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Fiber OLEDs, Thinner Than a Hair
(Seonil Kwon, PhD Candidate)
Professor Kyung Cheol Choi from the School of Electrical Engineering and his team succeeded in fabricating highly efficient Organic Light-Emitting Diodes (OLEDs) on an ultra-thin fiber.
The team expects the technology, which produces high-efficiency, long-lasting OLEDs, can be widely utilized in wearable displays.
Existing fiber-based wearable displays’ OLEDs show much lower performance compared to those fabricated on planar substrates. This low performance caused a limitation for applying it to actual wearable displays.
In order to solve this problem, the team designed a structure of OLEDs compatible to fiber and used a dip-coating method in a three-dimensional structure of fibers. Through this method, the team successfully developed efficient OLEDs that are designed to last a lifetime and are still equivalent to those on planar substrates.
The team identified that solution process planar OLEDs can be applied to fibers without any reduction in performance through the technology. This fiber OLEDs exhibited luminance and current efficiency values of over 10,000 cd/m^2(candela/square meter) and 11 cd/A (candela/ampere).
The team also verified that the fiber OLEDs withstood tensile strains of up to 4.3% while retaining more than 90% of their current efficiency. In addition, they could be woven into textiles and knitted clothes without causing any problems.
Moreover, the technology allows for fabricating OLEDs on fibers with diameters ranging from 300㎛ down to 90㎛, thinner than a human hair, which attests to the scalability of the proposed fabrication scheme.
Noting that every process is carried out at a low temperature (~105℃), fibers vulnerable to high temperatures can also employ this fabrication scheme.
Professor Choi said, “Existing fiber-based wearable displays had limitations for applicability due to their low performance. However, this technology can fabricate OLEDs with high performance on fibers. This simple, low-cost process opens a way to commercialize fiber-based wearable displays.”
This research led by a PhD candidate Seonil Kwon was published online in the international journal for nanoscience, Nano Letters, on December 6.
(Fiber-based OLEDs woven into knitted clothes)
This work was funded by the Engineering Research Center of Excellence Program (Grant No. NRF-2017R1A5A1014708) and Nano-Material Technology Development Program (Grant No. NRF-2016M3A7B4910635) by the National Research Foundation of Korea, the Ministry of Science and ICT of Korea.
2018.01.09 View 13357 -
Controlling Superconductivity Using Spin Currents
(Professor Jhinhwan Lee and Dr. Seokhwan Choi)
A KAIST research team led by Professor Jhinhwan Lee of the Department of Physics has discovered a method to flip between superconducting and non-superconducting states within an iron-based superconductor using a type of electron microscopy. The team applied spin-polarized and non-polarized currents to locally change the magnetic order in the sample.
The team identified a basic physical principle required to develop transistors that control superconductivity and to implement novel magnetic memory at the atomic level. This study is the first report of a direct real-space observation of this type of control. In addition, this is the first direct atomic-scale demonstration of the correlation between magnetism and superconductivity.
The team controlled and observed the magnetic and electronic properties with a spin-polarized scanning tunneling microscope (SPSTM), a device that passes an atomically-sharp metal tip over the surface of a sample. The team introduced new ways to perform SPSTM using an antiferromagnetic chromium tip. An antiferromagnet is a material in which the magnetic fields of its atoms are ordered in an alternating up-down pattern such that it has a minimal stray magnetic field that can inadvertently kill the local superconductivity of the sample when used as an SPSTM tip.
To study the connection between the C4 magnetic order and the suppression of superconductivity, the team performed high-resolution SPSTM scans of the C4 state with chromium tips and compared them with simulations. The results led them to suggest that the low-energy spin fluctuations in the C4 state cannot mediate pairing between electrons in the typical FeAs band structure. This is critical because this paring of electrons, defying their natural urge to repel each other, leads to superconductivity.
Professor Lee said, “Our findings may be extended to future studies where magnetism and superconductivity are manipulated using spin-polarized and unpolarized currents, leading to novel antiferromagnetic memory devices and transistors controlling superconductivity.”
This study was published in Physical Review Letters (PRL) on November 27 as the Editor’s Suggestion. It was also featured in Viewpoint in Physics, in which the top 3% of PRL papers are presented with a commentary. It was also featured on Phys.org, which is a science news website led by the US national research institutes. Furthermore, the equipment designed and manufactured by Professor Lee’s team and used for the research was selected for the cover of Review of Scientific Instruments (RSI) in the October 2017 issue.
Professor Lee said, “When designing the experiment, we attempted to implement some decisive features. For instance, we included a spin control function using an antiferromagnetic probe, wide range variable temperature functions that were thought to be impossible in high-magnetic field structures, and multiple sample storage functions at low temperatures for systematic spin control experiments, rather than using simpler scanning probe microscopes with well-known principles or commercial microscopes. As a result, we were able to conduct systematic experiments on controlling magnetism and superconductivity, which competing groups would take years to replicate.”
He continued, “There were some minor difficulties in the basic science research environment such as the lack of a shared helium liquefier on campus and insufficient university-scale appreciation for large scale physics that inevitably takes time. We will do our best to lead the advancement of cutting-edge science through research projects expanding on this achievement in physical knowledge to practical devices and various technological innovations in measurements.” This research was funded by National Research Foundation of Korea.
Figure 1. Research concept illustration
The spin-polarized chromium (Cr) tip being scanned over the pristine superconducting area of the C2 magnetic order, represented in the background with electron pairs shown as coupled red spheres. The spin current through the tip induces the C4 magnetic order (yellow and blue plaquettes) with suppressed superconductivity in the sample because its spin fluctuations cannot mediate electron pairing, represented as decoupled red spheres in the plaquette area.
2018.01.05 View 5509 -
Distinguished Alumni Awards 2017 by KAIST Alumni Association
The KAIST Alumni Association announced six Distinguished Alumni Awardees for the year 2017.
Every year, the association selects alumni who have brought honor and distinction to the university through significant contributions to industry, academic achievements, or community service. Since 1992, a total of 95 alumni have been chosen for the distinguished alumni awards.
The recipients are playing major roles in society, and this year is no exception. The award will be given to the alumni during the KAIST New Year Ceremony on January 13 in Seoul.
Here are the six distinguished alumni of the year 2017.
The Director of Startup KAIST, Byoung Yoon Kim (M.S. in Physics) is one of the faculty who has brought entrepreneurship to KAIST. Before founding companies, he held the position of assistant professor at Stanford University. In 1995, he founded FiberProf Inc, commercializing research results from KAIST lab for their applications to test and measurement equipment for lab and production lines. He launched Novera Optics, Inc in 1999 which produced broadband access network equipment (WDM-PON) for FTFH application. Since 2014, he has been holding the position of director of KAIST Startup and inspiring entrepreneurship. He is being recognized for playing a crucial role in defining a successful model for technology startup ecosystems.
The President of LG Chem Ltd., and Head of Battery Research and Development, Myung Hwan Kim (M.S. in Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering) succeeded in developing and producing the first lithium ion batteries in Korea. His work contributed to Korea becoming the second most powerful nation in batteries. In particular, he obtained more orders from global automobile companies by successfully commercializing batteries for electronic vehicles, which led elevating national competitiveness. Recently, his company is leading the battery market for automobiles and power storage by developing novel materials and supplying optimal batteries to match each field.
The Director of INNOX Advanced Materials Co., Ltd., Kyung Ho Chang (M.S. in Chemistry and Ph.D. in Materials Science and Engineering) challenged himself in the Flexible Printed Circuit Board (FPCB) industry, which was mostly dominated by Japanese companies in 2001; however, he succeeded in localizing the materials. Now, his company is the number one for FPCB materials in Korea. FPCBs are a component used in most electronic devices, including smartphones and tablet PCs. Localizing the materials has brought about an import substitution effect as well as establishing a foundation for national competitiveness in FPCBs.
The Vice President of the Korea International Trade Association (KITA), Jung-kwan Kim (M.S. in Business) began his career from deputy director in Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy. Throughout his career at MOTIE, he served as Director for Energy Development, Director General for Energy Industry Policy, Head Officer of Energy and Resources, and finally Vice Minister for MOTIE. Since joining KITA as the vice president in 2015, he has contributed to supporting overseas expansion of new industries and reinforcing trade competitiveness through opening new markets and providing customized consulting.
The CEO of Samsung Electro-Mechanics, Yun-tae Lee (M.S. and Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering) is an expert in designing semiconductors. While serving as Head of System LSI and Head of LCD in Samsung Electronics, he made significant contributions to projects involving semiconductors and displays, which are the company’s engine of growth. Moreover, by utilizing his insights from the component business and making bold decisions, he is leading the future of Samsung Electro-Mechanics.
The CEO of ENF Technology, Jinbae Jung (Ph.D. in Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering) reinforced national industrial competitiveness by developing high-performance chemicals that are used mostly in the production of semiconductors and displays. Especially, he succeeded in applying regeneration technology of thinners and developing various stripping liquidsHe also localized color pastes, which were heavily dependent on Japan, and improved the quality of color accuracy for LCD panels.
Notable Recipient of Distinguished Alumni Award
2018.01.05 View 7479 -
Meet the KAISTian of 2017, Professor YongKeun Park
Professor YongKeun Park from the Department of Physics is one of the star professors in KAIST. Rising to the academic stardom, Professor Park’s daily schedule is filled with series of business meetings in addition to lab meetings and lectures.
The year 2017 must have been special for him. During the year, he published numerous papers in international journals, such as Nature Photonics, Nature Communications and Science Advances. These high performances drew international attention from renowned media, including Newsweek and Forbes. Moreover, recognizing his research performance, he was elected as a fellow member of the Optical Society (OSA) in his mid-30s. Noting that the members’ age ranges from late 50s to early 60s, Professor Park’s case considered to be quite exceptional.
Adding to his academic achievement, he has launched two startups powered of his own technologies. One is called Tomocube, a company specialized in 3-D imaging microscope using holotomography technology. His company is currently exporting the products to multiple countries, including the United States and Japan. The other one is The.Wave.Talk which has technologies for examining pre-existing bacteria anywhere and anytime.
His research career and entrepreneurship are well deserved recipient of many honors. At the 2018 kick-off ceremony, Professor Park was awarded the KAISTian of 2017 in recognition of his developing holographic measure and control technology as well as founding a new field for technology application.
KAISTian of the Year, first presented in 2001, is an award to recognize the achievements and exemplary contribution of KAIST member who has put significant effort nationally and internationally, enhancing the value of KAIST.
While receiving the award, he thanked his colleagues and his students who have achieved this far together. He said, “I would like to thank KAIST for providing environment for young professors like me so that we can engage themselves in research. Also, I would like to mention that I am an idea seeder and my students do the most of the research. So, I appreciate my students for their hard works, and it is very pleasure to have them. Lastly, I thank the professors for teaching these outstanding students. I feel great responsibility over this title. I will dedicate myself to make further progress in commercializing technology in KAIST.”
Expecting his successful startup cases as a model and great inspiration to students as well as professors, KAIST interviewed Professor Park.
Q What made you decide to found your startups?
A I believed that my research areas could be further used. As a professor, I believe that it is a university’s role to create added value through commercializing technology and creating startups.
Q You have co-founded two startups. What is your role in each company?
A So, basically I have two full-time jobs, professor in KAIST and CTO in Tomocube. After transferring the technology, I hold the position of advisor in The.Wave.Talk.
(Holographic images captured by the product Professor Park developed)
Q Do your students also participate in your companies or can they?
A No, the school and companies are separate spaces; in other words, they are not participating in my companies. They have trained my employees when transferring the technologies, but they are not directly working for the companies.
However, they can participate if they want to. If there’s a need to develop a certain technology, an industry-academia contract can be made. According to the agreement, students can work for the companies.
Q Were there any hardships when preparing the startups?
A At the initial stage, I did not have a financial problem, thanks to support from Startup KAIST. Yet, inviting capital is the beginning, and I think every step I made to operate, generate revenue, and so on is not easy.
Q Do you believe KAIST is startup-friendly?
A Yes, there’s no school like KAIST in Korea and any other country. Besides various programs to support startup activities, Startup KAIST has many professors equipped with a great deal of experience. Therefore, I believe that KAIST provides an excellent environment for both students and professors to create startups.
Q Do you have any suggestion to KAIST institutionally?
A Well, I would like to make a comment to students and professors in KAIST. I strongly recommend them to challenge themselves by launching startups if they have good ideas. Many students wish to begin their jobs in government-funded research institutes or major corporates, but I believe that engaging in a startup company will also give them valuable and very productive experience.
Unlike before, startup institutions are well established, so attracting good capital is not so hard. There are various activities offered by Startup KAIST, so it’s worthwhile giving it a try.
Q What is your goal for 2018 as a professor and entrepreneur?
A I don’t have a grand plan, but I will work harder to produce good students with new topics in KAIST while adding power to my companies to grow bigger.
By Se Yi Kim from the PR Office
2018.01.03 View 9801 -
Ultra-Low Power Flexible Memory Using 2D Materials
(Professor Choi and Ph.D. candidate Jang)
KAIST research team led by Professor Sung-Yool Choi at School of Electrical Engineering and Professor Sung Gap Im at the Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering developed high-density, ultra-low power, non-volatile, flexible memory technology using 2D materials. The team used ultrathin molybdenum disulfide (MoS2) with atomic-scale thickness as the channel material and high-performance polymeric insulator film as the tunneling dielectric material. This research was published on the cover of Advanced Functional Materials on November 17. KAIST graduate Myung Hun Woo, a researcher at Samsung Electronics and Ph.D. candidate Byung Chul Jang are first authors.
The surge of new technologies such as Internet of Things (IoT), Artificial Intelligence (AI), and cloud server led to the paradigm shift from processor-centric computing to memory-centric computing in the industry, as well as the increase in demand of wearable devices. This led to an increased need for high-density, ultra-low power, non-volatile flexible memory. In particular, ultrathin MoS2 as semiconductor material has been recently regarded as post-silicon material. This is due to its ultrathin thickness of atomic-scale which suppresses short channel effect observed in conventional silicon material, leading to advantages in high- density and low-power consumption. Further, this thickness allows the material to be flexible, and thus the material is applicable to wearable devices.
However, due to the dangling-bond free surface of MoS2 semiconductor material, it is difficult to deposit the thin insulator film to be uniform and stable over a large area via the conventional atomic layer deposition process. Further, the currently used solution process makes it difficult to deposit uniformly low dielectric constant (k) polymeric insulator film with sub-10 nm thickness on a large area, thus indicating that the memory device utilizing the conventional solution-processed polymer insulator film cannot be operated at low-operating voltage and is not compatible with photolithography.
The research team tried to overcome the hurdles and develop high-density, ultra-low power, non-volatile flexible memory by employing a low-temperature, solvent-free, and all-dry vapor phase technique named initiated chemical vapor deposition (iCVD) process. Using iCVD process, tunneling polymeric insulator film with 10 nm thickness was deposited uniformly on MoS2 semiconductor material without being restricted by the dangling bond-free surface of MoS2. The team observed that the newly developed MoS2-based non-volatile memory can be operated at low-voltage (around 10V), in contrast to the conventional MoS2-based non-volatile memory that requires over 20V.
Professor Choi said, “As the basis for the Fourth Industrial revolution technologies including AI and IoT, semiconductor device technology needs to have characteristics of low-power and flexibility, in clear contrast to conventional memory devices.” He continued, “This new technology is significant in developing source technology in terms of materials, processes, and devices to contribute to achieve these characteristics.”
This research was supported by the Global Frontier Center for Advanced Soft Electronics and the Creative Materials Discovery Program by funded the National Research Foundation of Korea of Ministry of Science and ICT.
( Figure 1. Cover of Advanced Functional Materials)
(Figure 2. Concept map for the developed non-volatile memory material and high-resolution transmission electron microscopy image for material cross-section )
2018.01.02 View 7915 -
President Shin Reaffirms Innovation Initiatives in New Year Speech
(President Shin and representatives of faculty, students, staff celebrate the New Year in a reception held on January 2 at the auditorium.)
The KAIST community gathered to celebrate a fresh start for the year 2018. At the ceremony, held in the auditorium on January 2, members of KAIST community reaffirmed their commitment to be the trailblazers of Korea and beyond through unwavering innovations.
President Sung-Chul Shin presented his new vision and plan in his New Year speech, which focused on innovation for enhancing institutional competitiveness and global visibility. He said that as you are the future of KAIST, KAIST is the future of Korea. KAIST’s vision for a better future will have a significant impact on national progress and beyond. He stressed that innovation in the five pillars of education, research, technology commercialization, globalization, and future strategy will further advance the excellence of KAIST.
At the ceremony, President Shin also presented the award for ‘the KAISTian of the Year’ to Professor YongKeun Park of the Department of Physics. The annual award recognizes a distinguished professor whose academic accomplishments made the most significant impact.
In his New Year speech, President Shin said that the year 2018 will provide an opportunity to take a leap forward for becoming a ‘Global Value Creative, World-Leading University. The Vision 2031 Committee endorsed the five innovation initiatives to fulfill KAIST’s long-term vision and will open its recommendations to the public on March 20.
Educational innovation tops the initiatives. President Shin explained that the future of Korea is in the hands of talented individuals in science and technology, emphasizing the need to nurture creative, transdisciplinary talents with the capacity to enhance the social value of science and technology.
To this end, KAIST will establish a new undergraduate non-departmental program for transdisciplinary education. This plan will eventually provide students with more options in choosing their major, as well as help students build a strong foundation in basic science and engineering and encourage multidisciplinary approaches.
For creating an innovative institutional research infrastructure, KAIST plans to build a Network of Excellence for the Fourth Industrial Revolution (NExFire) for convergence research. The plan of ‘Cross-Generational Collaborative Labs,’ will bring out a new collaboration platform by pairing up senior and junior faculty. President Shin said it will be a stepping stone to extend the spectrum of knowledge without any cessation.
For technology commercialization, KAIST will maximize its intellectual property and economic value by stimulating technology-invested companies and startups. Close cooperation with venture capitalists at home and abroad will further accelerate the commercialization drive at KAIST.
Saying that the globalization is no long an option but a necessity, he stressed KAIST will strengthen its efforts to established a bilingual campus. “KAIST will make every effort to create a more welcoming and comfortable atmosphere for the international community and their families. We will expand benefits to our international community, such as access to the KAIST Child Care Center and collaboration with the Taejon Christian International School (TCIS),” he said. President Shin added he will further expand global networks and partnerships this year, participating in a diverse range of international events at home and abroad for increasing global visibility.
He also said that well-designed future strategies will complete innovation initiatives. The Future Strategy Research Center will serve as a think tank for identifying future agendas, establishing strategies and advocating for them.
In addition to the five innovation initiatives, President Shin emphasized a new organizational culture that embraces inclusiveness and mutual respect among all of the members of KAIST.
“So far, the ideal qualifications expected of KAISTians have included creativity and a challenging spirit. From now on, we will nurture talents with a focus on the 3Cs: Creativity, Challenge, and Caring. I would like to make a campus in which all members care for each other to help attain mutual growth with warmth and respect," he said.
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2018.01.02 View 7675 -
Eight Professors to Lead Top 100 Future Technologoies
On December 18, the National Academy of Engineering of Korea selected the 100 top future technologies that will be the engine growth for Korea in 2025. It also announced experts that will lead the selected technologies. Out of the 238 experts listed, eight professors are from KAIST.
The academy chose technologies based on their potential to be commercialized and contribution to developing related industries in Korea. Giving more weight to young scientists or engineers, it also selected up to three experts who are playing a crucial role in realizing each technology.
Out of 238 experts, 78 of them are from universities, 76 from major enterprises, 65 from public institutions and 19 from SMEs. KAIST is the instituttion that produced the second most experts, follwoing Seoul National University.
2017.12.26 View 5476 -
Non-Adiabatic Reaction Mechanism Identified at Conical Intersection
(Professor Kim(center) and Ph.D. candidates Kyung Chul Woo (left) and Kang Do Hyung)
Research team led by Professor Sang Kyu Kim at KAIST Department of Chemistry observed two distinct reaction pathways that occur at conical intersection where two different adiabatic potential energy surfaces cross at the same nuclear configuration.
Professor Kim previously identified the existence and molecular structure of conical intersection in 2010. In this following study, the team accurately measured reaction rates of two totally different reaction pathways activated only at conical intersection where the seminal Born-Oppenheimer approximation breaks down.
This study led by Kyung Chul Woo (1st author) and Do Hyung Kang, both Ph.D. candidates at KAIST, was published in Journal of the American Chemical Society in November 7th, 2017.
Chemical reaction induced by light occurs in excited electronic states where the reaction outcome is often destined by coupling among different electronic states mediated by nuclear motions during chemical reaction. Such a coupling is most critical and important at the conical intersection as nonadiabtic surface-hopping is most probable at situation where the Born-Oppenheimer approximation fails.
Professor Kim used spectroscopic methods in 2010 to experimentally observe conical intersection of polyatomic molecule. And yet, it was not possible to disentangle complex dynamic processes with frequency-domain study only.
The research team used pico-second time-resolution kinetic energy resolved mass spectrometry to identify two possible distinct reaction pathways in both energy and time domains.,.
The research team demonstrated that the reactive flux prepared at the conical intersection is bifurcated into adiabatic or non-adiabatic reaction pathways. These two pathways are quite distinct in terms of reaction rates, energy releases, and product branching ratios.
This is the first study to capture the moment of bifurcation dynamics at the conical intersection for complex polyatomic molecular system. The study could contribute to conceptual improvement in understanding complicated nonadiabatic dynamics in general.
Professor Kim said, “Basic science research is essential in understanding and wisely using the nature. New technological advances cannot be made without the advancement in basic science.” He continued, “I hope this study could lead to growth in many young academic talents in basic sciences.”
(Figure 1. Reaction graph starting from reaction intersection that divides into adiabatic reaction pathway (red) and non-adiabatic pathway (blue))
2017.12.19 View 5644 -
Technology to Find Optimum Drug Target for Cancer Developed
(Professor Kwang-Hyun Cho (right) and lead author Dr. Minsoo Choi)
A KAIST research team led by Professor Kwang-Hyun Cho of the Department of Bio and Brain Engineering developed technology to find the optimum drug target according to the type of cancer cell. The team used systems biology to analyze molecular network dynamics that reflect genetic mutations in cancer cells and to predict drug response. The technology could contribute greatly to future anti-cancer drug development.
There are many types of genetic variations found in cancer cells, including gene mutations and copy number variations. These variations differ in cancer cells even within the same type of cancer, and thus the drug response varies cell by cell. Cancer researchers worked towards identifying frequently occurring genetic variations in cancer patients and, in particular, the mutations that can be used as an index for specific drugs. Previous studies focused on identifying a single genetic mutation or creating an analysis of the structural characteristics of a gene network. However, this approach was limited in its inability to explain the biological properties of cancer which are induced by various gene and protein interactions in cancer cells, which result in differences in drug response.
Gene mutations in cancer cells not only affect the function of the affected gene, but also other genes that interact with the mutated gene and proteins. As a consequence, one mutation could lead to changes in the dynamical properties of the molecular network. Therefore, the responses to anti-cancer drugs by cancer cells differ. The current treatment approach that ignores molecular network dynamics and targets a few cancer-related genes is only effective on a fraction of patients, while many other patients exhibit resistance to the drug.
Professor Cho’s team integrated a large-scale computer simulation using super-computing and cellular experiments to analyze changes in molecular network dynamics in cancer cells.
This led to development of technology to find the optimum drug target according to the type of cancer cells by predicting drug response. This technology was applied to the molecular network of known tumor suppressor p53. The team used large-scale cancer cell genomic data available from The Cancer Cell Line Encyclopedia (CCLE) to construct different molecular networks specific to the characteristics of genetic variations.
Perturbation analysis on drug response in each molecular network was used to quantify changes in cancer cells from drug response and similar networks were clustered. Then, computer simulations were used to analyze the synergetic effects in terms of efficacy and combination to predict the level of drug response. Based on the simulation results from various cancer cell lines including lung, breast, bone, skin, kidney, and ovary cancers were used in drug response experiments for compare analysis.
This technique can be applied in any molecular network to identify the optimum drug target for personalized medicine.
The research team suggests that the technology can analyze varying drug response due to the heterogeneity of cancer cells by considering the overall modulatory interactions rather than focusing only on a specific gene or protein. Further, the technology aids the prediction of causes of drug resistance and thus the identification of the optimum drug target to inhibit the resistance. This could be core source technology that can be used in drug repositioning, a process of applying existing drugs to new disease targets.
Professor Cho said, “Genetic variations in cancer cells are the cause of diverse drug response, but a complete analysis had not yet been made.” He continued, “Systems biology allowed the simulation of drug responses by cancer cell molecular networks to identify fundamental principles of drug response and optimum drug targets using a new conceptual approach.”
This research was published in Nature Communications on December 5 and was funded by Ministry of Science and ICT and National Research Foundation of Korea.
(Figure 1. Drug response prediction for each cancer cell type from computer simulation and cellular experiment verification for comparison)
(Figure 2. Drug response prediction based on cancer cell molecular network dynamics and clustering of cancer cells by their molecular networks)
(Figure 3. Identification of drug target for each cancer cell type by cellular molecular network analysis and establishment for personalized medicine strategy for each cancer patient)
2017.12.15 View 6374 -
A Glance at the 2017 KAIST Literary Awards Ceremony
Since KAIST is a university specializing in science and engineering, people may think that the students rarely engage in literary activities. But KAIST students also excel in writing literature.
The 23rd KAIST Literary Award Ceremony was held on December 14 on the KAIST main campus. The award was established in 1995 to encourage students’ creative activities and to promote literary attainment. It is open to all KAIST students from undergraduate to masters and PhD students. This year, 43 students submitted a total of 68 literary works in the genres of poetry, novel, critique, and scenario.
KAIST professors Dong Ju Kim, Bong Gwan Jun, and Yunjeong Jo from the School of Humanities & Social Sciences participated as judges for the awards and they were joined by writers from the 8th Endless Road Program who served as invited judges for the novels and scenarios.
The Endless Road Program is a KAIST project for supporting artists who are engaged in literary works including scenarios, novels, webtoons, and movies by providing residences and funds. Novelists Jin Young Choi and Hak Chan Kim participated as judges for the novels and a drama scriptwriter, Joo Kim, as a judge of the scenarios.
After thorough evaluation, four submissions were chosen as awardees.
Section
Award
Name
Poetry
Winner
Sung Gil Moon (PhD candidate from the College of Business)
Runner-up
Jong Ik Jeon (Undergraduate student)
Novel
Winner
Joo Hwan Kim
(Undergraduate from the Dept. of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering)
Runner-up
-
Essay & Critique
Winner
-
Runner-up
Jung Joon Park
(PhD candidate from the Dept. of Bio and Brain Engineering)
Scenario
Winner
-
Runner-up
-
The literary works as well as a review of the awards will be published in the KAIST Times in 2018.
2017.12.15 View 6722 -
New Quantum Mechanical States Observed
(Professor Han (far right) and his research team)
A KAIST research team observed a new quantum mechanical magnetic state ‘Jeff = 3/2.’ This first observation of ‘Jeff=3/2’ could be the foundation for future research on superconductivity and quantum magnetism.
In quantum mechanics, total angular momentum is defined as the sum of spin and orbital angular momenta and is denoted with the ‘J.’ The newly identified magnetic moment can be described as a kind of angular momentum that occurs when specific conditions are met and has been denoted ‘Jeff’ with the meaning ‘effective angular momentum’ in the field. Jeff=3/2 has been a topic of discussion but was yet to be observed.
The research was co-led by Professor Myung Joon Han of the Department of Physics at Chung-Ang University in Korea, RIKEN in Japan, and the Argonne National Laboratory in the US. This research was published in Nature Communications on October 14, 2017.
In academia, spin-orbital coupling was known to lead to a unique quantum state and has been an active area of recent research. In contrast to magnetic moment by electron spin and orbital, the effective magnetic moment Jeff, formed from the coupling of the two, shows a unique ground state and interaction patterns, which could lead to new phenomena and properties.
Most studies in the last decade focused on ‘Jeff=1/2’, but there has not been any observation of ‘Jeff=3/2’, which led to slow progress. In 2014, the research team led by Prof. Han theoretically predicted the possibility of the ‘Jeff=3/2’ state in a certain type of materials based on molecular orbital, instead of atomic orbital. In the current study, the team applied the Selection Rule of quantum mechanics for the ‘Jeff=3/2’ state, which differs to the general spin moment, in order to experimentally detect this moment.
When electrons near the atomic nucleus are excited by X-rays, the excited electrons can be absorbed or re-emitted through interactions with other electrons. Here, the Selection Rule is applied to electrons. According to quantum mechanics, this rule is very unique in the ‘Jeff=3/2’ state and ‘Jeff=3/2’ is predicted to be distinguishable from general spin states. The prediction that was made using this idea was verified through the experiment using electrons extracted from tantalum at two different energy levels. In this material, the unique quantum mechanical interference by the ‘Jeff=3/2’ moment can be taken as direct evidence for its existence.
The new quantum state is very unique from any of the previously known magnetic states and this study could be the starting point for future research on the ‘Jeff=3/2’ moment. Further, this finding could contribute to future research on various properties of the magnetic states and its interactions.
(Figure 1: Crystal structure, MO levels, and RIXS process in GaTa4Se8.)
(Figure 2: Cluster model calculations of the L3 and L2 RIXS spectra)
2017.12.14 View 5346 -
Distinguished Professor Sang Yup Lee Named NAI Fellow
(Distinguished Professor Sang Yup Lee)
Distinguished Professor Sang Yup Lee of the Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering was named to the National Academy of Inventors in the US. He is the first Korean scholar ever elected as a NAI fellow.
The NAI is a non-profit member organization with over 4,000 individual inventors and fellows spanning more than 250 institutions worldwide. It is comprised of universities as well as governmental and non-profit research institutes. The academy was founded in 2010 to recognize and encourage inventors with patents from the US Patent and Trademark Office. So far, 575 fellows from 229 institutions have been elected.
The academy said Professor Lee has been recognized for fellowship induction as he has demonstrated a highly prolific spirit of innovation in creating or facilitating outstanding inventions that have made a tangible impact on quality of life, economic development, and the welfare of society.
Distinguished Professor Lee, a pioneering researcher and scholar in the field of systems metabolic engineering, was ranked in the top 1% of highly cited researchers (HCR) this year. Over the past 11 years, he published more than 130,000 articles in prestigious journals around the world. He has been cited more than 34,000 times since he started working at KAIST in 1994.
He is also the first Korean ever elected to both the National Academy of Sciences (NAS) and the National Academy of Engineering (NAE) in the US, becoming the one of 13 foreign scholars in the world holding two prestigious institutions’ fellowships.
Dr. Lee is currently the dean of KAIST Institutes, the world-leading institute for multi and interdisciplinary research. He is also serving as co-chair of the Global Council on Biotechnology and is a member of the Global Future Council on the Fourth Industrial Revolution at the World Economic Forum.
2017.12.13 View 7142