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Best Prize to Sungwook Choi and Gold Prize to Heeseok Han at Paper Contest
Best Prize to Sungwook Choi and Gold Prize to Heeseok Han at Paper Contest
Best Prize to Sungwook Choi and Gold Prize to Heeseok Han at Fairchild Korea Graduate Student Paper Contest
Sungwook Choi and Heeseok Han, both in doctorate course at KAIST Department of Electrical Engineering, won best prize and gold prize respectively at the 1st Fairchild Korea Graduate Student Paper Contest.
The title of Choi’s paper is ‘Cost Effective Multi-Level Single Sustaining Driver for Plasma Display Panel with Dual Energy Recovery Path’.
And the title of Han’s paper is ‘Digital Control IC for Electronic Ballast using Mixed Mode Excitation’.
Choi’s paper proposes a new driver that can avoid the problems of IGBT, a power switch used at PDP driving circuit, gaining attention as next-generation display, for cost-reduction. Choi showed his feeling of pleasure by saying, “I’m very pleased that my paper can contribute to PDP popularization and development of power switch for PDP through cost-reduction. I’d like to acknowledge Professor Kunwoo Moon, who has instructed me with persistence and interest at all times.”
Meanwhile, total 56 papers from 23 universities are applied for the contest, and total 11 papers were awarded after two rounds of examination in terms of novelty, creativeness, technical difficulties, etc. Awardees will be exempted from documentation test and are eligible for additive points when they hope to join Fairchild Korea.
2006.11.14 View 14076 -
Professor Churchill listed on international biographical dictionary
Professor Churchill listed on international biographical dictionary
Professor David G. Churchill (Department of Chemistry) is listed in Who’s Who in the World in its edition for 2007, international biographical dictionary published by Marquis Who’s Who.
Professor Churchill majored in Organometallic Chemistry and Chemistry of Complex at Colombia University in U.S. and began lectures at KAIST Chemistry department in July 2004.
Professor Churchill has presented 56 papers as member of the American Chemical Society and the Korea Chemical Society and is recognized for his excellent research performances. Recently, he is studying on a method to sense and counteract various toxic nervous substances by bonding them with metals.
2006.11.08 View 16100
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Professor Sang-Yup Lee publishes a requested paper in Nature Biotechnology
Professor Sang-Yup Lee publishes a requested paper in Nature Biotechnology
“The era of commercialized bioplastic is coming”
Disclose an opinion as specialist at a requested paper in Nature Biotechnology, October 2006
A team led by Barbel Friedrich, Professor of Humboldt-Universitat zu Berlin, and Alexander Steinbuchel, Professor of West falische Wilhelms-Universitat Munster, found out the entire genome sequence of the typical bioplastic-producing microorganism ‘Ralstonia eutropha’ and published a paper on it in Nature Biotechnology, October 2006. As the entire genome sequence of the typical bioplactic-producing microorganism has been discovered, it is expected that the efficient production of bioplastic will be available through strain improvement at a more systematic level.
Regarding this paper, Nature Biotechnology requested world-renowned scholar Sang-Yup Lee, LG Chemical Chair-Professor of KAIST Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering Department, an expert analysis on the future of bioplastic production as a result of the deciphering of the genome sequence, and Professor Lee revealed his opinion at ‘News and Views’ in Nature Biotechnology, October 2006, issued on October 10. In the analysis, he insisted, “The deciphering of the genomes of Ralstonia means to pave the way for the improvement of strains at a system level by combining simulation through various omics and imaginary cells and engineering at a genome level. It will be possible to produce plastic with desired properties by altering the components of plastic as desired and produce bioplastic, more efficient and economical than have been reported so far, through the optimization of metabolic flow.”
Professor Lee is a world-renowned scholar in the bioplastic field, who has presented about 70 SCI papers in the field. He created a word ‘Plastic Bacteria’ at Trends in Biotechnology in 1996 and published an expert paper regarding E.Coli Plastic at Nature Biotechnology in 1997. He is now performing a research concerning the improvement of bioplastic-producing strains as an example of a research employing a systematic method for the system biological research and development project of the Ministry of Science and Technology.
The followings are the contents of Professor Lee’s paper concerning microorganism plastic published at ‘News and Views’ in Nature Biotechnology, October 2006.
- Polyhydroxyalkanoate (PHA) is a high molecule that numerous microorganisms accumulate in their own cells as energy storage substance when they are rich in carbonic resources, but poor in the other growth factors. The PHA high molecule is polyester, in which the unit substances (unit chemicals) are ester-bonded, and has been studied worldwide about twenty years before. However, PHA’s worse properties than petrochemical plastic and extremely high production cost have prevented its commercialization. The production cost of PHA was 15 dollars per kg in 1980’s, twenty times higher than the price of polypropylene. Sang-Yup Lee, LG Chemical Chair-Professor of KAIST Chemical & Biomolecular Department’s BK21 Project Group, has performed a research concerning the efficient production of microorganism plastic through the combination of metabolic engineering and fermentation process under the support of the Ministry of Science and Technology, and developed a process that lowers the production cost of PHA to 2-3 dollars per kg. He also has developed PHA-producing bacteria, efficient enough to fill plastic tightly, and named it ‘Plastic Bacteria’.
- The unprecedented rise of oil price for the past two years activated the researches on Bio-based energies and chemical production globally. PHA is also regaining attentions although the researches on it have been withered so far due to its poor economical efficiency and properties. The result of the genome deciphering of the typical plastic-producing microorganism ‘Ralstonia eutropha’ published by a German research team in Nature Biotechnology, October 2006 suggests huge meanings. That is, it will provide a blueprint over the metabolic activities of the bacteria and thus enables more systematic strain improvement.
- Eyeing on these facts, Nature Biotechnology requested Professor Sang-Yup Lee an expert analysis, and Professor Lee analyzed that there would be a dramatic development of microorganism plastic production through the application of the system biological engineering method, which is now being performed actively by Professor Lee at KAIST. In the analysis, Professor Lee revealed, “As the genome sequence has been found out, it becomes possible to establish metabolic network at a genome level, and since simulation becomes available, numberless trial and errors and experiments can be replaced with imaginary experiments rapidly. In addition, It makes the more efficient development of strains possible by fusion-analyzing the omics result such as various transcripts, proteins, metabolites, etc.” He also expected that it would be possible to produce tailor-made PHA having desired properties through metabolic engineering as well as the efficient production of plastic. Besides, he prospected that his research on the production of optically pure hydroxyl carboxyl acid, Professor Lee’s international patent right, would gain driving forces and technical development would be made rapidly at biological hydrogen production, production, dissolution and application of aromatic compounds, etc. by featuring this strain.
- Recently, Metabolic and ADM, U.S. companies, jointly started to produce PHA at a commercialization level, and Brazil having rich natural resources is commercializing PHA, following Bio-ethanol. In addition, Japan and Germany having a bunch of research performance in this field, and Australia having rich biomass are also performing consistent researches on PHA’s commercialization. Professor Lee prospected, “With the finding out of the genome sequence of the typical bioplastic-producing microorganism, competition for commercialization will be fiercer among nations through the development of efficient production systems.”
- Professor Lee prospected that as the efficient production of PHA becomes possible, the production of plastic from various renewable ingredients (cellurose, starch, suger, etc.) through microorganism fermentation would be made practically and the white biotechnologies of existing chemicals would gain more power. He also said, “Korea also will have to try to secure the production technologies and industry of Bio-based chemicals through strategic cooperation with resource powerfuls, etc. on the basis of the technical dominancy in some system metabolic engineering fields.”
- ‘News and Views’ in Nature Biotechnology is a section that publishes analyses of world-renowned specialists in the corresponding fields over the contents of some papers having great influences among papers published in the issue. KAIST Professor Sang-Yup Lee has published his second expert analysis of ‘Deciphering bioplastic production’ in the volume of October 2006, following the first paper ‘Going into the era of E.Coli plastic’.
2006.10.23 View 14976
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H.Y.Choi won BSPA
H.Y.Choi won BSPA
Hyun-Young Choi, Doctor’s course at the Lightwave Systems Research Laboratory (LSRL) of Department of Electrical Engineering of KAIST (Professor in charge Yoonchul Jung), won the Best Student Paper Awards (BSPA) in the Asia-Pacific Optical Communications 2006.
BSPA is awarded to the most prospective paper in the field of Optical Transmission, Switching, and Subsystems. Choi suggested an OSNR monitoring technique among performance monitoring techniques for the efficient maintenance and management of optical network in her paper. Her technique is based on a polarization-nulling method using the polarization features of optical signals. It employs polarization mode dispersion compensator and acousto optic tunable filter (AOTF) to prevent monitoring errors arising from polarization mode dispersion (PMD) and non-linear double refraction, which considerably improves the monitoring technique and makes it possible to demonstrate a technique proposed at ultra long haul network.
2006.10.16 View 13247
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Information on (specialty) interview for the first collection of undergraduate students 2007
Information on (specialty) interview for the first collection of undergraduate students 2007
· Time and place (for interviewees on October 13 and 14)
o Time: 8:30 am on a designated day
o Place: Creative Learning Building (E11)
o Interview room: designated rooms in Creative Learning Building
· Notice
o Interviewees are required to bring basic data for interview, application card, and writing tools.
o Interviewees are required to submit basic data for interview at the interview of selective (science) subject
· With respect to specialty interview
o Subjects:
· Math and Science (select one among Physics, Biology, and Chemistry)
o Schedule:
(1) Interview will be conducted for one subject in the morning and the other in the afternoon.
(2) Interview schedule will be taught on the interview day.
o Details:
Interviewees arrive at the designated place (Creative Learning Building)
- move to a waiting room of each subject (Math or Science)
- move to a preparation room of each subject in order of designated number
- solve test problems for interview for 30 minutes
- interview with interviewer (three members) for 20 minutes
o After morning interview
Interviewees can enjoy free time after morning interview, but should be back to Creative Learning Building no later than 1: 20 pm for afternoon interview.
o Afternoon interview will be conducted in the same sequence as the morning one.
2006.10.10 View 12030
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Information on (personality) interview for first collection of undergraduate students 2007
Information on (personality) interview for first collection of undergraduate students 2007
· Interviewees on October13, (Friday)
o Time: 1:10 pm, October 13 (Friday)
o Place: Undergraduate gymnasium (N2)
o Interview room
o Staffs will bring interviewees to interview rooms
· Interviewees on October 14, (Saturday)
o Time: 1:10 pm, October 14 (Saturday)
o Place: Creative Learning Building (E11)
o Interview room: designated rooms in Creative Learning Building
· Notice
o Interviewees are required to bring basic data for interview and application card.
2006.10.10 View 10591
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Notification of student numbers and input of personal information for freshmen of the first master's, doctor's, and unified course 2007
Notification of student numbers and input of personal information for freshmen of the first master’s, doctor’s, and unified course 2007
Notification of student numbers and input of personal information for freshmen of the first master’s, doctor’s, and unified course 2007
Enrolled students are requested to input personal information.
▶▶▶ Click here to move to student number notification page.
▶▶▶ Click here to move to personal information input page.
2006.10.10 View 11604
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Sona Kwak wins first prize in international robot design contest
Sona Kwak wins first prize in international robot design contest
Sona Kwak (Doctor’s course, Department of Industrial Design) won the first prize in an international robot design contest.
Kwak exhibited an emotional robot of ‘Hamie’ at ‘Robot Design Contest for Students’ in Ro-Man 2006/ The 15th IEEE International Symposium on Robot and Human Interactive Communication, which was held at University of Hertfordshire, United Kingdom for three days from September 6 (Wed) and obtained the glory of the first prize.
‘Hamie’, the work of the first prize, has been devised in terms of emotional communication among human beings. The design concept of ‘Hamie’ is a portable emotional robot that can convey even ‘intimacy’ using senses of seeing, hearing, and touching beyond a simple communication function. The design of ‘Hamie’ was estimated to best coincide with the topic of the contest in consideration of its function that allows emotional mutual action between human beings as well as mutual action between human and robot, or robot and robot. ‘Hamie’ is not an actual embodiment but proposed as ‘a concept and design of a robot’.
‘Ro-man’ is a world-famous academic conference in the research field of mutual action between robot and human being, and ‘Robot Design Contest for Students’ is a contest to scout for creative and artistic ideas on the design and structure of future robots and exhibits works from all over world.
Kwak is now seeking to develop the contents and designs of various next-generation service robots such as ▲ ottoro ? cleaning robot ▲ robot for blind ▲ robot for the old ▲ robot for education assistance ▲ robot for office affairs ▲ ubiquitos robot in her lab (PES Design Lab) led by Professor Myungseok Kim.
“I’ve considered and been disappointed about the role of designers in robot engineering while I’ve been designing robots. I am very proud that my robot design has been recognized in an academic conference of world-famous robot engineers and gained confidence,” Kwak said.
2006.09.27 View 15248
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KAIST ranked first place in National University Assessment 2006 by ChungAng Daily
KAIST ranked first place in National University Assessment 2006 by ChungAng Daily
KAIST is ranked at the first place in the National University Assessment 2006 performed by ChungAng Daily. KAIST occupies the top place in the sections of globalization, faculty researches, and improvement. Particularly, university innovation and globalization, which have been promoted by KAIST, played substantial roles in taking the top place in the assessment. KAIST is evaluated the best at the items in the section of education atmosphere and finance such as the amount of scholarship per student, the rate of scholarship beneficiaries, and the rate of scholarship to tuition fee, and at the items in the section of faculty researches such as the number of papers published in SCI by professor, and the number of intellectual properties possessed by professors. In the section of globalization, KAIST gained high scores throughout the four items such as the rate of foreign professors, the rate of English-spoken class, and so on.
2006.09.27 View 11885
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Professor Eunjoon Kim's team finds synapse-forming protein
Professor Eunjoon Kim’s team finds synapse-forming protein
- discover a new protein ‘NGL’ that promotes the formation of neuronal synapses
- can presume the cause of various brain disorders including schizophrenia
- will be published at Nature Neuroscience Vol. 9 in September
A new protein that promotes the formation of synapses in human brains was discovered by a Korean research team.
The team led by Eunjoon Kim, Professor of Department of Biological Sciences and Head of Creative Research Group of Synapse Formation), announced that it had discovered a new fact that NGL protein promotes the formation of neuronal synapses and this fact would be published in Nature Neuroscience Vol. 9 on September 18.
Professor Kim’s team discovered that a membrane protein named ‘NGL’ located at post synapse links with other membrane protein named netrin-G in pre synapse, acting as crosslink, and promotes the formation of a new synapse.
‘NGL’ is the second protein found to crosslink synapse, following neuoroligin. With the discovery of this new protein, the principle of synapse formation and the causes of various brain disorders can be presumed.
In the human brain, about more than 100 billion neuron cells and about 10,000 synapses compose neural circuit. A synapse is the place where innervation occurs between neuron cells. The formation of synapse induces the formation of neural circuit, and neural circuit is deeply related with various brain disorders as well as normal development of brains or brain functions.
“As netrin-G linked with NGL is related with schizonphrenia and neuoroligin and synapse crosslinking protein having a similar function with NGL is deeply related with mental retardation and autism, I think NGL is related with various brain disorders including schizophrenia.”
<Explanation of attached photos>
■ Photo1: Experiment for confirming NGL’s ability to form synapse No. 1
Mix ordinary cell (green) revealing NGL at its surface and neuron cell. Axon grows toward NGL (ordinary cell) located in the middle of ten o’clock direction and meets NGL, where NGL induces the formation of pre synapse (red) in the contacting axon.
Whether pre synapse has been formed can be told by the fluorescent dying (red) of pre synapse protein named Synapsin.
- Figure a-b: formation of synapse by NGL
- Figure c-d: transformed NGL losing synapse forming ability cannot form synapse
■ Photo 2: Experiment for confirming NGL’s ability to form synapse No. 2
When beads coated with NGL are scattered on neuron cell, the beads contact with the axon of the neuron cell (the beads are clearly visible at the phase differentiation image in the middle panel). At this time, NGL induces the formation of pre synapse (red) in the axon. Whether pre synapse has been formed can be told by the fluorescent dying (red) of pre synapse protein named SynPhy (panel a) or VGlut1 (panel b).
2006.09.21 View 14735
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President Nam-Pyo Suh won 'International award'
President Nam-Pyo Suh won ‘International award’
In recognition of distinguished scientific and industrial contributions to the field of production engineering, KAIST president Nam-Pyo Suh won ‘General Pierre Nicolau Award’ conferred by College International pour la Recherche en Productique (CIRP).
President Suh is a world-renowned scholar who has made excellent achievements at plastic manufacturing process, metal manufacturing process, wear and tear theory, design theory, etc. in the field of production and manufacturing technologies and also the founder of production/ design theory using axiom.
General Pierre Nicolau Award’ has been established to honor General Pierre Nicolau, a world-renowned French authority in the field of production engineering, and commemorate his contributions to the founding of CIRP.
2006.09.18 View 11387
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KAIST stadium remodeled
KAIST stadium remodeled
KAIST stadium was reopened on last Thursday, September 14 after its 1.2 billion won-paid remodeling, which equipped the stadium with international standard soccer field, urethane running track, and inline skating track.
■ Main facilities
- Urethane running track
(straight track: 6 lanes, 100 meter-long/ corner track: 4 lanes, 400 meter-long)
- Inline skating track (Width: 4.9m)
- International standard artificial turf soccer field (drainage plate method employed)
- Four night light towers
- Total 1,530 seats installed in the stand
- Shower booths and modern-style toilets
■ Total construction cost: 1.2 billion won
- 0.3 billion won from Seoul Olympic Sports Promotion Foundation (assistance fund),
- 0.9 billion won from KAIST budget
■ Features
- Day/night, all weather, and full-season available
- Artificial turf soccer field employing drainage plate method will reduce about 290 million won from the budget.
2006.09.18 View 11284