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2011 International Presidential Forum on Global Research Universities
KAIST’s 4th International Presidential Forum Held in Seoul on November 8, 2011
The largest annual congregation of university presidents in Asia invited leaders from academia, government, and industry for talks on issues related to higher education in the Age of Globalization.
Borderless and Creative Education: the ability to cross borders a crucial key to dominate the information era
Seoul, Republic of Korea, November 8, 2011—The Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST) hosted the “2011 International Presidential Forum on Global Research Universities (IPFGRU)” on Tuesday, November 8, 2011 at the Millennium Hilton Hotel in Seoul.
With more than 120 participants from 44 institutions in 27 countries present, the full-day forum provided participants with an opportunity to discuss challenges and responsibilities facing higher education in a time of globalization that has resulted from an ever-growing demand for technological innovation.
In his plenary speech, Dr. Robert Birgeneau, Chancellor of UC Berkeley, stressed that “Higher educational intuitions must be prepared to drive innovation and enhance competitiveness by educating a highly trained workforce that will have the critical skills necessary to solve problems and lead in today’s interdependent world.”
“Finding solutions to the world’s most challenging problems will depend on the ability to cross borders: national borders, border between different fields of discipline and research, and borders between academe, government, and industry,” said Chancellor Birgeneau to address the importance of “borderless and creative education,” the theme of the forum.
Other major keynote speakers were Jörg Steinbach, President of Technische Universität Berlin, Lars Pallesen, President of Technical University of Denmark, Paul F. Greenfield, President of University of Queensland, Marcelo Fernandes de Aquino, President of the University of the Sinos Valley (UNISINOS), and Eden Woon, Vice President of the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology.
Dr. Nam-Pyo Suh, President of KAIST, gave talks on the university’s new education plan, “The I-Four Education,” at the afternoon session. The four Is are information technology (IT), independent learning, integrated knowledge acquisitions, and an international learning environment.
“In this format, there are no formal lectures,” President Suh explained. “A group of students learn together by using the materials available on the internet, doing homework and conducting experiments together. Pre-recorded lectures are delivered in English by I-Four professors, some of them regular KAIST professors and some professors in other countries who participate in the I-Four Program as consulting professors.”
He added, “The overall purpose of the I-Four Education Program is to encourage students to learn independently, gain exposure to the best lectures by the most eminent professors in the world, accelerate the development of a global frame of reference in the students by dealing with information available throughout the world, and provide an integrated learning environment by using diverse examples from many disciplines to achieve understanding of basic principles.”
The 2011 IPFGRU, the fourth forum since its inception in 2008, rose to prominence in the past years as an international network for leaders of research universities from around the world to share information and exchange views about contemporary issues in higher education.
At this year’s forum, entitled “Borderless and Creative Education,” speakers took a deeper look into the transitions and transformations many research universities are undergoing today, delving into the following topics: the development of e-learning and cyber campuses; increased student mobility and international collaborations; multi-disciplinary and convergence approaches in research and education; and methodology of nurturing future global leaders.
Participants also discussed experiences and accomplishments earned from their own endeavors to accommodate such changes and presented ways to strengthen internationalization and improve the academic and research competitiveness of universities.
The 2011 International Presidential Forum on Global Research Universities (IPFGRU) was organized by KAIST and sponsored by the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology, POSCO, Hyundai Motor Company, Samsung Heavy Industries, S-Oil, and Elsevier Korea.
2011.11.09 View 14337 -
Professor Son Hoon received "Structural Health Monitoring Person of the Year Award."
Professor Son Hoon (42) of the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering received the “Structural Health Monitoring Person of the Year Award” at an international workshop on structural health monitoring held in Stanford University.
The award is given by the editor and advisors of prestigious international magazine, “Journal of Structural Health Monitoring,” to a researcher with the best research record in a year. Professor Son has published 42 SCI level dissertations, registered 17 patents both domestically and internationally, and presented over 100 papers in international journals, for which he was recognized with the award. Professor Son is the first Korean who receives this award.
One of the most significant achievements by Professor Son was “reference-free damage diagnosis” that he had developed in 2007. The diagnosis allows for the detection of wear and tear of a structure without having to use the foundation signal from the initial stages of the structure. The diagnosis contributed greatly in increasing the reliability of the signal information received from smart sensors attached to the structure by eliminating the environmental impact like temperature.
Professor Son is currently working on green energy structural health monitoring system development related projects. His current work deals with airplanes, bridges, nuclear facilities, high speed railways, wind turbines, and etc. in cooperation with Boeing, United States Air Force Research Institute, Korea Research Foundation, Ministry of Defense Research Institute, Korea Expressway Corporation, POSCO, and etc.
In addition, Professor Son successfully adopted a local monitoring method using smart piezoelectric sensors on a bridge in New Jersey as part of the Long Term Bridge Performance Program initiated by the National Highway Bureau. The success was even introduced in New Jersey’s public TV and newspaper agencies.
Professor Son was given tenure at a record age of 39 in 2008 and received numerous awards given out by the Ministry of Education and Science and international organizations like the ‘Edward M Curtis’ Professor Award from Purdue University.
2011.10.10 View 11608 -
In Demand: Ideas that can change the world in 10 years.
The hot topic of the day was from KOLON group (Chairman Lee Oung Yeol) and its decision to hold a contest exhibition specifically aimed at KAIST students, professors and staff on ideas that could potentially change the everyday lifestyle in the near future. It is the first time a Korean company in the top 30 to hold such a contest aimed at a specific university.
The total prize money involved amounts to 50million Korean Won which will be handed out to ten teams. The 1st prize will be given to one team along with 20million Korean Won, the 2nd prize will be given to two teams each receiving 10million Korean Won, and the rest of the teams will be given 1million Korean Won worth in gift certificates.
The idea contest is planned by KOLON-KAIST Lifestyle Innovation Center (from here on referred to as KOLON LSI Center). Anyone who is part of the KAIST community can participate by preparing a two A4 page report and sending it to kolon.kaist.dreamer@gmail.com until October 31st five o’clock in the afternoon. The results and the awards ceremony will be held on the 23rd of November on ‘KOLON Day’.
The Executive Director of KOLON Kim Kyung Yong commented, “The dreams of yesteryears like shrinking a room sized computer to fit in the palm of my hand and being able to communicate to anyone in the world have become reality. The KAIST community is composed of Korea’s finest in the field of Science, and it seemed fitting to search the KAIST community to find ideas that could potentially change the world in ten years’ time.”
2011.09.26 View 9870 -
Mrs. Kim Sam Yeol donates to KAIST 5 billion Korean Won in real estate following her husband Chairman Kim Byoung Ho's act of generosity.
“Everything is hard the first time around, but it becomes easier from the second time around. The same goes for donation. I wish my small donation can go a long way in the development of KAIST.”
Chairman Kim Byoung Ho donated to KAIST 30 billion Korean Won in real estate in 2009 and on the 19th of September of 2011, his wife Mrs. Kim Sam Yeol visited President Seo Nam Pyo at KAIST Seoul campus to donate 5 billion Korean Won in real estate.
It is the first time in KAIST history that the donator of a substantial donation or his/her family member donates once more, an equally substantial donation. Mrs. Kim relayed that, “Seeing the Kim Byoung Ho & Kim Same Yeol IT Fusion Center start construction in May of this year as a result of my husband’s donation made me think how great a contribution we have made in the development of this country” and that “It has been some time since I decided to make additional donation upon the completion of the IT Fusion Center in December.”
She explained that the earlier than planned donation reflects her wish that KAIST begin using and investing her donation as quickly as possible.
Mrs. Kim stated that, “We planned to build a mansion to live in in commemoration of our 30th wedding anniversary on the real estate property we donated, but it seemed much better and meaningful to take part in the joy of giving and donate to KAIST with the belief that the property will be used in a more meaningful way.”
She went on to say that, “It was harder to make the decision to donate the second time around. We felt sorry for our son and his spouse, but our decision was made final when we thought of the professors, students, staff, including President Seo Nam Pyo who spend day and night working to develop science and technology in Korea.”
Her husband Chairman Kim Byoung Ho agreed to donate the real estate property to KAIST.
President Seo commented, “Mrs. Kim Sam Yeol’s donation will contribute greatly to the spread of the ‘donation virus’ and will be marked as the start of a new chapter. In order to commemorate her goodwill for KAIST, it will be seen to it that the donation will be used in manner that is meaningful and beneficial to the development of KAIST.”
The couple, Kim Byoung Ho and Kim Sam Yeol, has donated a sum of 20 million Korean Won since their 2009 donation for the development of KAIST.
2011.09.20 View 9131 -
Spintronics: A high wire act by Nanowerk News
An article by Nanowerk News on the integration of ferromagnetic nanowire arrays on grapheme substrates was published. Professor Bong-Soo Kim from the Department of Chemistry, KAIST, led the research in conjunction with Hanyang University and Samsung in Korea.
http://www.nanowerk.com/news/newsid=22204.php
Posted: Jul 25th, 2011
Spintronics: A high wire act
(Nanowerk News) Graphene is a promising material for a wide range of applications due to its remarkable mechanical and electronic properties. An application of particular interest is spin-based electronics, or spintronics, in which the spin orientation of an electron is used to perform circuit functions in addition to its charge. Bongsoo Kim and colleagues from KAIST, Hanyang University and Samsung in Korea now report the integration of ferromagnetic nanowire arrays on graphene substrates, opening up a route for the construction of graphene-based spintronic devices using nanowires as spin-injecting contacts ("Epitaxially Integrating Ferromagnetic Fe1.3Ge Nanowire Arrays on Few-Layer Graphene").
The spin of an electron is a property that, like charge, can be used to encode, process and transport information. However, spin information is easily lost in most media, which has made spintronics difficult to realize in practice. In graphene, on the other hand, spin can be preserved for longer due to its peculiar electron transport properties. "Low intrinsic spin–orbit coupling, long spin diffusion lengths and vanishing hyperfine interaction are features of graphene that make it a promising medium for spin transport," explains Kim.
Scanning electron microscopy image of vertical iron germanide nanowires grown on graphene. (© ACS 2011)
A prerequisite for the realization of spintronic devices based on graphene is its integration with ferromagnetic contacts to allow spin injection. Kim and his co-workers found that nanowires of iron germanide (Fe1.3Ge) serve as efficient contacts for this purpose. "Iron germanide nanowires show low resistivity and room-temperature ferromagnetism, and they are compatible with existing complementary metal–oxide–semiconductor technologies," says Kim.
To produce the atomically well-defined interfacial contact between the nanowires and the graphene surface needed for optimum device performance, the researchers deposited the contacts by an epitaxial method based on chemical vapor transport. Through careful adjustment of deposition parameters such as carrier gas flow rate and reaction temperature, the researchers produced vertically aligned nanowires that are closely lattice-matched to the graphene sheets (see image).
Initially preparing the graphene sheets on a substrate of silicon oxide allowed the researchers to isolate the final nanowire–graphene structure by etching and then transfer it to another substrate, greatly expanding the versatility of the approach. It is a delicate process, however. "It is necessary to transfer the graphene films onto the substrate very carefully in order to avoid folding and wrinkling of the graphene," says Kim.
Source: Tokyo Institute of Technology
2011.07.26 View 11471 -
Wireless electric trams at Seoul Amusement Park begin full operations.
Photo by Hyung-Joon Jun
IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Wireless electric trams at Seoul Amusement Park begin full operations.
KAIST’s On-Line Electric Vehicle (OLEV) becomes an icon of green technology, particularly for young students who aspire to transform their nation into the “vanguard of sustainability.”
Seoul, South Korea, July 19, 2011—As young students wrap up their school work before summer vacation in late July, Seoul Grand Park, an amusement park located south of Seoul, is busily preparing to accommodate throngs of summer visitors. Among the park’s routine preparations, however, there is something new to introduce to guests this summer: three wireless electric trams have replaced the old diesel-powered carts used by passengers for transportation within the park.
The Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST) and the city of Seoul held a ceremony this morning, July 19, 2011, to celebrate their joint efforts to adopt a green public transportation system and presented park visitors with the three On-Line Electric Vehicles (OLEVs), which will be operated immediately thereafter. Approximately one hundred people, including science high school students across the nation, attended the ceremony and had a chance to ride the trams.
KAIST unveiled the prototype of an electric tram to the public in March 2010, and since then it has developed three commercial trams. The Korean government and the institute have worked on legal issues to embark on the full-scale commercialization of OLEV, and the long awaited approval from the government on such issues as standardization of the OLEV technology and road infrastructure, regulation of electromagnetic fields and electricity safety, and license and permits for vehicle eligibility, finally came through.
The On-Line Electric Vehicle (OLEV) is no ordinary electric car in that it is remotely charged via electromagnetic fields created by electric cables buried beneath the road. Unlike other currently available electric cars, OLEV can travel unlimited distances without having to stop to recharge. OLEV also has a small battery onboard, which enables the vehicle to travel on roads that are not equipped with underground power cables. This battery, however, is only one-fifth of the size of a conventional electric vehicle battery, resulting in considerable savings in the cost, size, and weight of the vehicle.
The OLEV project was initiated in 2009 as a method of resolving the battery problems of electric cars in a creative and disruptive way. KAIST came up with the idea of supplying electricity directly to the cars instead of depending solely on the onboard battery for power. Since then, the university has developed core technologies related to OLEV such as the “Shaped Magnetic Field in Resonance (SMFIR),” which enables an electric car to collect the magnetic fields and convert them into electricity, and the “Segment Technology,” which controls the flow of electromagnetic waves through an automatic power-on/shut-down system, thereby eliminating accidental exposure of the electromagnetic waves to pedestrians or non-OLEV cars.
According to KAIST, three types of OLEV have been developed thus far: electric buses, trams, and sport utility vehicles (SUVs). The technical specifications of the most recently developed OLEV (an electric bus), the OLEV research team at the university said, are as follows:
· Power cables are buried 15cm beneath the road surface.
· On average, over 80% power transmission efficiency is achieved.
· The distance gap between the road surface and the underbody of the vehicle is 20cm.
· The OLEV bus has a maximum electricity pickup capacity of 100kW.
· The OLEV bus complies with international standards for electromagnetic fields (below 24.1 mG).
The eco-friendly electric trams at Seoul Grand Park consume no fossil fuels and do not require any overhead wires or cables. Out of the total circular driving route (2.2km), only 16% of the road, 372.5m, has the embedded power lines, indicating that OLEV does not require extensive reconstruction of the road infrastructure. The city government of Seoul signed a memorandum of understanding with KAIST in 2009 as part of its initiatives to curtail emissions from public transportation and provide cleaner air to its citizens. Both parties plan to expand such collaboration to other transportation systems including buses in the future.
KAIST expects the OLEV technology to be applied in industries ranging from transportation to electronics, aviation, maritime transportation, robotics, and leisure. There are several ongoing international collaborative projects to utilize the OLEV technology for a variety of transportation needs, such as inner city commute systems (bus and trolley) and airport shuttle buses, in nations including Malaysia, US, Germany, and Denmark.
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More information about KAIST’s On-Line Electric Vehicle can be found at http://olev.co.kr/en/index.php. For any inquiries, please contact Lan Yoon at 82-42-350-2295 (cell: 82-10-2539-4303) or by email at hlyoon@kaist.ac.kr.
2011.07.22 View 16209 -
New Scientist: Wind power harnesses the energy of galloping, June 2, 2011
Researchers from the Civil and Environmental Engineering Department, KAIST, released their research results in Smart Materials and Structures on ways to “harness strange properties of turbulent airs.” They built a prototype that produces energy using a specific type of unstable airflow called “wake galloping.” New Scientist wrote an article about the paper, which appeared on June 2, 2011. For the article, please follow the link below.
http://www.newscientist.com/article/mg21028145.700-wind-power-harnesses-the-energy-of-galloping.html?full=true&print=true
2011.06.04 View 9780
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Displaybank, KAIST Develops Flexible Display Metal Wiring Technology, May 27, 2011
On May 26, Korea Advanced Institute of Science (KAIST) announced that team of Prof. Yang from the Department of Mechanical Engineering developed flexible display metal wiring manufacturing-technology. For the article, please follow the link,
http://www.displaybank.com/eng/info/sread.php?id=5877
2011.05.31 View 9587
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Korea Times on Mobile Harbor, May 29, 2011
The Korea Times mentioned KAIST’s Mobile Harbor in its recent article entitled “Korea-UAE partnership making big strides” dated May 29, 2011. While talking about the ongoing partnership efforts being made between Korea and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) in many areas of industry, economy, and education, the paper picked the mobile harbor as an example of Korea’s green growth technology being developed by KAIST. For the article, please copy and paste the link.
http://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/news/include/print.asp?newsIdx=87873
2011.05.30 View 11471
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Jang Young Shin Chairwoman of AeKyung Group donates 3billion Won to KAIST
AeKyung Group donated 3 billion Won for the development of KAIST and the betterment of Korea’s Science. The ceremony was held on the 2nd of May with President Seo Nam Pyo of KAIST and Jang Young Shin Chairwoman of AeKyung Group in attendance.
Chairwoman Jang insisted that the donation be used for the establishment of a stable study environment at KAIST and the improvement of student welfare.
Chairwoman Jang is a CEO with an engineering background. She majored in Chemistry in Chestnut Hill College with National Scholarship in 1950 and established the AeKyung Group’s many subsidiaries that deal with Chemicals.
2011.05.11 View 10800
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World?'s First Automated Maritime-Docking between Naval Vessels
KAIST demonstrated the technology that allows automated maritime docking between naval vessels on the 26th of April at Busan, Korea.
The docking technology is seen as one of the key components for the mobile harbor as it prevents collision between two naval vessels upon docking. It was recognized as an important technology worldwide, but its technological limitations made it hard to commercialize.
The demonstrated included approaching a barge next to a cargo vessel, performing automated docking, and maintaining the docking and solutions in the advent of an emergency.
The mobile harbor is, in essence, is a ‘moving port’ and the automated docking technology is imperative to commercialize the mobile harbor. In order for a large container ship to unload cargo, the mobile harbor needs to approach the container ship and dock onto the side of the ship.
The technology required to keep the two moving vessels docked, out at sea, in an efficient and safe manner, is daunting. The conventional method involved sailors tying the two vessels together with rope which made it time consuming and hard to react quickly in emergency situations.
The KAIST mobile harbor research team developed the docking technology with ‘Mirae Industrial Machine’ Maritime Corporation, and ‘Ocean Space’. The mobile harbor will allow two vessels to perform loading and unloading of cargo regardless of wind and current, using robotic arms, vacuum attachment pads, wench, and are a complex, integrated system.
KAIST is planning on having a demonstration that encompasses all the technology required for mobile harbor: from the docking technology to the stabilizing crane technology.
Advancements made by KAIST are expected to speed up the commercialization and the real life application of mobile harbor.
2011.05.11 View 10842
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The Irish Times: Gene link identified in ADHD, April 18, 2011
The Irish Times wrote an article on the recent research breakthrough made by a KAIST research team to identify a gene that triggers the syndrome of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) among children. Given the heightened attention to the syndrome across the world, the research result has received a great deal of attention not only from the academia but also from the media and public.
For the article, please visit http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/ireland/2011/0418/1224294910305.html. The research paper was appeared online April 17, 2011 in Nature Medicine, which will be printed in its May 2011 issue. For the paper, please click the link of http://www.nature.com/nm/journal/vaop/ncurrent/full/nm.2330.html.
2011.04.18 View 10660