cars without the pickup unit will not be exposed to EMF because the sensor embedded in the segments will not work, thus no electricity generated. In addition, even under the circumstance of EMF yield, the test results for OLEV are well below the 1998 the International Commission on Non-Ionizing Radiation Protection (ICNIRP) guideline, 62.5mG at 20khz. OLEV’s EMF test results range from 20mG (inside OLEV while running) to 50mG (around OLEV while parking).
When talking about a wireless energy transfer such as electromagnetic induction, the most critical issue is how to reserve an air gap of 12cm (in accordance with Korean law) between the surface of roads and the bottom of vehicles while having 60% power transmission efficiency or above. There was a similar research done in the US at University of Berkley—their research was considered unsuccessful because they obtained an air gap of 5-7cm with 60% maximum level of efficiency. Besides, their electromagnetic field (EMF) was quite high (2000A), and they were unable to bring down the high cost of installing power supply system. By contrast, for the first time in the world, KAIST has succeeded to obtain 12cm (and up to 17cm) of air gap with more than 70% efficiency level of power transmission. The EMF is also well below the international standard of 62.5mG. In a nutshell, KAIST has achieved a core technology in terms of capacity, efficiency, and EMF to develop electric vehicles for commercial use.
The city government of Seoul and KAIST signed a Memorandum of Understating (MOU) on the development of an online electric vehicle in August 2009. Against the backdrop of the public’s increased awareness of environmental pollution and the depletion of fossil fuels, the two organizations agreed to introduce eco-friendly vehicles to the city’s public transportation, beginning with the introduction of a trial version of OLEV to places like an amusement park, bus terminal, airport, shopping mall, and the like.
KAIST’s OLEV research team is made up of experts from a variety of fields, including electrical and electronics engineering, computer sciences, civil engineering, information technology, and mechanical engineering. OLEV’s success at Seoul Grand Park is a result of KAIST’s innovative initiatives on convergence research, and KAIST has submitted more than 120 applications for patents right in connection with the development of OLEV.
Online Electric Vehicle at Seoul Grand Park
In terms of power transmission efficiency, KAIST’s research team achieved a maximum pick-up capacity of 62kw/h, 74% with an air gap height of 13cm from a road to the bottom of a vehicle. Composed of one engine and three passenger cars, OLEV travels along a total length of 2.2km beltway. There are four sections of power supply infrastructure established on the route (Sections 1, 2, and 3: 122.5 meters long each, and Section 4: 5 meters long). The power supply cables were laid underground for a total of 372.5 meters, 16% of the total distance of the 2,200 meter route.
2010.03.12 View 12492