THE
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Freshmen join a volunteer program to assist people in need
“Learning how to share love is the first step to start a good, meaningful college life,” said President Steve Kang.
KAIST offers an opportunity to all freshmen entering KAIST in 2014 to participate in a volunteer program to help people in need. Under the program, about 800 students will visit a shelter for the homeless, senior citizens, and orphans, which is called “The Flower Town” located two hours away from KAIST campus.
The town was founded by a Catholic organization, “The Flower Town Preservation Foundation,” to provide housing, education, and health services to the most vulnerable and neglected populations in our society.
President Steve Kang and Woong-Jin Oh, the president of the foundation, made a partnership agreement to promote volunteerism and spread the spirit of sharing and caring among young people, including KAIST students. The participating students will stay at the shelter for a few days and engage in various volunteering activities such as serving meals, cleaning, playing with children, and teaching.
President Kang said, “I am very happy that we are able to give our students a chance to develop into warm-hearted people. Scientists without a heart may bring about modern conveniences but not necessarily the betterment of humanity. Learning how to share love is the first step to start a good, meaningful college life.”
2013.12.30 View 5707 -
KAIST Student Awarded Prize from Energy Saving Contest
Jun-Min Kwon, an undergraduate student in the Department of Chemistry at KAIST, was awarded a prize from the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy, Republic of Korea, at the 35th Energy Saving Contest which was held on November 20.
The student club he has been leading was also selected as one of the best groups by the Save Energy Save Earth (SESE), a volunteer organization supported by the Korea Energy Management Corporation and the Ministry of Knowledge Economy, Republic of Korea.
Kwon began promoting energy conservation through a blog and participated in related meetings and workshops as a high school student to improve the understanding on the importance of energy saving and recycling.He also received awards from the Second National Assembly Forum on Climate Change, the Korean National Science Fair, as well as the Samsung Human Tech Paper Award.
2013.12.24 View 10846 -
Professor Suk-Joo Na Invited to Finland as Distinguished Professor
Professor Suk-Joo Na, from the Department of Mechanical Engineering at KAIST, has been invited as a distinguished professor for an international research project in Finland.
As a leading scientist in the field of arc welding and numerical analysis of the laser welding process, Na will assemble a research group for the interpretation of the welding processes for three years at the VVT Technical Research Centre of Finland beginning in January of 2014.
The project was established to improve the research level and national competitiveness of Finland by inviting leading international scientists to the National Technology Agency of Finland and Academy of Finland since 2006 and over one hundred projects have been carried out thus far. A total of 17 billion won will be invested for the eleven new projects selected this year. Professor Na said, “The fusion welding field contains important technology for improving the competitiveness of mechanical products of Finland. Improvements in productivity, the life cycles of products, and energy saving through interpretation technology for the numerical analysis of the welding process will make a huge impact on the national economy of Finland.”
2013.12.24 View 8740 -
Nanoparticle based Super Lens selected as 2013 Science and Technology News
Professor Yong-keun Park
"Nanoparticle-based Super Lens", an article by KAIST Physics Department’s Professor Yong-keun Park and Professor Yong-hoon Cho’s joint research team, has been selected as one of the ten representative 2013 Science and Technology News, by the Korea Federation of Science and Technology Societies.
This new concept super lens uses the scattering of light, which can yield over three times more superior resolution of previous optical lenses.
Unlike the conventional optical lens that utilizes refraction of the light, the super lens can give the image of viruses and structure within the cell at 100㎚. This lens is also applicable to state-of-the-art optical and semiconductor processes.
In addition, this year's research achievements also include the successful launch of Naro, a new technology to remove the brain cell membrane which gives a more transparent view of the brain, a new drug to inhibit cancer metastasis, as well as the development of ultra-wide-angle insect eye camera technology.
Articles for 2013 Science and Technology News are chosen in three trial reviews by committee and online voting by 5,437 people over the course of [two weeks]14 days, from November 21st to December 4th.
2013.12.14 View 9451 -
Prime Minister's Prize for KAIST TBIC at 2013 Korean Venture & Business Expo
The KAIST Technology Business Incubation Center (TBIC) received the Prime Minister’s Prize at the 2013 Korean Venture & Business Expo. TBIC started its service in 1994 and was selected as the best center by the Asia Association of Business Incubation (AABI) in 2007.
The center has contributed to business incubation for competitive enterprises through consulting, venture capital, educational curriculums, and infrastructure service. It has also encouraged and activated business startups by KAIST students through educational programs and supporting services such as hidden champion buildup, mentoring & networking, startup auditions, and special lecture sessions for entrepreneurship.
TBIC has supported 488 businesses since 1994, and 278 companies (57%) are still in business. Eleven companies have been listed on the Korea Stock Exchange through the support of TBIC and eight of them are still on the list as of today. Those companies have been contributing to the national economy with total sales of 1.9 trillion won and in job creation by hiring 5,908 employees.
2013.12.11 View 7278 -
KAIST Takes Steps towards a Self-Sustainable Campus
KAIST has been selected for a $45-million national smart grid initiative organized under the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy. Ninteen institutions will participate in the 2-year-long initiative. The consortium’s work is expected to take place from 2015 to 2017 after a review by the Ministry of Strategy and Finance.
The Smart Grid Explansion Initiative which has been considered the future of electric power industry implements information and communications technology to conventional grid system to maximize energy efficiency. The ROK government has selected the Smart Grid Expansion Initiative as one of South Korea’s primary national projects and plans to implement it nationwide based on multiple demonstration projects in major cities including Jeju.
KAIST plans to invest $45 million in developing systems for renewable energy power plants, efficient energy management, smart grid data, and electric vehicles to build the energy self-sustainable campus. It also hopes to contribute to fostering specialized talents and companies in energy management.
Byoung-Yoon Kim, the vice-president for research at KAIST, expects that by 2017, KAIST will be able to dramatically improve its energy capacity especially during peak periods and gain energy efficiency around the campus. He hopes that the micro grid project at KAIST will set a new standard for the self-sustainable campus.
2013.12.11 View 7816
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First International Conference on Science and Technology for Society
KAIST co-organized the 2013 International Conference on Science and Technology for Society which was held on November 28 at the Grace Hall in Seoul EL-Tower. More than 300 people, including members of the Global Social Technology Advisory Board, domestic social technology experts, private companies, government officials, private citizens, and students joined the conference to discuss the roles and responsibilities of science and technology for society.
R&D policies and technologies for solving social issues were introduced, and discussions were held on desirable directions for technological development.
The first speaker, Yasushi Watanabe, Director of RISTEX (Research Institute of Science and Technology for Society) in Japan, introduced the importance of science and technology for society under the title “Change of R&D Paradigm for Society.”
Robert Wimmer, GrAT (Center for Appropriate Technology), Vienna University of Technology in Austria, presented “Need-oriented Design & Solutions for Development.” Kiyoaki Murakami, MRI, Japan, presented “Introduction of Platinum Vision” and Robert Ries, University of Florida, U.S.A., presented “Evaluating the Social Impacts of the Built Environment Using Life Cycle Assessment.”
Case studies on social enterprises and presentations on R&D for solving social problems were introduced by ICISTS (International Conference for the Integration of Science, Technology and Society), which is a student group at KAIST, National Research Foundation of Korea (NRF), Korea Institute of Machinery and Materials (KIMM), Korea Research Institute of Bioscience and Biotechnology (KRIBB), Korea Institute of Industrial Technology (KITECH), Electronics and Telecommunication Research Institute (ETRI), and Korea Research Institute of Chemical Technology (KRICT).The conference was hosted by the Ministry of Science, ICT, and Future Planning and co-organized by NRF, KIMM, KRIBB, KITECH, ETRI and KRICT.
2013.12.11 View 10091 -
Opening Ceremony of Genetic Donguibogam held
- Medicine using traditional natural substances • Food product source technology development begins
- Over 150,000,000,000 Won for 10 years of work invested to develop source technology
- Opening ceremony held on November 26th at 3 p.m. in Bio & Brain Engineering Division Building
The research to develop medicine and food source technology using traditional natural substances hasbegun.The opening ceremony of the “Genetic Donguibogam” business group, with KAIST Department of Bio & Brain Engineering Professor Do Heon Lee as the leader, was held on November 26th at 3 p.m. in Dream Hall, Bio & Brain Engineering Division Building, KAIST, Daejeon. The attendees of the opening ceremony included Yo Eop Im, Head of the Future Technology Department of the Ministry of Science, ICT and Future Planning and around 200 experts in science and technology industry, including the National Research Foundation of Korea, KAIST, the Korea Institute of Science and Technology, Seoul National University and Yonsei University.
The business group was established to re-interpret traditional natural substances proved to be effective from experience and improve quality of life by researching its applications; and to develop integrated source technology using traditional natural substances. The group is to invest over 150,000,000,000 Won for 10 years of research to secure natural substance source technology in five stages: interpretation technology, analysis technology, verification technology, bio marker technology and human body effectiveness verification technology. Especially, the focus would be on the use of virtual body computer models and Omics* to analyse the effects of traditional natural substances mixture on human body, and to find new materials for healthcare.
This research model, it is hoped, will have a new item to pioneer in the world natural substance market as well as securing a technologically competitive edge in bio industry by developing source technology that investigates the effects of traditional natural substances using cutting edge science.
KAIST Department of Bio & Brain Engineering Professor and Head Do Heon Lee of the “Genetic Donguibogam” Business Group said, “We will push forward to develop source energy by integrating IT-BT technology with a computer virtual body to build a cooperation system with medicine and functional food industries.” He continued: “This will enable not only the creation of a new industry, but also customised medicine.”
The 12 partners of the group include KAIST, Korea Institute of Science and Technology, Seoul National University and Yonsei University and 200 experts. The research participation area will be widened to foreign research institutes and associated companies.
* Terminology
Noun) Omics is an academic discipline analysing mass information on metabolism of physiological phenomena in specific cells (transcriptome, proteome and protoplast) with an integrated approach to determine vital phenomena.
2013.12.11 View 8493 -
UN biological weapons expert gives lecture at KAIST
KAIST’s student organization, the ICISTS Organizing Committee, invited United Nations Security Council expert Terence Taylor to deliver a speech under the topic of ‘Terrorists and Scientists: Biological Weapons and its impact on Global Society’. The lecture took place on November 19 on the Daejeon campus.
Taylor shared his experiences as a biochemical weapons expert at Iraq and discussed the fast-approaching future of the world with biochemical weapons.
Terence Taylor is a former British military officer, who served various governmental and non-governmental organizations around the world, including UK and U.S. agencies, as well as the UN. His current work involves the non-proliferation and disarmament of nuclear or biological weapons, toxic substances and other weapons of mass destruction.
ICISTS Organizing Committee is a student organization run by of KAIST students. Since 2005, it has actively held one of the largest student conferences in Asia, ICISTS-KAIST, at KAIST every year. "ICISTS" stands for “International Conference for the Integration of Science, Technology, and Society”, which conveys its vision in achieving a harmony between science and society.
UN Security Council expert Terence Taylor
2013.11.28 View 8030 -
Green Technology for Data Centers: Ultra-low Power 100 Gbps Ethernet Integrated Circuit Developed
A new integrated circuit (IC), consuming only 0.75W of electricity, will reduce the power usage of data chips installed at data centers by one-third.
Each day, billions of people surf the Internet for information, entertainment, and educational content. The Internet contains an immeasurable amount of information and knowledge generated every minute all around the world that is readily available to everyone with a click of a computer mouse. The real magic of the Internet, however, lies in data centers, where hundreds of billions of data are stored and distributed to designated users around the clock.
Today, almost every business or organization either has its own data centers or outsources data center services to a third party. These centers house highly specialized equipment responsible for the support of computers, networks, data storage, and business security. Accordingly, the operational cost of data centers is tremendous because they consume a large amount of electricity.
Data centers can consume up to 100 times more energy than a standard office building. Data center energy consumption doubled from 2000 to 2006, reaching more than 60 billion kilowatt hours per year. If the current usage and technology trends continue, the energy consumption of data centers in the US will reach 8% of the country’s total electric power consumption by 2020.
A research team at the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST) and Terasquare, Inc. (
http://www.terasquare.co.kr
), a spin-off company of the university,
developed an extremely low-powered integrated circuit for Ethernet that consumes less than 0.75W of electricity but is able to send and receive data at the high speed of 100 gigabits per second (Gbps). The research team, headed by Hyeon-Min Bae, assistant professor of electrical engineering at KAIST, claims that the new microchip uses only one-third of the electricity consumed by the currently installed chips at data centers, thereby helping the centers to save energy.
Integrated circuits are embedded on communication modules that are inserted into a line card. Data centers have numerous line cards to build a network including routers and switches. Currently, 8W ICs are the most common in the market, and they consume a lot of energy and require the largest modules (112 cm
2
of CFP), decreasing the port density of line cards and, thus, limiting the amount of data transmission.
The ultra-low-power-circuit, 100-gigabit, full-transceiver CDR, is the world’s first solution that can be loaded to the smallest communication modules (20 cm
2
of CFP4 or 16 cm
2
of
QSFP28), the next-generation chips for data centers. Compared with other chip producers, the 100 Gbps CDR is a greener version of the technology that improves the energy efficiency of data centers while maintaining the high speed of data transmission.
Professor Hyeon-Min Bae said, “When we demonstrate our chip in September of this year at one of the leading companies that manufacture optical communication components and systems, they said that our product is two years ahead of those of our competitors. We plan to produce the chip from 2014 and expect that it will lead the 100 Gbps Ethernet IC market, which is expected to grow to USD 1 billion by 2017.”
The commercial model of the IC was first introduced at the 39
th
European Conference and Exhibition on Optical Communication (ECOC), the largest optical communication forum for new results and developments in Europe, held from September 22-26 at ExCeL London, an international exhibition and convention center.
Professor Bae added, “We received positive responses to our ultra-low-power 100-Gbps Ethernet IC at the ECOC. The chip will be used not only for a particular industry but also for many of next-generation, super-high-speed information communications technologies, such as high-speed USB, high-definition multimedia interface (HDMI), and TV interface.”
Before joining KAIST, Hyeon-Min Bae worked for many years at Finisar as a researcher who designed and developed the world’s first super-high-speed circuit, the 100 Gbps Ethernet IC.
2013.11.25 View 8504 -
President of WIPA Sang-Hui Lee and SK Hynix Awarded the 2013 Intellectual Property Award
The ceremony for the 3rd Intellectual Property Award was held at the KAIST campus in Seoul on November 2nd. The award is given annually to Korean practitioners in intellectual property.
This year’s recipients were Sang-Hui Lee, the president of the World Intellectual Property Association of Korean Practitioners (WIPA) and the SK Hynix Patent Group which successfully defended a long-lasting claim against a patent specialist corporation.
The Intellectual Property Award (IP Award) is presented in recognition to Korean individuals or groups that contributed to national competitiveness through creation, application, or proceedings of intellectual property, as well as to building the foundation for the protection of patents, intellectual properties, and trademarks.
President Lee successfully hosted the Global Intellectual Property Summit in Seoul, which was held in October 2012. He was a crucial force behind the foundation of WIPA in May of this year and was also elected as the first president for the organization. Recently, President Lee has been at the forefront of job creation through the efficient use of intellectual property and the creative discovery of venture endeavors.
President Lee said, “The unique characteristic of a knowledge-based society lies in the collaboration network of people and knowledge property, startups based on intellectual property, and decentralized development.”
He added, “Just as Finland adopted a policy to build venture companies in utilization of intellectual properties and encouraged the decentralized growth throughout the nation after the collapse of Nokia, Korea must adapt to meet the changing requirements of the knowledge-intensive era.”
The SK Hynix Patent Group, another recipient for the Intellectual Property Award, won the lawsuit, dragged on for 13 years, against the Rambus, an American patent specialized corporation. The group initially lost the first trial in the federal court of California, but through relentless research and efforts, they won the case in the appeals court. The IP Award was co-hosted by the Korea Patent Attorney Association, the Korea Intellectual Property and Service Association, and KAIST.
2013.11.21 View 8331 -
2013 International Forum on Eco-Friendly Vehicle and System
Leaders in transportation technology gathered at KAIST to discuss commercialization & standardization and to encourage the exchange of research progress, strategy, and future initiatives in transportation technology.
The Graduate School for Green Transportation at KAIST hosted the 2013 International Forum on Eco-friendly Vehicles and Systems (IFEV) in Fusion Hall of the KAIST Institute Building from October 21 to 22.
About 50 leaders in the field of future transportation from academic institutes and industries including Dr. Soon-Man Hong, President of Korea Railroad Research Institute (KRRI), Dr. Kwang-Hee Nam, Professor at Pohang University of Science and Technology (POSTECH), and Mr. Mike Schagrin, the Intelligent Transportation Systems Program Manager of the US Department of Transportation (retired) participated in the 4th annual IFEV.
The commercialization & standardization session and a technical session were followed by the plenary meeting of the forum.
Dr. Hong, the keynote speaker, introduced the High Capacity Double Deck High Speed Train, Near Surface Subway System, and Urban Railway System with Wireless Power Transfer Technology under the title “Korea’s Policy and Technology Initiative for Enhancing Green Transport Systems.”
Dr. Kwang-Hee Nam presented “Electric Vehicle Trends & the POSTECH E-Car Research Center Power Train Design,” followed by Mr. Mike Schagrin who spoke about “Going Green with Connected Automation.”
Dr. Omer C. Onar from the Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) shared recent research on “ORNL Development in Stationary and Dynamic Wireless Charging.”
In the commercialization session, Faical Turki of Vahle, Germany, presented “Wireless Inductive Battery Chargers,” and Professor Kazuyuki Ouchi from Tokyo University presented “Wind Challenger, the Next Generation Hybrid Vessels.”
In the technical session, presentations and discussions were performed on future ground vehicles and railroad technology, intelligent transportation systems and strategy, and policy on eco-friendly vehicle technology, including Professor In-Soo Suh of the Graduate School for Green Transportation at KAIST who presented on “Armadillo-T: 4WD Micro Electric EV with a Foldable Body Concept.”
On the second day of IFEV 2013, representatives of the European Union’s Safe and Green Road Vehicles (SAGE) consortium discussed connectivity in road transportation as a means of improving safety, efficiency and convenience in future safe and green vehicles with collaboration from Korean transportation organizations such as the Korea Transport Institute and Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute.
Professor Suh, who organized the forum, said, “This forum will serve as an excellent opportunity to discuss and share R&BD progress in the green transportation field. “Details can be found at http://gt.kaist.ac.kr/ifev2013/.
2013.11.15 View 11108