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Korean Researchers Develop Skin-Like Tactile Sensor THE KOREA TIMES2005.1.31(Mon) A South Korean scientific research center said Sunday that it has developed a tactile sensor capable of functioning like human skin. The left picture shows the letters of the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST) caught through a tactile sensor functioning like human skin and the right picture is its enlarged image. Scientists from KAIST developed the precision tactile sensor with 1-millimeter spatial resolution. The tactile sensor is made of polydimethylsiloxane, a synthetic rubber, and has a 1-millimeter spatial resolution capability, the Korea Advanced Institute of Science & Technology (KAIST) said. ``Many tactile sensors have been developed so far, but ours has the highest spatial resolution capability, flexibility, softness and extensibility,’’ said Lee Hyung-kyu, who led the development project. Late last year, the University of Tokyo unveiled a tactile sensor with a spatial resolution capability of 2 millimeters. Lee said his team will announce the results of their research at an international conference on micro-electro-mechanical systems, to be held early next month in the U.S. city of Miami. The new sensor is widely expected to lay the foundation for coating humanoids such as South Korea"s HUBO or Japan"s ASIMO with artificial skin. HUBO is a humanoid robot recently developed by KAIST. It is capable of moving its fingers independently, dancing and shaking hands with people by using its 41 joints. Japan"s ASIMO, an acronym for Advanced Step in Innovative Mobility, was unveiled in 2000 as the world"s most advanced bi-pedal robot. Through several upgrades, it is now able to spin in the air, bend or twist its torso and maneuver around obstacles in its path.
2005.02.02 View 13884
Nerve-protecting gene discovered Korean scientists for the first time have identified a gene that blocks nerve damage from fevers and the use of narcotics, a state-run research institute said yesterday. The finding may open the way for new medicine that can prevent the loss of brain function which is frequently caused by excessive stimulation of nerves and abnormally high body temperature. "The research is in an early stage. But this approach has the potential to develop genetics-based preventatives against brain-attacking diseases," said Kim Jae-seob, a bioscience professor of the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology, who led the study. The researchers named the gene Pyrexia, which means fever. Kim"s team extracted it from genetically engineered fruit flies using a genome-screening system. In laboratory tests, they found that the gene is activated to 39 degrees Celsius or higher. The researchers enhanced Pyrexia"s functionality in some fruit flies while removing the gene from others to observe their different reactions when exposed to high temperature. "The fruit flies without the gene showed severe nerve disorder and suffered paralysis of brain function, while Pyrexia-enhanced flies maintained their normal brain conditions," the professor said. The researchers got the same result from experiments with human cells, he said. There are a lot of channel proteins, which enable ions to enter and exit the cell, that react to the level of temperature, but Pyrexia is the first of its kind that actually protects the neurons from external stimulus, he said. The finding will appear on the March edition of the London-based science magazine Nature Genetics. THE KOREA HERALD 2005.1.31 (thkim@heraldm.com) By Kim Tong-hyung
2005.02.02 View 13845
Gene Protecting Brain Nerves Discovered THE KOREA TIMES 2005.1.31By Kim Tae-gyu / Staff Reporter South Korean scientists have for the first time discovered genes tasked with protecting brain nerves. Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology professor Kim Jae-seob said Sunday the new genes, named pyrexia, shield brain nerves from outside stimuli, including high temperatures. ``The channel gene of pyrexia will open the door to developing new-concept medicines for brain damage in patients of high fever or drug addicts,’’ he said. The channel gene refers to transport proteins, which provide a static passageway for a variety of essential substances to enter into cells. ``Up until now, a lot of channel genes activated by temperatures have been identified. But among them, pyrexia is first that guards brain nerves from external stresses,’’ Kim said. Kim’s team learned pyrexia plays a pivotal role in the body through experiments with genetically engineered flies that did not have any pyrexia. Up to 60 percent of the pyrexia-depleted mutants were paralyzed within three minutes of exposure to a temperature of 40 degrees Celsius. In comparison, just 9 percent of normal flies were paralyzed with the same stimulus, indicating pyrexia is responsible for protecting animals from high-temperature stress. ``Our next goal is to develop pyrexia-embedded drugs, which can be expected to commercially debut in about five years,’’ Kim said. Kim has already applied for international patents for his medical breakthrough, which will be printed in the March edition of Nature Genetics, a science journal. voc200@koreatimes.co.kr
2005.02.02 View 13980
KAIST Develops Thinking, Feeling Human-Like Robot By Kim Tae-gyu / Staff ReporterTHE KOREA TIMES 2005.1.31(page 1) South Korean scientists created the world"s first artificial species, a software robot with ``genes"" and ``chromosomes."" Kim Jong-hwan, professor at Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology, said Sunday his team had developed a robot with 14 chromosomes, which gives the machine a ``personality."" ``This robot is a software-based one, sometimes called a sobot. It has a unique synthetic character determined by its specific combination of 14 chromosomes,"" the 47-year-old Kim said. When Kim"s team gave a stimulus to the chromosome-equipped sobots, they showed totally different responses even under the same environment due to their distinctive personalities. Several cognitive sensors enable the prototype models to identify 47 differing outside stimuli. The virtual robots also have 77 behavior patterns. ``Because a sobot is basically a software system, it can easily travel to other robots and multiply. In the middle of such processes, it can evolve through crossover and mutation,"" Kim said. With the development of associated technologies, Kim expected the number of chromosomes would be augmented as sobots evolve to a more sophisticated species in the future. The capacity to load large volumes of data is related to the evolution of sobots. Currently, 14 chromosomes consist of roughly 2,000 bytes of data. The effort to incorporate the sobot into a platform, robot hardware, is now underway and Kim"s team looks to unveil the new-concept species as soon as next month. ``Diverse behavior patterns driven by sobots" specific personalities will be precisely translated into action just like the soul rules the body,"" Kim said. Kim did not think the robotic evolution would lead to the human race being threatened; the concept of the recent blockbuster ``I, Robot."" ``If we design the chromosomes safely, the self-reproducing robot will not post a threat back to us,"" Kim said. Kim first revealed the robotic breakthrough at a keynote speech of the International Conference on Autonomous Robots and Agents, held in New Zealand last December. Kim is also known as pioneer in the field of robot football and has headed the Federation of International Robot-soccer Association (FIRA) since its foundation in 1999. voc200@koreatimes.co.kr
2005.02.02 View 14873
Bently Pressurized Bearing Company donates 1 million dollars to KAIST to establish a new chair professorship KAIST has announced that it recently received an endowment of 1 million US dollars from an American company, Bently Pressurized Bearing Co., earmarked to establish a chair professorship, and appointed Professor Jong Hyun Kim of Nuclear and Quantum Engineering Department as Donald E. Bently and Agnes Muszynska Endowed Chair Professor. Professor Kim is a world-renowned expert in thermal and fluids sciences applied to energy systems and an authority on their applications to rotating machinery and nuclear safety analysis. He did his research in these areas at EPRI, GE, Brookhaven National Laboratory, and Penn State University. He is a Fellow of American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) and of American Nuclear Society, and is currently Editor-in-Chief of International Journal of Transport Phenomena. Bently Pressurized Bearing Co. (BPB) is pioneering fully lubricated, pressurized bearing to improve energy efficiency in rotating machinery. Mr. Donald E. Bently, Chairman and CEO of BPB, is an international authority on vibration monitoring and diagnostics of rotating machinery, published widely on these topics and holds patents. A philanthropist deeply interested in technology and science education, Mr. Bently made generous donations to a number of universities. He received numerous honors and awards, including those from ASME, the Pacific Center of Thermal-Fluids Engineering, University of Iowa, and received Nevada’s Outstanding Inventor Award. He was conferred an Honorary Doctorate Degree by the University of Nevada and is a Fellow of ASME. Dr. Agnes Muszynska is a world-renowned scientist in the area of rotating machinery dynamics in which she published 300 papers and a book. She was in responsible charge of research and development at Bently’s companies for many years. She was conferred the prestigious national title of Professor granted by the President of Poland. Dr. Muszynska is a Fellow of ASME. Professor Kim said, “I am pleased that KAIST received this endowment, which can be interpreted as an international recognition for the research standard of KAIST. The chair named after the two prominent engineers means a lot to me, as they are familiar with my research activities. I feel particularly honored because the endowment came from overseas.” KAIST has raised its eyesight to become a global leader in technology and science and recently lured a Nobel Laureate from Stanford University, Dr. Robert Laughlin, to head the institute. The school is striving to accelerate the pace for globalizing itself. The establishment of this chair professorship through a foreign endowment is in concert with the KAIST’s grand vision. Resume for Jong Hyun Kim, Ph.D. Donald E. Bently and Agnes Muszynska Endowed Chair Professor Education 1966 BS in Mechanical Engineering, Seoul National University 1967 MS in Mechanical Engineering, University of Missouri 1971 Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering, Californian Institute of Technology Professional Career 2002 - present Professor, Dept. of Nuclear and Quantum Engineering, KAIST 2001 - 2002 Distinguished Chair Professor, Dept. of Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering, GyeongSang National University 1980 - 2000 Project Manager, EPRI 1977 - 1980 Senior Engineer, GE 1975 - 1977 Associate Engineer, Brookhaven National Laboratory 1973 - 1975 Research Associate, Applied Research Laboratory, Penn State University 1971 - 1973 Research Fellow, California Institute of Technology Achievements/Recognitions Fellow, American Nuclear Society Fellow, American Society of Mechanical Engineers National Academy of Engineering of Korea: overseas Korean member Research: - Total 185 publications: 117 papers, 11 books, 16 symposia volumes, and others - Professor Kim’s research products helped nuclear industry save a few hundred million dollars Editor-in-Chief, International Journal of Transport Phenomena Chairman, Thermal Hydraulics Division, American Nuclear Society (2002-2003) Chairman, Heat Transfer Division. American Society of Mechanical Engineers (2001-2002) UC Berkeley, Adjunct Professor in Mechanical Engineering (1993-1995)Stanford University, Consulting Professor in Mechanical Engineering (1988-1995) About Donald E. Bently and Agnes Muszynska Donald E. Bently, Chairman & CEO of Bently Pressurized Bearing Company, Minden, Nevada, is an engineer, inventor, entrepreneur, agriculturist, environmental conservationist, and visionary who is also a philanthropist. Entrepreneurial Accomplishments Founder, Chairman, and CEO of Bently Nevada Corp., the world"s leading supplier of condition monitoring instrumentation and services for rotating machinery until it was sold to GE in 2002 Founder of Bently Rotor Dynamics Research Corporation, a wholly owned subsidiary of Bently Nevada, where the basic ideas for his bearing technology were pioneered Pioneered the first commercially successful eddy current proximity transducer and introduced its use to measure vibration and other critical parameters in rotating machinery. Today, he is actively pioneering fully lubricated, pressurized bearing technology. His Bently Agrowdynamics practices environmentally sustainable agriculture through the innovative use of renewable resources and conducts research and development of biofuels such as biodiesel, which can be used in conventional diesel engines. In addition, Donald E. Bently owns a diverse portfolio of other businesses including National Tribology Services, Inc., Gibson Tool & Supply, and Bently Holdings California, LP. Scientific and Technological Contributions Mr. Bently is an international authority on rotor dynamics as well as vibration monitoring and diagnostics. He has authored or co-authored more than 140 papers and a book on these subjects, Fundamentals of Rotating Machinery Diagnostics, and is the holder of two patents. Honors and Awards 2003: Distinguished Service Award, California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo. 2002: Distinguished Nevadan Award, the University of Nevada, Reno. Fellow, American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) 2001: Inducted into the University of Iowa"s Distinguished Engineering Alumni Academy 2000: Frederick P. Smarro Award, American Society of Mechanical Engineers 1999: R. Tom Sawyer Award, American Society of Mechanical Engineers 1997: N.O. Myklestad Award, ASME Design Engineering Division 1995: ISROMAC Award for his distinguished research achievements in the field of rotating machinery, the Pacific Center of Thermal-Fluids Engineering 1992: Elected a Foreign Member of the St. Petersburg Academy of Engineering in Russia Visiting Scholar, Tsinghua University, China The first recipient of the Vibration Institute"s DECADE Award 1983: Nevada"s outstanding inventor award, the Nevada Innovation and Technology Council 1945-1946: Received four battle stars while on an amphibious landing team in the Pacific as a member of the U.S. Navy Seabees during World War II Educational and Professional Credentials Registered Professional Engineer in Electrical Engineering, Nevada and California A senior member of IEEE and a Fellow of ASME A member of honorary societies Sigma Xi, Eta Kappa Nu, and Tau Beta Pi B.S. in Electrical Engineering (with Distinction), University of Iowa, 1949 M.S. in Electrical Engineering, University of Iowa, 1950 Honorary Doctorate in Engineering, University of Nevada at Reno, 1987 Honorary AA Degree, Western Nevada Community College, 1998 Agnes Muszynska, President, A.M. Consulting Co. Dr. Agnes Muszynska, a native of Poland, is a world-renowned scientist in the area of rotating machinery dynamics. She worked for 18 years as a Senior Research Scientist and Research Manager at Bently Nevada Corporation and Bently Rotor Dynamics Research Corporation. For more than 40 years, Dr. Muszynska had conducted theoretical and experimental research on rotating machine dynamics. Dr. Muszynska received B.S. and M.S. degrees in Mechanical Engineering from Technical University of Warsaw, Poland. She received her Ph.D. from Polish Academy of Sciences and the prestigious title of Professor granted by the President of Poland. She is author or co-author of almost 300 scientific publications including a comprehensive book on rotordynamics. Several of her papers received awards from ASME, NASA, and ASEM. She also received the Distinguished Research Award for research achievements from the Pacific Center of Thermal-Fluids Engineering. Dr. Muszynska is currently the owner and President of A.M. Consulting Company. She is a Fellow of American Society of Mechanical Engineers. Mr. Donald Bently and Dr. Agnes Muszynska fruitfully collaborated on rotating machinery dynamics and diagnostics for many years.
2004.11.08 View 18848
SK Telecom Names 28-Year-Old Female Executive By Kim Tae-gyu Korea Times 2004.3.16 Staff ReporterThe 28-year-old Yoon Song-yee became the youngest-ever executive member of SK Telecom, the Korea"s biggest cell-phone service company said on Monday. Yoon, the former executive of mobile solution developer WiderThan.com, was recruited by SK Telecom and appointed as vice president. Shewill lead the company"s communication and intelligence task force team. The Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST) graduate obtained her Ph.D. at the Massachusetts Institute of Technologyand once worked for McKinsey & Company.The unprecedented recruitment was conducted as part of the company"slarge-scale restructuring efforts, including 21-case promotions of executive members. Former senior vice presidents Rhee Noh-jong and Kim Young-jin were advanced to vice presidents. Rhee, who worked as a public relations man for 30 years, will take charge of SK Academy, an educational institute for SK Group, the country"s third-largest conglomerate. The personnel shift also features the new president Kim Shin-bae, who took the realm of the mobile giant after getting an approval fromshareholders" meeting on March 12.
2004.03.18 View 15655
18th Student Council Elected The KAIST Herald December 3, 2003 The votes were cast and counted on November 27. Donggodongrak won the election of the 18th Undergraduage Student Council of Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST). Of the 2,340 eligible voters for the 18th student council election, 1,304 votes, or about 56 percent of the total, were amassed after a full day of election on November 27. The two candidate teams, waiting to hear the result with much anxiety, were juniors Hye-min Kim and Jung-mo Kim running for the president and vice president positions, respectively, of the team "Donggodongrak" and juniors Dong-geun Kim and Yong-jae Yoon running for the same positions, respectively under the name "Woorung Chonggak." Donggodongrak secured over 58 percent of the votes, with 760 supporting ballots, while Woorung Chongak polled 503 votes, or about 39 percent of the votes. Forty-one votes, or three percent of the votes cast were spoiled votes. With more than half the voters having participated, the election was valid, and Donggodongrak was declared the new student council of KAIST. The election platform of the Donggodongrak team largely consist of four themes, composed of several smaller goals. First, they assert the "togetherness" of the student government and plan to achieve it by publishing monthly newsletters, hosting an open outdoor student council every other week, and creating various committees. Secondly, they assert under the theme of an "improving" student government that they will promote festivals and events among the sixteen departments, form an official "class" of the freshmen, and broaden the association of the student representatives. Third, Donggodongrak declares it wants to create an "open and just environment" by holding periodic meetings with the school for direct discussions of school policies; and by taking care of the welfare of the students in detail. Finally, they advocate "a student government that communicates with society"; they will support opportunities to become more aware of various issues of society. President Hye-min Kim, a graduate of Pusan Science High School, has participated in various intramural, socially active groups, and is majoring in applied mathematics. Vice-president Jung-mo Kim is a graduate of Mokpo High School and studies mechanical engineering.
2004.03.15 View 17814
Professor Yang Receives Academic Award By Ki-beom Lee / Reporter The KAIST Herald December 3, 2003 The Professor Dong-yol Yang of the Department of Mechanical Engineering received the Sang-woo Academic Award last month. Unlike other awards of similar nature, this award is given to one of many leading scientists who has written six to seven papers in the previous year. This award is special in that Professor Yang retired as chairman of the Korean Society for Technology of Plasticity in December 2002. Professor Yang received a prize on the research of the anisotropic pressing out process. He has also written papers based on the twenty-five years of research at Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology and has researched high-speed modeling for the first time in Korea.
2004.03.15 View 15781
Researchers Find Mechanism of Tumor Suppressor Genes By Kim Tae-gyu. Staff ReporterTHE Korea Times 02-06-2004 Korean scientists continue to break new ground in fighting cancer as domestic researchers examined the mechanism of a gene which can help detect and treat various sorts of cancer. Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST) Prof. Lim Dae-sik on Thursday said his team uncovered the mechanism of RASSF1A (Ras Association Domain Family 1 A), or tumor suppressor genes, for the first time in the world. The gene was widely considered to play an important role in reducing the proliferation of cancer cells, but its exact function and processes have remained unknown up to now. It is the second cancer-related breakthrough by Koreans in a week after Korea Institute of Science and Technology (KIST) Prof. Chung Hesson unveiled the oral anti-cancer drug. ``Cancer results from the failed management of cell cycles due to things like radiation. After a two-year intensive study, we found out how RASSF1A governs the cell cycle,"" Lim said. Lim added cancer is caused by abnormal cells, which continue to grow and divide out of control unlike normal cells, which die over time. Cancer cells develop into malignant tumors, eventually inflicting damaging effect on the human body. As a result, a lack of the RASSF1A indicates a high possibility of cancer and injection of it into cells is believed to help cure the deadly disease, according to Lim. Dr. Song Min-sup, who took charge of the research, said the findings will especially pave the way for the detection and treatment of lung cancer. ``The dearth of RASSF1A was reported mostly in the case of lung cancer. The new findings will provide insight into the diagnosis and cure of lung cancer from its early stages,"" Song explained. Lung cancer is a very elusive disease because it doesn"t cause symptoms in its infancy. When symptoms do occur, usually it is too late. ``We expect commercial detection kits or drugs for lung cancer in around five years after pre-clinic experimentation and two-phase clinic trials,"" Song expected. Details of the study is available in the scientific journal Nature Cell Biology in its February edition. voc200@koreatimes.co.kr
2004.03.15 View 16423
[Unknown] Wins Program Competition By Taeg-sang Cho The KAIST Herald December 3, 2003 The 3rd Korean Collegiate Programming Competition took place on November 7 at Sky-city Convention Center, Seoul. This competition is organized by the Ministry of Telecommunication and is sponsored by KAIST, ACM, and Korean Information Science Institution. This year"s preliminary competition consisted of 112 teams from 50 domestic universities, and 53 teams were selected from the preliminaries. In total, sixty teams, including foreign teams, participated in the main competition that took place at the Sky-city Convention Center. This year"s competition was won by "Unknown" from KAIST; this team is composed of three students: Min-sang Noh, Gih-moon Song, and Joong-geun Lee. Last year"s competition was also won by a team from KAIST. In this year"s competition, five teams solved all the problems, but "Unknown" was the best in organizing the programs and in employing various concepts into the program. Another team from KAIST, "KIN~" won 4th Prize. The winner of this competition automatically becomes an Asian representative at the ACM- International Collegiate Programming Competition (ACM-ICPC) along with the winners of collegiate competitions from Japan, China, India, and Iran. The 28th ACM-ICPC is to be held in March 2004.
2004.03.15 View 18966

KAIST, 291 Daehak-ro, Yuseong-gu, Daejeon 34141, Republic of Korea T.042-350-2114 F.042-350-2210(2220)