Ceremony
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Opening Ceremony Held on February 3, 2010 for Intellectual Property Training Center
KAIST Opened Training Center for Young Entrepreneurs
Commissioner Jung-Sik Koh of Korean Intellectual Property Office (KIPO) and KAIST faculty members including Soon-Hong Jang, Vice President of Operations and Kwang-Hyung Lee, Dean of Academic Affairs Office, joined an opening ceremony held on February 3rd, 2010 to launch a training center for the next generation entrepreneurs who will lead the intellectual property (IP) industry in Korea.
The training center was built in cooperation with KIPO to educate and support young entrepreneurs and prepare them to become tomorrow’s IP business leaders like Bill Gates of Microsoft and Google’s founders, Larry Page and Sergey Brin.
Going through a vigorous selection process, a total of 101 students (51 for intermediate and 50 for advanced level) were chosen last December for an orientation program that will begin February 3rd and continue through February 5th. In addition to the training center at KAIST, KIPO supported to launch another training center at the Pohang University of Science and Technology (POSTECH), which has been up and running since January 27th, 2010.
2010.02.04 View 12488 -
Beginning of First Semester for Academic Year 2010
Welcome Ceremony for Freshmen Held at KAIST on February 1st, 2010
KAIST held a welcome ceremony for freshmen on February 1st, 2010 at an auditorium with an attendance of parents and guests. A total of thousand students enrolled this year to begin their new college career at KAIST.
The ceremony proceeded with recitation of the freshmen pledge by student representatives, Yong-Tak Kim (a graduate from Korea Science Academy) and Hyun-Jin Oh (a graduate from Daejeon Science High School) and a welcome speech by President Nam Pyo Suh. At his speech, President Suh introduced to the freshmen a glimpse of new life at KAIST while stressing student development through involvement and leadership opportunities offered by the university.
After the welcome ceremony, KAIST Chorus, composed of existing students, performed a celebratory event. There was a meeting organized between school staff and parents as well. During the meeting, the faculty members (Kwang-Hyung Lee from Dean of Academic Affairs Office; Do-Kyung Kim, Dean of Admissions Office; and Kyung-Wook Paik, Dean of Academic and Student Affairs Office) and parents exchanged views on various topics such as educational programs and students’ campus life.
KAIST has shortened its winter recess and extended summer vacation to three months instead since 2009. Adopting such an academic calendar, KAIST hopes, will spur students to have diverse opportunities for more experiences beyond the school life.
2010.02.02 View 9826 -
President Lee Myung-bak's Congratulatory Address at 2009 KAIST Commencement Ceremony
Following is the full text of President Lee Myung-bak"s congratulatory address at the 2009 KAIST Commencement Ceremony.
Beloved graduates, proud parents, dear family members,
Mr. Cho Jeong-nam, Chairman of the Board of Directors,
Dr. Suh Nam-pyo, President of KAIST,
Esteemed faculty and staff members, Distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen,
It is great to see you all.
First of all, I must begin by extending my most sincere congratulations to the 1,976 graduates who are receiving their degrees today. You worked hard, you earned it and I congratulate you.
We must also remember your parents who worked just as hard as you did, if not more, to support you. You may have family members whom you wish to thank for their support and understanding. I also thank and congratulate the faculty and staff members who worked hard to provide the best possible education for you.
Today is also a great day since we can all join together to recognize the achievements of Dr. Ryu Geun-chul and show him how deeply we respect and appreciate his generous contributions to KAIST. Today, Dr. Ryu received an honorary doctorate in science for his life-long contributions in the field of Korean traditional medicine. He has also donated a vast portion of his personal wealth to KAIST for educating future leaders in science and technology.
Dear graduates, faculty members,
KAIST has been in the forefront of leading Korea’s development over the last thirty-eight years. As the preeminent institution devoted to educating the very best minds in science and technology, more than 20% of all doctorate degree holders in Korea’s science and engineering field are KAIST alumnus. KAIST has led the drive to create more than 470 venture start-ups, opening up a vast new horizon for Korea’s scientific and technological breakthrough while leading the economic growth of Korea.
KAIST has done exceptionally well even compared to the world’s best. It is ranked 34th in engineering and IT. It is ranked 46th in natural sciences. These rankings are a demonstration that KAIST is a research-focused institution with global competitiveness.
Moreover, KAIST has been an example for other higher institutions seeking to reform the way colleges and universities operate. KAIST has demonstrated its forward-looking and reform-minded vision in terms of selecting students, recruiting and evaluating professors and managing its courses. In particular, when KAIST selects its students, it doesn’t look only at their test scores but looks for creative and innovative minds with real character and potential. Such practices are having positive influences on how other universities and colleges select their students. Furthermore, KAIST has taken the lead in applying their research skills to matters of global concern through its EEWS initiative. I am proud of such visionary work and will continue to have high hopes for KAIST.
Our promising future depends on gifted individuals and gifted individuals are nurtured through solid education. For a country such as Korea with no natural resources, human capital is our greatest and most precious resource. We must overcome our lack of natural resources with our abundant and limitless brain power.
The 21st century will be a knowledge-based society and so national competitiveness of individual countries will be determined by how competitive its universities and research institutes are. And the time calls for universities with world-class capabilities in research. Especially, our investments in science and technology today will ensure a brighter tomorrow.
I assure you that this government will spare no effort to KAIST so that it can continue to foster the best minds for even greater achievements.
My dear graduates and professors, proud parents and family members,
All of us are going through difficult times due to the global economic crisis. At the same time, we must face global climate change which is our common concern. And this global concern must not be put aside or given less priority because of the economic crisis. We must do all we can to overcome the economic crisis while aggressively and consistently implementing measures to deal with climate change. At the same time, we must continue our quest to develop the next-generation engines of growth in preparation for the future when this economic crisis is eventually over. This is killing three birds with one stone and this is the core of my Low Carbon/Green Growth vision for Korea’s future.
For a country like Korea with no oil reserves whatsoever, Low Carbon/Green Growth is a must. We simply do not have any other choice. It is also the path that the global community must take.
Korea was late in joining the club of industrialized countries but we are ahead in the information technology sector. But, because we did not possess the core technologies in information and communication, we were unable to fully benefit from being ahead.
Now, we must excel in all areas in the age of green growth. Korea’s future growth will depend on how many core technologies we manage to accrue in green technology, such as technologies to conserve energy, development of new and renewable energy. The government will double, compared to last year, its investments into research and development of green technology.
The government has a long-term vision and this vision calls for continuously increasing strategic investments into the new engines of growth and they include basic sciences, core technologies and big science. Deregulation will continue so that we can foster scientific and technological advancements and also attract more investments and people from abroad.
Dear graduates,
Another source of our new engine of growth and our green technology is none other than fusion technology. Our bio, IT and nano technology will come together, and coupled with what is already a world-class IT industry, we can create future engines of growth.
President Suh Nam-pyo stressed that “Inter-disciplinary study that takes place amidst the boundaries of different disciplines is where new discoveries and added-value are found.” This is a reminder of the importance of fusion research. And we all know that KAIST is the leader in this endeavor.
Fusion technology will greatly improve our quality of life and introduce new and innovative ways to solve our real concerns. Healthcare and medical science are just two examples. As our society becomes an aged society, identifying the causes of and finding the cure for degenerative diseases such as Pakinson’s and dementia are becoming more and more important. If we manage to successfully combine our knowledge in medicine, science and engineering, we can come up with revolutionary ways to detect and cure these and other diseases.
In particular, we will soon see science and medicine come together to create an entirely new paradigm in how we take care of our health. Medicinal research and high-tech research hospitals will be the norm. I truly believe that we can save both this planet as well as ourselves by utilizing green technologies and high-tech fusion technology. The government will continue to support such efforts.
Dear graduates, the heroes of today,
Some of you may wish to pursue higher degrees in order to reach even loftier academic goals. Some of you may opt to venture into society.
Wherever you go and whatever you decide to do, do not be afraid of failure. Pursue your dreams. Face the challenges that come your way. And when you boldly face these challenges with the most precious gift you have, your youth and ideals, your dream will come true. Remember that history is made by those who take up the challenge. Do not be discouraged if you fail today. Just pick yourselves up tomorrow and try again. And again.
Do not be consumed by selfish ambitions. But instead, always think what you can do for your society, your country and for humankind.
Science and technology that is used for personal gains or new innovations and technologies lacking even the very basic ethical standards can become a curse to mankind. This is why those aspiring to become scientists and engineers must first agonize over how they plan to better the lives of man before they learn how to conduct experiments. Once you’ve gone through this, you will then be eligible to become true leaders, with your character and technological know-how.
Remember the time you spent hunched over a book, in the classroom, in the library or in laboratories. Do not forget why you came here in the first place. Aim for higher goals in your respective fields.
With that, I wish you a wondrous and exciting new journey.
Again, congratulations and well done!
Thank you.
2009.03.13 View 13398 -
KAIST Opens Cell Bench Research Center
KAIST opened a cell bench research center on the campus on Monday, Nov. 17, as a joint project with Samsung Electric Co. and Samsung Medical Center.
On hand at the opening ceremony were about 100 persons from the three organizations, including KAIST President Nam-Pyo Suh, Samsung Electric"s Chief Technology Officer (CTO) Byung-Cheon Koh and Samsung Medical Center Vice President Hyo-Geun Lim.
The newly-opened research center will be involved in the development of individually-tailored anti-cancer medicine using bio-inspired cell chips and technologies for clinical applications. Prof. Young-Ho Cho of the Department of Bio and Brain Engineering was named director of the research center.
"Top-notch professionals from the electronic industry, academia and the medical community have gathered together to establish this research center. We expect the center will open a new path for the science and technology community and the industry to combine their strengths and develop innovative anti-cancer therapeutics," said KAIST President Nam-Pyo Suh at the opening ceremony.
"The development of bio-cell chip technology represents a new challenge for the Samsung Electric which has focused on information technologies thus far. Through cooperation with KAIST and Samsung Medical Center, we expect to be able to develop a simple and efficient cure for cancer patients," commented Samsung Electric CTO Byung-Cheon Koh.
The research center will be initially concentrating on the development of cell chips for lung cancer, one of the primary causes of death for Koreans.
2008.11.17 View 14833 -
Satellite Research Lab Named After Late Hyundai Chairman Chung
KAIST, Aug. 11, 2008 -- KAIST held a naming ceremony for a research lab which was named after the late Hyundai Asan Chairman Mong-Hun Chung on Monday (Aug. 11) at the KAIST Satellite Technology Research Center.
During the ceremony, a seminar room was also named after Dr. Soon-dal Choi, President of Daeduk College, for his distinguished contributions to the development of Korean space science.
Back in 1992, the late chairman Chung donated 3.4 billion won (US$3.4 million) to KAIST to build a satellite laboratory for the development of core space technologies and the nurturing of skilled manpower.
The naming ceremony was held in commemoration of the 16th anniversary of the launch of Korea"s first small satellite "Uribyeol 1" on Aug. 11, 1992. Chung died in 2003.
Dr. Soon-Dal Choi who laid the ground work for Korea"s space development program, served as the inaugural director general of the KAIST Satellite Technology Research Center, the birthplace of Korea"s artificial satellite.
On hand at the naming ceremony were a slew of dignitaries including Jeong-Eun Hyun, Hyundai Group Chairwoman and wife of the late Chung; and about 10 chief executives of Hyundai Group companies; Seong-Hyo Park, Mayor of the Daejeon Metropolitan City; Ms. So-Yeon Lee, Korea"s first astronaut; and KAIST President Nam-Pyo Suh.
President Suh noted that late Chairman Chung made great contributions to Korea"s artificial satellite development with his donation to the satellite laboratory. He said Dr. Choi is the father of the nation"s satellite program who provided the vision of space development in Korea at a time when Korea lagged behind in the artificial satellite technology.
2008.08.12 View 14666 -
KAIST Opens M&S Technology Research Center
KAIST held an opening ceremony for a new defense research center focusing on modelling & simulation located at its main campus in Daejeon on Thursday (June 19).
The opening of the M&S Technology Research Center is aimed at developing technologies and processes to test, practice and operate newly-developed precision and micro weapons systems in virtual space. The center will be supported by two state-run defense agencies, the Defense Acquisition Program Administration and the Korean Agency for Defense Development.
The new research center is expected to receive a total of 11.5 billion won (US$11.2 million) research grants from the state for the next eight years until 2016. The center will be involved in the development of sophisticated, complex and inter-related weapons system and training research personnel in the specialized area.
The research center will undertake a total of 21 specific projects in collaboration with seven other universities in Korea. Also joining the projects are such overseas institutions as Georgia Institute of Technology and the U.S. Naval Post-Graduate School, and private defense solution providers including Posdata, Samsung Thales and LIG Nex 1.
The opening of the research center comes at a time when modelling and simulation gain growing importance as today"s armies employ more sophisticated, complex and inter-related. weapons systems and equipment than ever before.
Tae-Uk Lee, director of the research center said: "The opening of the center will spur development of operational technologies of precision and micro weapons system on our own, departing from dependence on advanced countries."
2008.06.19 View 15253 -
President Suh to Receive Honorary Doctorate from Carnegie Mellon University
Carnegie Mellon University of the United States has decided to present an honorary doctorate degree to KAIST President Nam-Pyo Suh, school authorities said on April 30.
President Suh will receive the honorary degree during the university"s 111th commencement ceremony at its Pittsburgh campus on May 18. Suh earned his Ph.D. in mechanical engineering at Carnegie Mellon in 1964.
Carnegie Mellon University said in a press release that Suh is honored for transforming KAIST into a world-class institution since he became president of KAIST in 2006.
"His distinguished academic career has also included posts at the University of South Carolina and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, as well as an assistant directorship for the National Science Foundation of the United States. Beyond his academic leadership, Suh invented an industrial process for production of plastic parts that is used in factories worldwide. He holds more than 50 patents and helped start several companies," the press release said.
Five other prominent Americans will also receive honorary doctorate degrees from Carnegie Mellon along with President Suh. They are Al Gore, former U.S. vice president; Norman R. Augustine, former president and CEO of Martin-Marietta and Lockheed Martin and chairman of the American Red Cross; Jeff Bezos, founder of Amazon.com, the world"s largest online retailer; Elizabeth Catlett, an artist and sculptor famed for her dedication to the rights of minorities and women; and Patrick Colonel Suppes, a professor emeritus at Stanford University.
Carnegie Mellon, a leading research university of the United States is known for its distinctive mix of programs in engineering, computer science, robotics, business, public policy, fine arts and the humanities.
2008.04.30 View 12471 -
2008 Commencement Ceremony Held
The 2008 KAIST Commencement Ceremony was held on Feb. 29 at the KAIST Amphitheater in the presence of KAIST President Nam Pyo Suh, U.S. Ambassador to Korea Alexander Vershbow, alumni representatives and parents.
Other dignitaries on hand included National Assemblymen Sang-Kee Suh, Chang-Sun Hong and Sang-Min Lee; and Daejoen City Major Sung-Hyo Park.
President Suh and Vice President Soon-Heung Chang presented degrees to each of the 1,321 graduates (200 doctors, 725 masters and 396 bachelors) instead of just to representatives. Since its inception in 1971, KAIST has produced 7,067 Ph.D. graduates, 18,636 master"s degree holders and 8,998 bachelor"s degree holders. This year, 40 percent of the Ph.D. graduates, 79, were in their twenties upon graduation.
President Suh called on the graduates to return the favor they received from society by making their share of contributions to humanity. "You were chosen to be students of this unique university because the Korean people -- not only KAIST professors and staff, but also ordinary taxpayers -- believe that outstanding young people like you can change the world in which we live for the better. Now it is time for you to pay back their support," he said.
Notable graduates of this year include So-Yeon Yi, 29, the first Korean female astronaut candidate, who earned her doctorate degree in bio and brain engineering. She was granted a special award in recognition of her role in advancing space science in Korea but she could not attend the graduation ceremony due to her training schedule in Russia which will continue until April.
Eun-Gyu Oh, 26, was the youngest doctorate recipient in the ceremony and Won Hye-jeong, 21, recorded the top undergraduate GPA with a score of 4.20 over 4.3. Civil and environmental engineering major Seung-Hee Park, 28, published a total of eight papers in major international journals while attending KAIST and two more papers are currently under review.
So-Yeon Yi said: ``I frequently stayed up all night to research and write the paper. It was tough experience for me. Thanks to ceaseless support from professors and colleagues, however, I was able to complete the task,"" she said. ``I have done my best in studying, exercising and so on. I"m sure that my active, participatory attitude brought about this honorable moment.""
She is now training at Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center near Moscow as a replacement astronaut in case Koh San, 31, who is to be the first Korean astronaut, is unable to go into orbit.
Koh and Yi were selected from more than 36,000 applicants last year. Koh was finally picked as the primary candidate last September. The two are serving as space ambassadors appointed by the Ministry of Science & Technology.
2008.03.09 View 14279 -
3rd KAIST Junghoon Cho Academic Award Ceremony
3rd KAIST Junghoon Cho Academic Award Ceremony
3rd KAIST Junghoon Cho Academic Award CeremonyAcademic award to Sehoon Kim, scholarship to Yougdae Kim, Daehyun Kim, Sunchul Park
KAIST (President Nam Pyo Suh) had the 3rd KAIST Junghoon Cho Academic Award ceremony at the conference room in the main administration building, Friday, May 11, at 2 pm with President Suh and the bereaved family attended.
Sehoon Kim, a doctoral researcher at the Agency for Defense Development (ADD) and KAIST graduate, was named as the 3rd recipient of the Junghoon Cho Academic Award in recognition of his achievement that establishes the design method of supersonic vacuum device. The scholarship was granted to Yongdae Kim (doctoral student of Aerospace Engineering, KAIST), Daehyun Kim (master student of Mechanical Engineering, Korea University), and Suncheol Park (senior of the Attached High School to the College of Education at kongju National University). The prize money is 20 million won, and the scholarship amounts to 3 million and 2 million won for university and high school students, respectively.
“Junghoon Cho Academic Award” is a meaningful award established by the donation of compensation money and personal properties, amounting to about 470 billion won, by Donggil Cho, father of the late Ph.D. Junghoon Cho who died at the explosion accident at the Wind Tunnel Laboratory in 2002, ▲ Ph.D. Sehonn Kim
2007.05.14 View 13810 -
KAIST Opens CFTS
- To research the prevention of the illegal production of security technologies
- Total 1.5 billion won of research expenses and 102 researchers to be invested for the next three years- Opening ceremony at the computer science building, KAIST on April 13 at 10 am
KAIST (President Nam-Pyo Suh) will open ‘the Center of Fusion Technology for Security (CFTS)’ under the auspices of the Korea Minting & Security Printing Corporation (KOMSCO, President Hae-Sung Lee) to undertake researches over the prevention of illegal reproduction of security technologies. The opening ceremony was held at the computer science building, KAIST on Friday, April 13.
Total .1.5 billion won of research expenses and 102 researchers will be invested in the center for the next three years.
Main research fields are ▲ advanced IT-based information concealment methods ▲ utilization of energy transfer luminescence in host guest nano-substances ▲ the utilization of quantum-dot, non-crystal carbon and piezoelectric elements ▲ development of radio frequency identification (RFID), optical, biological security element-applied technologies, etc.
“We’ll develop fusion technologies for security that can easily detect forgeries and alterations of security products by introducing advanced IT, optical, chemical engineering, and biological elements. The development of core technologies applied to security products will activate domestic security markets and enable the export of relevant technologies,” said General Research Director Heung-Kyu Lee, a professor of Computer Sciences.
2007.04.19 View 13265 -
KAIST to build large-scale civil engineering experiment center
- Geo-Centrifuge experiment center of an area of about 1,712 square meters and an estimated construction cost of total 8.4 billion won
- Simulation laboratory in the field of geotechnical engineering with state-of-the-art experiment equipment- Ground-breaking ceremony held on April 3 at 4 pm
KAIST will construct ‘distributed shared-type Geo-Centrifuge experiment center’, a large-scale civil engineering laboratory that will study natural disasters such as earthquake, embankment collapse, etc. with ground structure miniatures.
A two-story building with a basement occupying an area of about 1,712 square meters will become a landmark laboratory in the field of geotechnical engineering that can be used for the education, research, and social infrastructure design by universities, institutes, and corporations via high-speed information and communication network. The estimated construction cost is 8.4 billion won.
The center will be composed of experiment building including geo-centrifuge laboratory, model-making room, workshop, geotechnical engineering laboratory, and specimen storehouse; and research building including control room, video conference room, electronic library, and research rooms. A variety of convenience facilities for researchers and video conference and remote monitoring system, with which researcher at remote distances can directly participate in experiments, will be provided in the research building, and world’s top-class experiment equipment such as geo-centrifuge with a turning radius of 5 meters, a maximum acceleration of 130 G (130 times faster than the acceleration of gravity), a preload of 2,400 kg and bidirectional shaking-table that can reproduce earthquakes-like wave during experiments, and robots that can reproduce construction procedures by a remote control will be installed.
Geo-Centrifuge experiment refers to an experiment that reproduces natural disaster-like motions by making miniatures of large-scale ground structures such as dams, slopes, etc. and using centrifugal forces generated from high-speed rotation. This experiment can easily and rapidly reproduce actual motions of ground structures at a low cost, thereby being widely used for various geotechnical engineering researches such as evaluation of seismic safety, movement of soft ground, slope stability analysis, etc. The causes of the embankment collapse in New Orleans by Hurricane Katrina in 2005 were also revealed by simulation tests by this experiment.
“The center will make possible a variety of experiments and researches that have never been available in Korea due to the lack of experiment infrastructure, therefore activate researches over the design and construction of large-scale social infrastructures. Making possible civil engineering researches demanding the use of large-scale equipment like Centrifuge, severely dependent on overseas technologies so far, will enhance the global competitiveness of Korean construction industry,” said Dong-soo Kim, President of the center.
The center will be constructed as part of the Ministry of Construction & Transportation (MOCT)’s project for the establishment of distributed shared-style construction research infrastructure, which is designed to establish construction research infrastructures in a national level. The ground breaking ceremony was held at KAIST on April 3 at 4 pm.
2007.04.12 View 14117 -
Best Academic Award to Prof. Huen Lee
Professor Huen Lee, Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, received the Best Prize of KAIST Academic Awards at the 36th anniversary ceremony of KAIST.
Professor Lee has published 43 international papers and 12 domestic papers for the past five years and achieved world’s distinguished academic performances such as the development of hydrogen storage technologies, the discovery of the principle on carbon dioxide-methane hydrate swapping, etc.
Professor Lee published his paper on methane hydrate at Science in 2003, and Nature introduced his paper on hydrate storage technologies as ‘highlight research’ in 2005, commenting his research as a landmark performance to pave ways for the development of future hydrogen energy. His discovery on ‘the principle of carbon dioxide-methane hydrate swapping’, published by PNAS in 2006, also gained huge attraction across the world as one of the promising technologies that can solve energy problem and global warming crisis simultaneously.
Meanwhile, the rest of the awardees of 2007 are as follows:
- Academic Award: Professor Jongkyeong Chung, Dep. of Biological SciencesAssociate professor Changok Lee, Dep. of MathematicsAssociate professor Sangkyu Kim, Dep. of ChemistryProfessor Dae-gab Gweon, Dep. of Mechanical Engineering
- Creative Lecture Award: Associate professor Jaehung Han, Dep. of Aerospace Engineering
- Excellent Lecture Award: Assistant profess Bong Gwan Jun, School of Humanities & Social Science Professor Joonho Choe, Dep. of Biological Sciences Professor Changwon Kang, Dep. of Biological Sciences Professor Seunghyup Yoo, Div. of Electrical Engineering Associate professor Otfried Cheong, Div. of Computer Science Professor Hoe Kyung Lee, Graduate School of Finance
- Contribution Award: Professor Sung Chul Shin, Dep. of Physics Professor Bowon Kim, Graduate School of Culture Technology Professor Jisoo Kim, Graduate School of Finance
- International Cooperation Best Award: Professor Hyung Suck Cho, Dep. of Mechanical Engineering
- International Cooperation Award: Professor Kunpyo Lee, Dep. of Industrial Design Professor Soon Hyung Hong, Dep. of Materials Science & Engineering Professor Sungjoo Park, Graduate School of Culture Technology
2007.03.19 View 17316