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Int'l Conference for Integration of Science & Technology into Society Opens
The 2008 International Conference for the Integration of Science and Technology into Society (ICISTS-KAIST) opened a four-day meeting on Tuesday (July 15) at Daejeon KAIST campus. The conference is an annual event organized by a group of KAIST undergraduate students.
The fifth-year gathering is designed to provide participants with an opportunity to broaden their scientific perspectives by sharing ideas and experiences in related topics, as well as building an international human network. This year"s event has drawn about 200 students from 40 countries.
The centerpiece of the conference is three workshops on the following themes; Human-Robot Symbiotic Society, Neo-brain Science and Trafficmatics. Myung-Ja Kim, former Korean Environment Minister, will appear as a keynote speaker.
In the workshop sessions, two speakers will discuss specific issues and arrive at a tentative conclusion. Participants will have the opportunity to participate in the debate through Q&A for each session.
The first theme "Human-Robot Symbiotic Society" delves into the current trend that robot is being transformed into a perceivable and touchable concept from an abstract one. Guests for the workship include June-Ho Oh, professor at the Department of Mechanical Engineering, KAIST; James Dater, professor at the Department of Political Science, University of Hawaii at Manoa, and Director of the Hawaii Research Center for Future; Michael Pollitt, CEO of Shadow Robot Company; and Steven Dubowsky, professor at the Department of Mechanical Engineering, MIT.
The second theme "Neo-Brain Science" focuses on attempts to shed light on brain from diverse perspectives including psychology, economics and art. Among invited speakers are Prof. Jai-Seung Jung at the Department of Bio and Brain Engineering, KAIST; Prof. Un-Jung Kang at the University of Chicago Medical Center; and Peter Geyer, a consultant for the Association for Psychological Type.
The third workshop on "Traffimatics" will deal with "intelligent transport systems (ITS)" which will discusst new paradigm in transportation policy and traffic engineering. On the list of speakers are Assaf Biderman, assistant director, SENSEable City Laboratory, MIT; Prof. Richard Tay, at the Department of Civil Engineering, University of Calgary; Prof. Shoshi Mizokami at Kumamoto University; and Ho-Jong Baik, research associate professor of Virginia Tech.
2008.07.16 View 20473 -
Super-Fast Internet Data Chip Developed
A KAIST research team led by Prof. Kyoung-Hoon Yang of the Electrical Engineering & Computer Science Department developed a super-fast chip that could lead to huge advancements in broadband Internet technology, the Korean Ministry of Education, Science and Technology said on Thursday (June 26).
The multiplexer chip is the first of its kind to be developed using the quantum effect of resonant tunnelling diode, according to the Ministry.
The integrated circuit chip built at the university laboratory has an operating speed of 45 gigabits per second (Gb/s), while using roughly 75 percent less energy than the previous version. The speed enables the transfer of about 4 full-length movies in one second.
The best operational broadband Internet services provide users with data transfer speed of 40 Gb/s, while most other high-speed online connections offer 10 Gb/s.
"Besides speed, the greatest achievement is low energy use," Prof. Yang said. He stressed that energy use in chips is a crucial factor because power creates heat that can melt circuits and make them inoperable.
"By cutting down on energy use, the new chips can be made smaller and with faster data transfer speed," the scientist said.
He added that efforts are underway to increase operational speed to 100 Gb/s, with energy consumption to be cut to 10 percent of current chips like the high electron mobility transistor, the heterojunction bipolar transistor and the complementary metal oxide semiconductor.
The researcher speculated that such revolutionary chips could be developed in 1-2 years and become the new benchmark in this field since existing chips have limited development capabilities.
The project has received funding from the Education-Science-Technology Ministry since 2000. The Ministry"s financial support will last until 2010.
2008.06.26 View 13845 -
KAIST, ICU Agree to Merge
KAIST and the Information and Communications University, a state-run institution, decided to merge as they signed a memorandum of understanding for unification at the Westin Chosun Hotel in Seoul on May 23.
The MOU signing ceremony was attended by representatives of the two universities and related high-ranking government officials from the Ministry of Knowledge Economy and the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology.
Under the agreement, the two universities will form a joint committee to complete the merger process by the end of this year. According to the MOU, ICU will become the "IT Convergence Campus" (ICC) which will include KAIST"s IT related departments and research institutes. The projected ICC will be headed by a KAIST vice president, KAIST authorities said.
With the merger, the number of KAIST students in the IT area will increase to 2,850 from 1,951, while the number of IT-related faculty members will rise to 157 from 99.
ICU was established in 1997 by the Korean Ministry of Information and Communication, the Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute, and some major Korean IT companies. Located in Daedeok Science Town in Daejeon where KAIST is also situated, ICU started as a graduate school and added the undergraduate course in 2002. It currently has a total enrollment of 1,121 students -- 481undergraduate students, 324 graduate students and 316 doctorate students.
KAIST said that it will treat ICU professors and staff equally after the merger. This year, the two universities will separately conduct freshmen recruitment procedures for 2009, but will then unify recruitment.
The unification of the two institutions is expected to give KAIST the competitive edge through a larger faculty, student body, and expanded facilities.
The agreement put an end to extended negotiations for merger which started in July 2006. The talk of merging the two universities surfaced when the Board of Audit and Inspection concluded that the government"s direct financial support for ICU was unlawful as ICU was established as a private school. When ICU was established in 1997, the Ministry of Information and Communication provided 200 billion won as the basic endowment and has continually provided 10 billion won in operating funds each year.
2008.05.22 View 15137 -
Korea Science Academy to Be Affiliated with KAIST
The Korea Science Academy, a state-run science high school located in the southeastern port city of Busan, will be converted to an affiliated school of KAIST as of March 1, 2009, university authorities said on Thursday (May 22).
The memorandum of understanding for the switchover was signed by KAIST President Nam-Pyo Suh, Dong-Geun Seol, superintendent of the Busan Metropolitan City and Jang-Hyuk Kwon, principal of the Korea Science Academy, at Seoul"s Westin Chosun Hotel Thursday morning.
When the switchover comes into effect, the principal of the high school will be appointed by the president of KAIST. Administrative details will be decided by a working-level committee consisting of delegates from the KAIST, the Office of Education of the Busan Metropolitan City and the Korea Science Academy.
The Korea Science Academy was established in 1991 to provide strengthened science courses for gifted students to prepare them for careers in science and technology. The school currently has an enrollment of 428 students and 45 classroom teachers.
2008.05.22 View 13989 -
Women Leaders Awarded Honorary Degrees
Korea"s two women leaders, Park Geun-hye, former President of the Grand National Party, and Lee Gil-ya, chairperson of the Gachon Gil Foundation, a major medical services organization, were awarded honorary doctorate degrees by KAIST, Korea"s state-run science and technology research university, on Feb. 29.
It is the first time in the school"s 37-year history that women have been awarded honorary doctorate degrees. Park and Lee were conferred with the honor during the university"s 2008 graduation ceremony in recognition of their achievements in social services.
KAIST President Suh Nam-pyo said that the university decided to confer honorary doctorate degrees to Park and Lee, who both have educational backgrounds in the fields of engineering and science, in order to present role models to female students in science and engineering who still make up a relatively small percentage of the total enrollment at KAIST and throughout Korean universities.
"Our graduates and future students will strive to make meaningful contributions to the nation and the world, just as the two women leaders have done so well, for so many years," said Suh in his commencement address.
Female students constitute 23 percent of the total enrollment of 7,800, including graduate and doctorate students.
The honorary doctorate citation said Park Geun-hye, a graduate of the Department of Electronic Engineering, Sogang University in Seoul, has exerted strenuous efforts for the advancement of science and technology education and women"s social role. Among other things, Park called for the launching of a "second-stage science and technology revolution" during her 2007 presidential campaign. She declared science and technology as "the most crucial area of national development and survival" and instituted seven-point strategies to innovate the nation"s science and technology. Those strategies are specifically aimed at increasing investment in science and technology, fostering a world-class science and technology university and creating science-friendly curriculum at schools.
Lee Gil-ya, a widely-revered medical doctor, has demonstrated outstanding leadership in education, culture, journalism and business management, according to her citation. Throughout her brilliant professional career, she has vigorously pursued her lifelong goal of philanthropy, social service and patriotism. In particular, her dedication to nurturing young talents is widely recognized in Korea.
2008.03.05 View 14434
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Prof. Chung Named Winner of 2008 KAIST Scientific Award
Professor Chung Jong-Kyeong of the Department of Biological Sciences was named the winner of the 2008 KAIST Scientific Award.
The prize was awarded by KAIST President Suh Nam-Pyo during the 37th KAIST anniversary ceremony on Feb. 16.
Chung was cited for disclosing the new anti-cancer aspect of adenosine monophosphate-activated protein kinase (AMPK). His papers, published in the science magazine Nature in 2006 and again in 2007, revealed that the protein could be used to treat certain forms of cancer, as well as prevent malignant growths.
2008.02.28 View 13759 -
Prof. Lee Listed on Marquis Who's Who
Professor Lee Ji-hyun of the Graduate School of Culture Technology at KAIST was registered to Marquis Who"s Who, known as one of the world"s three leading biographical dictionaries.
Prof. Lee"s biography was published in the 25th anniversary edition of "Marquis Who"s Who in the World 2008."
Lee"s research interests are the color and culture, computer-supported collaborative design, creative design, evolutionary systems in design, formal models of design process, representation and reasoning in design and visualization for design information.
Lee has published about 30 papers in science journals and for scholastic conferences. She is also a participating professor at KAIST Institute for Entertainment Engineering. Before joining KAIST in 2007, she was an assistant professor at the Department of Digital Media Design and Graduate School of Computational Design, the National Yunlin University of Science & Technology (NYUST) in Taiwan starting from 2002.
She received her Ph.D. from the School of Architecture (Computational Design) at Carnegie Mellon University in 2002. She graduated from the Department of Housing & Interior Design at Yonsei University in Seoul in 1991 and received her M.S. from the same university in 1993.
2008.02.14 View 17045 -
Professor Jie-Oh Lee of the Department of Chemistry of KAIST
Professor Jie-Oh Lee of the Department of Chemistry of KAIST was selected as the "KAIST Man of the Year."
Lee was cited for his successful identifying of the three-dimensional structure of protein that causes sepsis. His research is expected to contribute greatly to the development of medicines for immune system treatment.
The prize was given by KAIST President Suh Nam Pyo at the New Year"s ceremony on Jan. 2, 2008 at the KAIST auditorium.
Professor Lee published a series of research papers in Science, one of the world"s most prestigious scientific journals. Most recently, Lee was awarded the "Scientist of the Year" prize by the Korean Science Reporters Association.
2008.01.02 View 14960 -
Professor Jie-Oh Lee awarded 'Scientist of the Year'
Professor Jie-Oh Lee of the Department of Chemistry was awarded the ‘Scientist of the Year’ prize for identifying the three-dimensional structure of protein that causes sepsis, and it was announced by the Korean Science Reporters Association (KOSRA) on November 26th.“Humans have about 30,000 different kinds of proteins, and they all have different structures, just like our faces,” said Professor Lee. “It is extremely helpful to know the three-dimensional shape of proteins when you are trying to understand what their functions in an organism are and trying to develop medicine for them.”
When looking for the three-dimensional structure, protein must first be crystallized and radiated with x-ray, so that reflected x-ray can be interpreted. The three-dimensional structure of sepsis immunity proteins TLR1-TLR2 and TLR4-MD2 could not be found until now because they would not even crystallize.
“I began to doubt if it was even possible to crystallize them because we went through so many failures,” reflected Professor Lee.
In August of last year, after about three years of research, the team finally came up with a new idea. The team decided to ‘stick’ the sepsis immunity protein to protein that easily crystallizes. If the combined structure of sepsis immunity protein and the known protein could be identified, the structure of sepsis immunity protein would be a combined structure subtracted by the known structure.
The three-dimensional structure was obtained with x-ray radiation from combined protein crystal. The combined protein was derived from an insect cell with altered DNA.
“This method seems very simple but no one ever tried it or no one ever succeeded in it,” said Professor Lee.
The result was a horseshoe shaped protein structure. The research team also expects the new protein-combining technology to contribute to the development of a new immune system treatment medicine.
The prize-awarding ceremony was held on November 26th in an event hosted by the Korean Hospital Association.
Also, Professor Ryong Ryoo of the Department of Chemistry was selected as the National Scientist last month.By KAIST Herald on November, 2007
2007.12.21 View 14422 -
KAIST Takes Merging Steps with ICU
Plans to begin the merging of Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST) and Information and Communications University (ICU) have emerged.
ICU board members and Ministry of Information and Communications (MIC) officials held a meeting at Lotte Hotel, Seoul, on November 21st. The two parties agreed upon the merging of KAIST and ICU; and an interim organization to carry out the merging procedures was to be established. In addition, a preliminary road-map was presented during the meeting.
In the event that a company would show a willingness to financially support ICU, the parties agreed to take this path into consideration as well.
Also at this meeting, the resignation of ICU President Huh Unna was accepted by the board members of ICU. President Huh and the executive board have opposed any proposals of unification between the two universities. The president called for an independent ICU in response to MIC’s withdrawal of funding.
On November 27th, ICU Electrical Engineering Professor Hyuck Jae Lee was appointed as ICU president.
The talk of merging the two universities surfaced when the Board of Audit and Inspection concluded that financial support of ICU from the government was illegal as ICU was established under the private school law exempting the institution from governmental support. When ICU was established in 1997, MIC provided 200 billion Korean Won and has continually supported the university financially with 10 billion Korean Won per year.
Both universities have not released official statements regarding the merging of the respective institutions.
ICU has a student body of about 400 undergraduate students and 600 graduate students. On the other hand, KAIST has a student body of around 3000 undergraduate students, 2000 graduate students, and 2000 doctorate students. Both institutions are located in Daejeon, Korea.
Talk of establishing a single-department IT-convergence university where ICU is currently located surfaced as a possible merging-concept by KAIST.
Organizations and groups opposing the unification of the two technology-related institutions are concerned with details of the merger, such as the personnel management of ICU professors. However, analyses demonstrate that the unification will give KAIST the competitive edge through a larger faculty, student body, and increased facilities.
In July, an in-house poll was conducted at ICU and the results showed that 15 percent of graduate school students and undergraduate students were against the merger while 82.6 percent of undergraduate students and 84.8 percent of graduate students were in favor. 88.6 percent of ICU professors supported the unification of the two universities.By KAIST Herald on December, 2007
2007.12.21 View 13693
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S&T Policy Agenda of Major Presidential Candidates
Science and Technology Policy Agenda of Major Presidential Candidates
The KAIST TIMES recently reviewed science and technology policy suggestions made by five major presidential candidates. Below is a summary of the information assembled based on written interviews conducted by The KAIST TIMES, gatherings on science and technology policies, and press conferences.
Chung Dong-young of the United New Democratic Party
The UNDP’s Chung Dong-young presented a vision to join the world’s top seven aerospace leaders in an effort to transform Korea into a science-technology powerhouse.
In order to achieve this goal, he suggested five policy strategies: support research and development of creative, innovative science and technology, ; expand resources for the innovation of science and technology, ; promote academia and business partnerships, ; strengthen infrastructure to innovate scientific and technological fields, ; boost the morale of scientists and engineers, ; and promote the dissemination of scientific culture.
The most noticeable striking part element of his vision is to make add Korea to join the list of the world’s top seven aerospace powerhouses. Chung included the this vision in his 20 key 20 pledges, underscoring his commitment to the aerospace industry. He said that the aerospace industry can produce simultaneous growth of various high-tech industries.
Chung also vowed that he would extensively foster high-value added assembly industry in conjunction with a scheme to nurture parts and material industries.
As detailed action plans to achieve his vision, he cited development of small and medium-sized aircraft carriers and upgrading air control systems as part of the efforts to make Korea as a stronghold of popular aviation of in Northeast Asia. He also revealed plans to embark on a project to explore the Moon and send an unmanned probe there by 2020.
To implement aerospace development plans systematically, he suggested inaugurating the envisioned Korean Aeronautics and Space Administration, modeled after the NASA of the United States and JAXA of Japan.
Lee Myung-bak of the National Grand Party
Presidential candidate Lee pointed out basic sciences and open-source technologies as crucial prerequisites to achieve economic growth. As five implementation strategies to promote the development of these areas, he called for the fostering of more scientific and technological talents; a drastic increase in investment in science and technology; creation of new fusion industries that will serve as future growth engines; promotion of autonomy and creativity; and popularization of science and technology.
He also pledged to carry out two large-scale projects, the creation of “an international scientific-corporate city belt” and the technological development of new renewable energy.
Among them, drawing the largest attention is the creation of an “international scientific-corporate city belt” connecting several technological complexes located in Chungcheong Provinces. The city belt is envisioned to connect the Daedok Innopolis in Daejeon, the proposed Bio-Health Science Technopolis in Osong, Sceintific Industrial Complex in Ochang, and the new administrative town under construction in Yeongi-Gongju. At a lecture hosted by the Science and Technology Forum and the Korean Engineers Club, Lee said that the project has been motivated by the idea of locating research and corporate complexes in close proximity to bring about maximum efficiency of commercializing research results.
Kwon Young-ghil of the Democratic Labor Party
In a written interview with The KAIST TIMES, Kwon summed up his vision for science and technology as shifting from “science-technology for the rich and privileged” to “science and technology to promote public interest and participation.”
As action plans to realize his vision, he suggested increasing investment into public-interest research and development projects and building the necessary infrastructure as well as boosting relevance between science-technology policies and various welfare sectors including environment, health, and medicare. He also wishes to pay greater attention to improving the treatment of young engineers and scientists.
Moon Kook-hyun of the Creative Korea Party
Moon Kook-hyun’s science and technology policy proposals focus on nurturing more experts in the fields of science and technology. As specific action plans to ease the tendency among high-school graduates to shun the fields engineering and science as their majors, he revealed a plan to appoint a Prime Minister with an engineering or scientific background and positively expand social participation of engineering or science graduates.
He also expressed strong commitment to making Korea a technological power house, focusing on convergence of various high-tech industries including BT and IT. He would also build infrastructure to increase cooperation for technological development among large and mid and small-sized companies, and among Korea and many other countries.
Independent Candidate Lee Hoi-chang
Lee Hoi-chang’s vision for science and technology can be highlighted by his strong commitment to greatly increasing R& D investment in this area. He said that the move is aimed at expanding science and technology capital, which will serve as a fundamental infrastructure for corporate activities.
In particular, he said that he would concentrate on fostering eight core technologies based on individual knowledge and creativity: IT, BT, NT, ST, ET (Environment Technology), CT, MT(Marine Technology), and FT (Fusion Technology).
2007.12.17 View 16947
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The US Science Magazine Published KAIST News on Nov. 30
An educational innovation of our university arouses world"s interest.
The world science magazine, the U.S Science reports deeply President Suh Nampyo" KAIST reform, fund, tenure review, tuition, admission and faculty recruit in News Focus, internet version on 30 November. There is full text of the news below.http://www.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/full/318/5855/1371
News FocusHIGHER EDUCATION:MIT Engineer Shakes Korean Academia to Its CoreDennis Normile
Radical measures from the new president of the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology are roiling a tradition-bound system
Worldly. To gain stature beyond Korea, KAIST has lured students from Vietnam, China, and Rwanda, among other countries.
CREDIT: D. NORMILE/SCIENCE
DAEJEON, SOUTH KOREA--When the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST) announced on 19 November that an entrepreneur had donated $2.5 million to the university with promises of more to follow, it marked the latest in a string of coups for the new president, Suh Nam Pyo. A mechanical engineer on leave from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in Cambridge, Suh has raised an unprecedented amount--$12.5 million--in a country where donations to universities are rare. He"s challenging other traditions as well. For example, KAIST"s latest tenure review turned down several candidates, a shocking move by Korean standards.Suh says he is aiming to make KAIST "as good as the best [universities], including MIT." Many faculty members agree that Suh"s "overall philosophy and vision are correct," says KAIST systems biologist Lee Sang Yup. But there are concerns about how Suh will implement that vision at the 36-year-old university.
The KAIST community has reason to be cautious. In 2004, the university hired Nobel physics laureate Robert Laughlin as president--the first foreigner to lead a Korean university--with a mandate to transform KAIST into a world-class institution. Laughlin, on leave from Stanford University in Palo Alto, California, proposed privatizing KAIST and charging tuition, focusing on commercialization, and tripling undergraduate enrollment (Science, 25 February 2005, p. 1181; 20 January 2006, p. 321). But when Laughlin"s plans failed to materialize, "the faculty was disappointed," says KAIST molecular biologist Chung Jongkyeong. In 2006, the board of trustees decided to seek a new president.
The board turned to Suh. Born in Gyeongju, South Korea, in 1936, Suh moved to the United States with his family as a teenager and earned a doctorate in mechanical engineering from Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. As an MIT professor, Suh has won plaudits for his engineering design theories, earned more than 50 patents, and helped start several companies. In the early 1980s, he was assistant director for engineering at the U.S. National Science Foundation, and he headed MIT"s Department of Mechanical Engineering from 1991 until 2001.
Since arriving at KAIST in July 2006, Suh has opened undergraduate education to non-Korean students for the first time by insisting that many courses be taught in English. Suh decided that students who maintain "B" or better grades would continue to pay no tuition, whereas those with a "C" or below must pay about $16,000 per year starting in February. "We want students to take responsibility for their actions," Suh says.
Agent of change. KAIST"s faculty supports Suh Nam Pyo"s reforms, so far.
CREDIT: KAIST
A new admissions process may also have broad impact. Previously, KAIST, like most of Korea"s top universities, selected the top scorers in a written exam. Most high school students spend their free time prepping for these tests in cram schools. But Suh says that scores "are a one-dimensional measure" that fails to identify leaders. So candidates for KAIST"s next incoming class were invited to campus this fall for interviews, to give presentations, and to engage in discussions while being observed by faculty members, who made selections based on scores and personal impressions. "We"re looking for future Einsteins and future Bill Gateses," says Suh.An even more radical step was putting teeth into tenure reviews. Traditionally, faculty members in Korea gain tenure after logging enough years. Suh insisted that KAIST professors up for tenure gather endorsements from experts in their field around the world. In September, 11 of 33 applicants were denied tenure and were given a year to find new jobs.
The tenure review "is the beginning of an educational revolution," says KAIST chemist Ryoo Ryong. But he and others worry about the fate of those denied tenure. Suh understands their predicament but is standing firm. The professors who didn"t make tenure "are very good people, but in terms of the standard we set, they"re not as good as we expect our professors to be." He is asking other universities to consider giving these professors a chance.
At the same time, Suh is looking to inject fresh blood--including foreigners--into the 418-strong faculty with a plan to add 300 professors over the next 4 to 5 years. (To expand the school, Suh is striving to win government approval for a doubling of KAIST"s base governmental support of $108 million.) His first catch is Mary Kathryn Thompson, who completed her Ph.D. in mechanical engineering at MIT last year. "It"s an exciting time to be here," says Thompson, who just started studying Korean when she arrived last August.
Although they support Suh"s initiatives, some faculty members chafe at his blunt public comments implying that Korea"s professors take life too easy. "I cannot agree," says Choi Yang-Kyu, an electrical engineer. "Most professors here are working very hard." Biomolecular engineer Kim Hak-Sung adds: "President Suh should have sticks and carrots, not just sticks."
Carrots don"t come cheap. "I"m spending most of my time trying to raise money," Suh says. Part of that effort is wooing private donors. "Giving to universities is not prevalent in Asia, but it is something I"m trying to nurture in Korea," he says. That"s a precedent all of Korea"s universities might want to embrace.
2007.11.30 View 16918