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Science, IT & Culture Volunteering Team at Cambodia
The Science, IT and Culture Volunteering Team, which is composed of 17 undergraduates, is visiting Cambodia January 1 to 16. Based at Hosanna High School in Phnom Penh, the KAIST volunteering team will participate in diverse science and IT classes as well as cultural events for Cambodian high school students.
The KAIST volunteering service is designed to improve Cambodian students’ science education including the areas of physics, chemistry, biology, earth science, as well as an increased exposure to IT technologies. For this service, the volunteering team has prepared for three months, making syllabi for the science classes in addition to planning Arduino IT classes and cultural performances, including K-pop dances and Korean traditional games.
The team will present various science experiments including smart electric fan and mini vehicles using Arduino. Before departing, the students made great efforts to ensure this service would be a success by taking a basic Khmer language class and studying safety education.
Se-Woong Oh, the head of the team said, "All our members are very excited to have the chance to share our knowledge with Cambodian students and help them learn science and IT technology. We hope this service will serve as an opportunity to understand a different culture as well. We made every effort to prepare for an activity we believe in."
(KAIST volunteer team with Hosanna High School students in Phnom Penh, Cambodia.)
2017.01.10 View 5843 -
Controlling DNA Orientation Using a Brush
Professor Dong Ki Yoon’s research team in the Graduate School of Nanoscience and Technology has developed a technique for producing periodic DNA zigzag structures using a common make-up brush.
The results of the research, first-authored by Ph.D. student Yun Jeong Cha and published in Advanced Materials (online, November 15, 2016), has been highlighted in the hot topics of “Liquid Crystals.”
There exist various methods for synthesizing DNA-based nanostructures, but they commonly involved complex design processes and required expensive DNA samples with regulated base sequences.
Using DNA materials extracted from salmon, the research team was able to produce a nanostructure with a well-aligned zigzag pattern at one-thousandth of the usual cost.
The team used a commercial make-up brush bought at a cosmetics store, and with it, applied the salmon DNA in one direction onto a plate, in the same way paint is brushed onto paper. Using a brush with a width of several centimeters, the team aligned DNA molecules of 2 nanometers in diameter along the direction of the brush strokes.
As the thin and dense film of DNA came into contact with air, it lost moisture. An expansive force was created between the dried film and the plate. This force interacted with the elastic force of DNA and caused undulations in the uni-directionally aligned DNA molecules, which resulted in a regular zigzag pattern.
The zigzag DNA’s base sequences could not be controlled because it was extracted from biological sources. However, it has the advantage of being cheap and readily available without compromising its structural integrity and provides a very regular and intricate structure.
This kind of well-ordered DNA structure can be used as template because it can guide or control versatile guest functional materials that are applied to its surface. For example, it can align liquid crystals used in displays, as well as metallic particles and semi-conductors. It is expected that this capacity can be extended to optoelectric devices in the future.
Professor Yoon remarked that “these findings have special implications, as they have demonstrated that various materials in nature aside from DNA, such as proteins, muscle cells, and components of bones can be applied to optoelectric devices.”
This research has been carried out with the support of the Korea National Research Foundation’s Nanomaterials Fundamental Technology Development Program and the Pioneer Research Center under the High-tech Convergence Technology Development Program.
Source: "Control of Periodic Zigzag Structures of DNA by a Simple Shearing Method" by Yun Jeong Cha and Dong Ki Yoon (Advanced Materials, November 15, 2016, DOI: 10.1002/adma.201604247)
Figure 1. Diagram showing the well-ordered zigzag structure of DNA, and the internal molecular orientation
Figure 2. (Left) Unaligned DNA (Right) Aligned DNA after being brushed and dried
Figure 3. Control of the periodicity of the DNA zigzag patterns using micro-channel plates
Figure 4. Diagram representing the control of orientation of liquid crystal materials applied on a zigzag DNA template, and a polarized optical microscope image
2017.01.10 View 7460 -
President Kang Welcomes the New Year with an Upbeat Message
KAIST held a kick-off ceremony on January 2 at the Auditorium on campus to officially welcome the beginning of 2017.
In his New Year’s speech, President Sung-Mo Kang, who is slated to complete his term in February, recalled some of the major achievements accomplished under his leadership in the past four years.
Upon his inauguration in 2013, President Kang set a goal for KAIST to become a global top 10 university and established Quantum Jump Strategies for qualitative growth through innovative education and research programs. Such initiatives have laid the foundation for KAIST to emerge as one of the world’s best “student-centered, faculty-driven, and innovative research universities.” In 2016, Thomson Reuters named KAIST the world’s sixth most innovative university.
President Kang promoted a campus culture that cherishes creativity and a challenging spirit and encouraged university members to increase their interest in entrepreneurship and social responsibility. He reorganized academic structures to offer interdisciplinary education and revamped administrative organizations to streamline university management. On a softer note, he created various channels of communication within the university community to make the campus “happier and united,” which included the establishment of the Customer Satisfaction Center, the Center for Ethics and Human Rights, and coffee meetups.
He promised that KAIST would remain committed to leading the frontier of higher education and research, nationally and globally. The university will establish the Graduate School for Interdisciplinary Medical Science, continue to provide university members with opportunities to learn entrepreneurship, extend its efforts to upgrade campus infrastructures, and strive to globalize and diversify the campus.
Finally, President Kang praised the tremendous support KAIST has received from across Korea and the globe, including the members of KAIST and its alumni, noting that there were more than 26,000 donations made to the university during his presidency.
The full text of President Kang’s New Year message follows below:
President Kang's New Year Message
Dear Members of KAIST,
It is 2017, and the year of the rooster has dawned on us. May you and your family enjoy good health and happiness in the new year, and I hope that you will all fulfill your dreams. In return for the love and trust of the nation’s citizens, KAIST will continue to do its best.
Following my inauguration in 2013, I established Quantum Jump Strategies in the first half of my term (2013 to 2014), and I also created a united KAIST during this period. In the second half (2015 to 2016), I promoted innovation through qualitative growth. KAIST has seen astonishing growth in the past four years, and this has laid the foundation to emerge as one of the world’s best Student-Centered, Faculty-Driven, and Innovative Research Universities.
Creativity and challenge are the key words serving as the driving force behind national progress. KAIST’s qualitative growth has been achieved through continuous innovation of education and research, promotion of an entrepreneurial spirit, and exercising of social responsibility.
KAIST’s education is constantly improving. It has developed a future-oriented educational platform, commensurate with its reputation as a world-class university, after several rounds of reorganization. The interdisciplinary education system at KAIST, based on a harmony of academic excellence and creativity, facilitates efficient operation of its broad undergraduate education and interdisciplinary graduate curriculum. Through a π-shaped education system, the students solidify their foundation at the undergraduate level, and go on to graduate school to gain more wisdom and knowledge through interdisciplinary education and research. Upon graduation, they are recognized as irreplaceable, talented members of society.
The newly introduced capstone design curriculum has shifted the paradigm of Korea’s engineering education, placing greater emphasis on real-world applications. With the opportunity to plan realistic projects and identify problems, the students will acquire creativity, practical skills, teamwork, and leadership.
Under Education 3.0, KAIST has implemented a student-centered education system. Students participate in self-directed learning using online contents provided before lectures, and gain knowledge and problem-solving skills through collaborative learning with team members during classes. In addition, KAIST is fulfilling its social responsibility by making its lectures available to the public through KAIST’s Massive Open Online Course (MOOC).
KAIST is among the world’s top universities in terms of research capacity. The university has been highly ranked by QS and THE for its innovative education and research, and it was recently named by Thomson Reuters as the world’s sixth most innovative university. To ensure continuous developments, KAIST must perform sustainable research for the long run. Ideas aimed at improving humanity must be continuously produced, and the university must acquire the necessary resources to support such research. KAIST should promote a research culture that assesses researchers based on their diligence and conscientiousness rather than how successful they are. The KAIST Grand Challenge 30 Project was launched for KAIST to resolve major issues faced by humanity and to spread its culture of innovation to all.
To acquire global competitiveness in the field of biological sciences, KAIST is planning to establish the Graduate School of Interdisciplinary Medical Science in Sejong. From 2018, the government will allocate a budget for the graduate school, which fared well in the preliminary feasibility study. Beginning with the Graduate School of Interdisciplinary Medical Science, KAIST will establish a system for innovative education and research in Sejong, and further strengthen its capacities.
KAIST has worked hard to instill an entrepreneurial spirit in its students. It has provided students with many opportunities to learn entrepreneurship, so as to enhance the economic and social value of its activities in education and research. Through the Institute for Startup KAIST (ISK), the university supports students in all stages of entrepreneurship, from ideation to commercialization. The Master of Entrepreneurship & Innovation at the K-School is jointly operated by several departments. Thanks to its active efforts in promoting entrepreneurship such as the opening of ISK Pangyo and the offering of the Social Entrepreneurship MBA (SEMBA), KAIST has produced the highest number of student entrepreneurs in Korea.
KAIST’s innovative pursuits in its administration have been highly regarded by organizations around the world. The tenure system, introduced for the first time in Korea, has now stabilized. Its English-only lecture policy and tuition subsidy by GPA have been improved based on feedback from students and experts.
KAIST went through a major administrative reorganization in 2013. The reorganization, introduced to integrate similar functions and simplify the decision-making process, enabled KAIST’s administration to adapt flexibly to changes, become function-oriented, assume roles more rationally, and to be more responsive to the needs of customers. With the opening of the Administration Development Education Center, KAIST has improved the quality of administrative services by providing staff in administrative positions with more opportunities for self-development and to attend lectures that improve the efficiency of administrative operations.
The university is actively reflecting the opinions of its members through various channels of communication. The school marked a first in Korea when it implemented an ombudsman to mediate between parties in case of conflict. The Customer Satisfaction Center was opened to improve the quality of services on campus, and the Center for Ethics and Human Rights to prevent the infringement of human rights. I have tried to make myself more available to all members of KAIST, so as to freely interact with them without having to arrange separate meetings. The opening of the office of the president, coffee meetups, forums with undergraduate and graduate students, and e-mail exchanges have been tremendously helpful in gaining valuable feedback and improving university operations.
KAIST is strongly supported by the citizens of Daejeon. The university has strengthened its ties with Daejeon Metropolitan City, Yuseong District Office, and Chungnam National University. Its efforts have paid off with the opening of a new path connecting Chungnam National University and KAIST, and the KAIST Bridge in front of the main gate. KAIST has encouraged students to reach out to society by serving as tutors for the socially neglected and helping out in making kimchi.
By improving its infrastructure in the past four years, KAIST has now established high-quality infrastructure to support its education and research. The Chung Moon Soul Building 2 is now complete, the Academic Cultural Creative Building is underway, and the Main Library is being upgraded. New constructions or remodeling on campus include the opening of Startup KAIST Studio 2, opening of the Biomedical Research Center (Pharmacy), remodeling of International Village C, remodeling of the Semiconductor Building, remodeling of the Auditorium, remodeling of the Mechanical Engineering Building, remodeling of the Startup Village, remodeling of Haejeong Hall and Buildings No. 8 and 9, remodeling of the Outdoor Theater, remodeling of Hwaam Dormitory (tentative), establishment of an eco campus (planting of pine trees), establishment of a safe campus (improvements to roads and pedestrian roads). Besides expanding its infrastructure, KAIST has exerted efforts to make efficient use of existing space by relocating IBS and the Graduate School for Green Growth to Munji Campus.
KAIST strives to create a more accommodating atmosphere for international members and to embrace diversity. It has reached its goal of having international faculty, international students, and female faculty account for 10% each of the total school population. Now, it is time to improve this 10:10:10 initiative to a 20:20:20 initiative. In addition, it must continue to improve the common kitchen at Nanum Hall, communicate with international members through regular podcasts, open a Halal Food Cafeteria, establish a bilingual campus, offer joint degrees with outstanding universities, expand overseas internship opportunities, enhance gender equality, and improve the women’s lounge and childcare facilities.
In the near future, I believe that KAIST will be a center of attention both at home and abroad. It has attracted an increasing number of undergraduate applicants in the past four years, and admits highly qualified freshmen each year. Students of all levels, including freshmen, have shown great pride in studying at KAIST. Recently, the university has received a high number of donations from students, alumni, and parents. There were more than 26,000 donations in the past four years, amounting to a total of 70.8 billion won. KAIST is also serving as a benchmark institute for similar organizations in and outside of Korea. Some authorities have even requested KAIST to open branch campuses in their countries. These results would not have been possible without your efforts to create a happy campus.
Dear Members of KAIST,
This New Year’s greetings will be my last as the president of KAIST. The Board of Trustees is selecting a new president, whose inauguration shall fall on February 23, 2017. I will look back fondly on my past four years at KAIST.
During the remainder of my term as the president, I will concentrate my efforts to create a happy campus for each and every member. It was a great pleasure and honor to serve as President for the past four years. I am sincerely grateful to all members for playing their part in nurturing KAIST into the world’s best university and in creating a happy campus.
You are the future of KAIST, and the driving force behind Korea. I believe you have what it takes to lead developments in the country, and I encourage you to dream bigger.
May 2017 be a year in which all members of KAIST fulfill their dreams. Let us work towards our goal of becoming the hub of the fourth industrial revolution and one of the world’s best Student-Centered, Faculty-Driven Research Universities.
2017.01.03 View 8816 -
EEWS Graduate School Team Receives the S-Oil Best Paper Award
Professor Hyungjun Kim and Dr. He-Young Shin from the EEWS (Energy, Environment, Water and Sustainability) Graduate School at KAIST received the Best Paper Award in Chemistry from S-Oil, a Korean petroleum and refinery company, on November 29, 2016.
Established in 2011, the S-Oil Best Paper Awards are bestowed annually upon ten young scientists in the fields of five basic sciences: mathematics, physics, chemistry, biology, and earth science. The scientists are selected at the recommendation of the Korean Academy of Science and Technology and the Association of Korean Universities. The awards grant a total of USD 230,000 for research funding.
Dr. Shin, the lead author of the awarded research paper, said, “My research interest has been catalyst studies based on theoretical chemistry. I am pleased to accept this award that will support my studies, and will continue to research catalyst design that can predict parameters and integrate them into catalytic systems.”
Professor Hyungjun Kim (left) and Dr. He-Young Shin (right)
2016.12.23 View 13128 -
The Antibody That Normalizes Tumor Vessels
Researchers also discover that their antisepsis antibody reduces glioma, lung and breast cancer progression in mice.
A research team at the Center for Vascular Research within the Institute for Basic Science (IBS) discovered that the antisepsis antibody ABTAA (Ang2-Binding and Tie2-Activating Antibody) reduces tumor volume and improves the delivery of anti-cancer drugs. Published in Cancer Cell, this study demonstrates that ABTAA restores the structural and functional integrity of tumor blood vessels in three different tumor models: breast, lungs, and brain.
Blood vessels inside and around an established tumor can be described as a chaotic and dysfunctional labyrinth. While the inner walls of healthy blood vessels are surrounded and supported by endothelial cells and other cells called pericytes, in the established tumor, the endothelial junctions are broken apart and pericytes are also detached. Blood flow into and from the tumor is severely retarded and tumor vessels lacking an intact vessel wall become leaky. This microenvironment causes limited drug delivery to the tumor and leads to inadequate oxygen supply (hypoxia) and even metastasis.
The research team led by Professor Gou-Young Koh at KAIST’s Graduate School of Medical Science and Engineering found that the antibody ABTAA normalizes the tumor vessels and hence, change the whole tumor microenvironment. “We call it normalization of tumor vessels, because it resembles closely the wall architecture of healthy, normal vessels,” explains PARK Jin-Sung, first author of the study. And continues: “Tumor can adapt to hypoxia and get more aggressive, so we tried to prevent this transition by normalizing tumor vessels. ABTAA changes the whole tumor environment, oxygenation status and level of lactate, so that the immune cells and drugs can reach the core regions of the tumor more easily. In this way, we create a favorable ground for tumor treatment.”
In an attempt to generate antibodies targeting the protein Ang2, which is specifically expressed by endothelial cells in stressful conditions like in tumor, the team unexpectedly discovered that ABTAA has a peculiar way of working and a dual function. ABTAA indeed not only blocks Ang2, but also activates Tie2 at the same time. Tie2 is a receptor present on the cell membrane of endothelial cells. ABTAA causes Ang2 to cluster together and to strongly activate Tie2 receptors. “If we activate Tie2, we can efficiently normalize tumor vessels, enhance drug delivery and change the whole microenvironment,” explains KOH Gou Young, Director of the Center for Vascular Research.
Several pharmaceutical companies are developing Ang2-blocking antibodies to cure cancer. However, even if these antibodies significantly inhibit tumor progression, they do not stop tumor hypoxia. Moreover, most of the anti-cancer drugs target the tumor at its early stage, when tumors are still hard to diagnose. ABTAA, instead, works with tumors that are already rooted: “When the tumor is established, hypoxia is the main driver of tumor progression. So, if we eliminate hypoxia, we make the tumor milder, by reducing its progression and metastasis,” comments Koh.
Figure: Schematic drawing of a blood vessel around tumors before and after treatment with ABTAA. The picture above shows a typical tumor vasculature characterized by damaged walls, red blood cells leakage and detached pericytes. Activating Tie2 on endothelial cells with the antibody ABTAA restores the normal vessel architecture: endothelial and pericytes on the vessel walls are stabilized, the delivery of blood is improved, and the anticancer drugs are more likely to reach the tumor core.
The researchers tested ABTAA in mice with three different types of tumors that show high levels of Ang2: glioma (a type of a brain tumor), lung carcinoma, and breast cancer. They also compared the effect of ABTAA with ABA, another antibody that blocks Ang2 but misses the Tie2 activating properties. In all three cases, ABTAA was superior to ABA in inducing tumor vessel normalization, which led to a better delivery of the anti-cancer drugs into the tumor core region.
Glioma is one of the so-called intractable diseases, because of its poor prognosis and treatment. Professor Koh’s team found that the glioma volume was reduced 39% by ABTAA and 17% by ABA. ABTAA profoundly reduced vascular leakage and edema formation in glioma through promoting vascular tightening. Moreover, when ABTAA was administered together with the chemotherapeutic drug temozolomide (TMZ), the tumor volume reduces further (76% by ABTAA+TMZ, 51% by ABA+TMZ, and 36% by TMZ).
In the Lewis Lung Carcinoma (LLC) tumor model, the team administered ABTAA together with a chemotherapeutic drug called cisplatin (Cpt) and observed a greater suppression of tumor growth (52%) compared with the controls and increased overall survival. Moreover, ABTAA+Cpt led to a marked increase in necrotic area within tumors.
Finally, in a spontaneous breast cancer model, ABTAA delayed tumor growth and enhanced the anti-tumor effect of Cpt.
Courtesy of the Institute for Basic Sciences (IBS)
Figure: The antibody ABTAA alone and in combination with other anti-cancer drugs have a beneficial effect in reducing tumor volume. ABTAA was tested in mice with brain tumor (glioma), lung or breast cancer. The image shows the improvements: reduction in glioma tumor size, reduction in metastatic colonies in lung tumor and decrease in necrotic regions in breast tumor.
In the future, the team would like to further understand the underlying relationship between faulty blood vessels and diseases. “We would like to apply this antibody to an organ that is rich in blood vessels, that is the eye, and see if this antibody can be useful to treat eye diseases such as age-related macular degeneration and diabetic retinopathy,” concludes Koh.
Professor Gou-Young Koh (left) and Jin-Sung Park (right)
2016.12.16 View 9873 -
Mechanical Engineering Building on Campus Refurbished
KAIST’s Mechanical Engineering Department has finished the project to remodel its buildings and hosted an opening ceremony on December 12, 2016, which was attended by the university’s senior management and guests including President Steve Kang and Choong-Hwan Ahn, Architecture Policy Officer at the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport of Korea (MLIT).
With an investment of approximately USD 10 million, the old buildings (each consisting of seven floors and one basement) were transformed into smart, green buildings. Among the upgrades were the establishment of LED lighting systems, the replacement of the exterior walls with insulated materials, and the installation of double-glazed windows, all resulting in the improvement of the buildings’ energy efficiency. Previously, offices and lecture halls in the buildings had individual cooling and heating systems, which consumed a great deal of energy, but they were replaced with a centralized smart energy control system that monitors the operation status as well as energy consumption in real time.
With these new improvements, the Department was able to slash its energy consumption by 32%, for which it received Green Building Conversion Certification from MLIT. The ministry issues the certification to buildings that reduce their energy consumption by over 20% as a result of infrastructure upgrades. Beginning with the Mechanical Engineering buildings, KAIST will work on obtaining this certification for all of its buildings that are either under renovation or construction.
President Kang said, “We are pleased to offer our students a comfortable environment for study and research and will continue improving outdated facilities and infrastructure to make the campus safer and nicer.”
Picture 1: Ribbon-cutting ceremony for the refurbished Mechanical Engineering buildings on campus
Picture 2: Mechanical engineering buildings
2016.12.09 View 9037 -
A KAIST Team Wins the Chem-E-Car Competition 2016
A KAIST team consisted of four students from the Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering won the Chem-E-Car Competition 2016, which took place on November 13 at the Union Square in San Francisco. The students who participated were Young-Hyun Cha, Jin-Sol Shin, Dae-Seok Oh, and Wan-Tae Kim. Their adviser was Professor Doh Chang Lee of the same department.
Established in 1999, the Chem-E-Car is an annual worldwide college competition for students majoring in chemical engineering. The American Institute of Chemical Engineers (AIChE), founded in 1908, is the world’s leading organization for chemical engineering professionals with more than 50,000 members from over 100 countries and hosts this competition every year.
A total of 41 university teams including Carnegie Mellon University and Purdue University participated in this year’s competition.
KAIST students competed in the event for the first time in 2014 and reached the rank of 28. In 2015, the students placed 16th, and finally, took the first place in last month’s competition, followed by the Georgia Institute of Technology.
In the competition, students must design small-scale (20x30x40 cm) automobiles that operate chemically, as well as describe their research and drive their car a fixed distance down a wedge-shaped course to demonstrate the car’s capabilities. In addition to driving a specified distance (15-30 meters), the car must hold a payload of 0-500 mL of water.
The organizers tell participants the exact distance and amount of payloads one hour before the competition begins. Winners are chosen based on their finishing time and how close their car reaches the finish line. Thus, students must show sophisticated coordination of chemical reactions to win.
The KAIST team designed their car to have a stable power output using a Vanadium redox flow battery developed by Professor Hee Tak Kim of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering. They employed iodine clock reactions to induce quick and precise chemical reactions to control their car.
KAIST’s car finished with the best run coming within 11 cm of the target line; Georgia Tech’s car reached the finish line by 13 cm and New Jersey Institute of Technology’s car by 14 cm.
Young-Hyun Cha, one of the four students, said, “When we first designed our car, we had to deal with many issues such as stalls or connection errors. We kept working on fixing these problems through trial and error, which eventually led us to success.”
For a news article on KAIST’s win at 2016 Chemi-E-Car Competition by AIChE, see the link below:
http://www.aiche.org/chenected/2016/11/koreas-kaist-wins-1st-place-2016-chem-e-car-competition-photos
2016.12.08 View 12866 -
Mobile Software Platform Research Center Recognized by the MSIP
The Mobile Software Platform Research Center (MSPRC) at KAIST received an award from the Minister of Science, ICT and Future Planning of Korea on November 29, 2016, at Coex in Seoul. The award was presented at the Conference of Software R&D Annual Report 2016 hosted by the Ministry of Science, ICT and Future Planning (MISP) and the Institute for Information and Communications Technology Promotion (IITP).
The research center developed user experience (UX)-oriented mobile software platforms that support the invention of next-generation UX service technologies. The center has filed 37 patents and registered 15 technologies. Its researchers received ten Best Paper Awards and published a total of 133 papers in Korean and international journals.
Research teams at MSPRC expect that their software platforms will offer training programs for software engineers and new UX services. They also said that their extensive event processing platforms would reduce energy consumption on mobile devices.
Professor Seungryoul Maeng of the School of Computing, the Director of MSPRC, said, “This is a great honor for us. I am greatly thankful for the teamwork of participating departments--Computer Science, Industrial Design, and Industrial and Systems Engineering. We will continue to introduce our research outcomes and to work towards commercializing these results.”
Members of the Mobile Software Platform Research Center, KAIST
2016.12.07 View 8567 -
Making Graphene Using Laser-induced Phase Separation
IBS & KAIST researchers clarify how laser annealing technology can lead to the production of ultrathin nanomaterials
All our smart phones have shiny flat AMOLED (active-matrix organic light-emitting diode) displays. Behind each single pixel of these displays hides at least two silicon transistors which are mass-manufactured using laser annealing technology. While the traditional methods to make the transistors use temperature above 1,000°C, the laser technique reaches the same results at low temperatures even on plastic substrates (melting temperature below 300°C). Interestingly, a similar procedure can be used to generate crystals of graphene. Graphene is a strong and thin nano-material made of carbon, its electric and heat-conductive properties have attracted the attention of scientists worldwide.
Professor Keon Jae Lee of the Materials Science and Engineering Department at KAIST and his research group at the Center for Multidimensional Carbon Materials within the Institute for Basic Science (IBS), as well as Professor Sung-Yool Choi of the Electrical Engineering School at KAIST and his research team discovered graphene synthesis mechanism using laser-induced solid-state phase separation of single-crystal silicon carbide (SiC). This study, available in Nature Communications, clarifies how this laser technology can separate a complex compound (SiC) into its ultrathin elements of carbon and silicon.
Although several fundamental studies presented the effect of excimer lasers in transforming elemental materials like silicon, the laser interaction with more complex compounds like SiC has rarely been studied due to the complexity of compound phase transition and ultra-short processing time.
With high resolution microscope images and molecular dynamic simulations, scientists found that a single-pulse irradiation of xenon chloride excimer laser of 30 nanoseconds melts SiC, leading to the separation of a liquid SiC layer, a disordered carbon layer with graphitic domains (about 2.5 nm thick) on top surface and a polycrystalline silicon layer (about 5 nm) below carbon layer. Giving additional pulses causes the sublimation of the separated silicon, while the disordered carbon layer is transformed into a multilayer graphene.
"This research shows that the laser material interaction technology can be a powerful tool for the next generation of two dimensional nanomaterials," said Professor Lee.
Professor Choi added: "Using laser-induced phase separation of complex compounds, new types of two dimensional materials can be synthesized in the future."
High-resolution transmission electron microscopy shows that after just one laser pulse of 30 nanoseconds, the silicon carbide (SiC) substrate is melted and separates into a carbon and a silicon layer. More pulses cause the carbon layer to organize into graphene and the silicon to leave as gas.
Molecular dynamics simulates the graphene formation mechanism. The carbon layer on the top forms because the laser-induced liquid SiC (SiC (l)) is unstable.
(Press Release by Courtesy of the Institute for Basic Science (IBS))
2016.12.01 View 13326 -
Aerospace Engineering Students Win the Minister's Award
On November 11, 2016, students from KAIST’s Aerospace Engineering Department won the Minister’s Award of Trade, Industry and Energy of Korea at the 14th Research Paper Competition hosted by Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI). The award came with a cash prize of USD 1,200 as well as opportunities to visit international airshows held abroad.
The KAIST students' paper introduced a novel design concept for "a virtual-fighter-pilot system for unmanned combat aerial vehicles to enable them to engage in mass aerial combat."
This was one of the two highest honors given to contestants. A group of students from Korea Aerospace University received the other grand prize from the Minister of Land, Infrastructure and Transport of Korea.
The KAIST team consisted of two doctoral students, Hee-Min Shin and Jae-Hyun Lee, and one Master’s student, Hyun-Gi Kim. Their advisor, Professor “David” Hyunchul Shim, received the Special Achievement Award for his contribution to the paper.
KAI’s competition was established in 2003 to spur academic interest and research in aerospace engineering. Over the past 14 years, contestants have submitted 376 papers, and KAI has published 88 papers. KAI has positioned itself as the host of one of the most prestigious research paper competitions held in Korea in the area of aerospace engineering.
The Korean Society for Aeronautical and Space Sciences, the Korea Aerospace Industries Association, and the Korea Civil Aviation Development Association also sponsored the competition, with the Ministries of Trade, Industry and Energy and of Land, Infrastructure and Transport.
Professor Shim said, “This represents a great honor for our students. In recent years, research in unmanned aerial systems has increased tremendously throughout the world, and I hope KAIST will continue to inspire and innovate research in this field.”
Pictured from left to right are Hee-Min Shin, Jae-Hyun Lee, and Hyun-Gi Kim.
Pictured from right to left are Professor Hyunchul Shim, Hyun-Gi Kim, Hee-Min Shin, and Vice President Sung-Sup Chang of Korea Aerospace Industries.
2016.11.22 View 14279 -
Key Interaction between the Circadian Clock and Cancer Identified
Professor Jae Kyoung Kim and his research team from the Department of Mathematical Sciences at KAIST found that the circadian clock drives changes in circadian rhythms of p53 which functions as a tumor suppressor. Using a differential equation, he applied a model-driven mathematical approach to learn the mechanism and role of p53.
Kim’s mathematical modeling has been validated by experimental studies conducted by a research team at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University (Virginia Tech) in the United State, which is led by Professor Carla Finkielstein. As a result, the researchers revealed that there is an important link existed between the circadian clock and cancer.
The findings of this research were published online in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of the America (PNAS) on November 9, 2016.
The circadian clock in our brain controls behavioral and physiological processes within a period of 24 hours, including making us fall asleep at a certain time by triggering the release of the sleep hormone melatonin in our brain, for example, around 9 pm. The clock is also involved in various physiological processes such as cell division, movement, and development.
Disruptions caused by the mismatch of the circadian clock and real time due to chronic late night work, shiftwork, and other similar issues may lead to various diseases such as diabetes, cancer, and heart disease.
In 2014, when Kim met with Finkielstein, her research team succeeded in observing the changes of p53 over a period of 24 hours, but could not understand how the circadian clock controls the 24-hour rhythm of p53. It was difficult to determine p53’s mechanism since its cell regulation system is far more complex than other cells
To solve the problem, Kim set up a computer simulation using mathematical modeling and ran millions of simulations. Instead of the traditional method based on trial and error experiments, mathematical modeling allowed to save a great deal of time, cost, and manpower.
During this process, Kim proved that the biorhythm of p53 and Period2, an important protein in the circadian clock, are closely related. Cells usually consist of a cell nucleus and cytoplasm. While p53 exists in both nucleus and cytoplasm, it becomes more stable and its degradation slows down when it is in the nucleus.
Kim predicted that the Period2 protein, which plays a key role in the functioning of the circadian clock, could influence the nucleus entry of the p53 protein.
Kim’s predictions based on mathematical modeling have been validated by the Virginia team, thereby revealing a strong connection between the circadian clock and cancer.
Researchers said that this research will help explain the cause of different results from numerous anticancer drugs, which are used to normalize the level of p53, when they are administrated at different times and find the most effective dosing times for the drugs.
They also believe that this study will play an important role in identifying the cause of increasing cancer rates in shift-workers whose circadian clocks are unstable and will contribute to the development of more effective treatments for cancer.
Professor Kim said, “This is an exciting thing that my research can contribute to improving the healthy lives of nurses, police officers, firefighters, and the like, who work in shifts against their circadian rhythms. Taking these findings as an opportunity, I hope to see more active interchanges of ideas between biological sciences and mathematical science in Korea.”
This research has been jointly conducted between KAIST and Virginia Tech and supported by the T. J. Park Science Fellowship of POSCO, the National Science Foundation of the United States, and the Young Researcher Program of the National Research Foundation of Korea.
Picture 1. The complex interaction between tumor antigen p53 and Period2 (Per2) which plays a major role in the circadian clock as revealed by mathematical simulations and experiments
Picture 2. A portion of the mathematical model used in the research
Picture 3. Professor Jae Kyoung Kim (third from left) and the Virginia Tech Research Team
2016.11.17 View 8903 -
KAIST and the Budapest University of Technology and Economics Agree to Cooperate in Education and Research
KAIST and the Budapest University of Technology and Economics in Hungary extended their existing agreement for comprehensive cooperation in education and research, and signed a new memorandum of understanding (MOU) for student exchanges on October 19, 2016, at Budapest University.
The two universities will exchange faculty, researchers, and students for education and research collaboration, implement dual degree programs, conduct joint lectures and research projects, and share infrastructures and talent pools.
These agreements were part of the agenda for the 8th Meeting of the Korea and Hungary Science and Technology Joint Committee, which took place October 17-19, 2016, in Budapest.
President Sung-Mo Kang of KAIST, Associate Vice President Sung-Hyon Myaeng of the International Office, and Director General Won-Ho Choi of International Relations at the Ministry of Science, ICT and Future Planning of Korea were present at the MOU singing.
Associate Vice President Myaeng said:
“Traditionally, the Budapest University of Technology and Economics has been known for its strong base in the natural sciences. Combining this with KAIST’s excellence in engineering, the two universities will bring synergistic effects that will help further develop the schools as well as their host nations.”
“Finding partners to implement joint research projects sponsored by the European Union or establishing cooperative networks among future talents between the two countries through various student exchange programs can be a good starting point,” he added.
The Budapest University of Technology and Economics was created in 1782, and is one of the most prestigious universities in Hungary, having produced three Nobel Prize laureates. It has a highly-globalized campus, where one third of its student population is made up of international students, and offers lectures and research in English.
In addition, the Hungarian-Korean Technical Cooperation Center Foundation, established in 1992 and based in Budapest, hosted a seminar on science in Korea and Hungary on October 17, 2016. At the seminar, Korean and Hungarian participants discussed issues on the two nations’ science, technology, and strategies to drive innovation under the topic “The Technical Innovation-Importance of Startup Companies.”
Associate Vice President Sung-Hyon Myaeng of the International Office, KAIST, is pictured fourth from the left, and János Józsa, rector of the Budapest University of Technology and Economics, is fifth from the left.
2016.10.20 View 9107