programs
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KAIST Launches Woorisae II
Professor Sejin Kwon from the Department of Aerospace Engineering and his team succeeded in launching a science rocket, named ‘Woorisae II’ at Saemanguem reclamation. This rocket was developed in collaboration with the Satellite Technology Research Lab (SaRTec).
The test-firing was conducted at 10:43 am on Sunday October 28, 2018 (35°N 42’ 06” 126°E 33’ 36”, Radius of 0.6NM). This launch was the follow-up to the previous launch that was cancelled due to not gaining approval for using the airspace.
Professor Kwon’s team put a great deal of effort into securing the land for the rocket launch. As a result, they got approval from the Saemangeum Development and Investment Agency for the land and the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport for the use of the airspace. The Republic of Korea Air Force and United States Air Force also approved the use of the airspace for the launch of the science rocket for research purposes.
Woorisae II is 2.2 meters long with a diameter of 20cm, and weighs 13kg without a payload. The rocket is powered by a hybrid rocket with hydrogen peroxide oxidizer producing 100 kg of force. The Woorisae II sounding rocket was designed to burn for five seconds and then continue inertial flight for 20 seconds. The target altitude of Woorisae II was set at 3,300 feet to comply with the airspace approval.
The team developed the core components, including a hybrid rocket propulsion system, flight computer and parachute recovery system, as well as a ground control station. The flight data was transmitted to the ground station and recorded to onboard computer memory.
When a malfunction occurs during the flight, Woorisae II was designed to terminate the power flight for safety by shutting the propellant valve and deploying the recovery parachute. All the rocket subsystems and components were developed and supplied by domestic startup companies such as INOCOM and NARA SPACE TEHCNOLOGY.
Generally, sounding rockets reach an altitude beyond 30km and are widely used for testing rocket engines and reentry materials as well as for conducting microgravity experiments. Instruments for atmospheric science can also be installed to measure fine dust and high altitude atmosphere. Besides these science and technology purposes, most advanced spacefaring countries have sounding rocket programs to train and educate young people in the field of space science.
Professor Kwon said, “We will plan to launch upgraded rockets on November 4 and December 6 because we already received approval from the related agencies for using this land and airspace. Based on the experiment, we are planning to develop a cost-efficient small launch vehicle that is capable of delivering a cube satellite into Earth’s orbit.”
(Photos of preparing the rocket launch)
2018.10.29 View 12913 -
AI ｜QC ITRC Opens at KAIST
(from left: Dean of College of Engineering Jong-Hwan Kim, Director of AI│QC ITRC June-Koo Rhee, Vice President for R&DB Heekyung Park and Director General for Industrial Policy Hong Taek Yong)
Artificial Intelligence｜The Quantum Computing Information Technology Research Center (AI｜QC ITRC) opened at KAIST on October 2.
AI｜QC ITRC, established with government funding, is the first institute specializing in quantum computing. Three universities (Seoul National University, Korea University, and Kyung Hee University), and four corporations, KT, Homomicus, Actusnetworks, and Mirae Tech are jointly participating in the center. Over four years, the institute will receive 3.2 billion KRW of research funds.
Last April, KAIST selected quantum technology as one of its flagship research areas. AI｜QC ITRC will dedicate itself to developing quantum computing technology that provides the computability required for human-level artificial intelligence. It will also foster leaders in related industries by introducing industry-academic educational programs in graduate schools.
QC is receiving a great deal of attention for transcending current digital computers in terms of computability. World-class IT companies like IBM, Google, and Intel and ventures including D-Wave, Rigetti, and IonQ are currently leading the industry and investing heavily in securing source technologies.
Starting from the establishment of the ITRC, KAIST will continue to plan strategies to foster the field of QC. KAIST will carry out two-track strategies; one is to secure source technology of first-generation QC technology, and the other is to focus on basic research that can preoccupy next-generation QC technology.
Professor June-Koo Rhee, the director of AI│QC ITRC said, “I believe that QC will be the imperative technology that enables the realization of the Fourth Industrial Revolution. AIQC ITRC will foster experts required for domestic academia and industries and build a foundation to disseminate the technology to industries.”
Vice President for R&DB Heekyung Park, Director General for Industrial Policy Hong Taek Yong from the Ministry of Science and ICT, Seung Pyo Hong from the Institute for Information & communications Technology Promotion, Head of Technology Strategy Jinhyon Youn from KT, and participating companies attended and celebrated the opening of the AI│QC ITRC.
2018.10.05 View 7936 -
ICT Volunteer Corps Off to Africa
A volunteer corps made up of students will take part in ICT education services in Ethiopia, Tanzania, and Uganda. KAIST students have been volunteering with the ICT education program in Africa since 2015.
The volunteer corps will be made up of 51 students from 13 teams and will be conducting services for a month through the end of July at Addis Ababa Institute of Technology (AAiT) in Ethiopia, Nelson Mandela African Institute of Science and Technology (NM-AIST) and Star High School in Tanzania, and IT Education Center in Uganda.
In Tanzania, KAIST students teamed up with NM-AIST students to carry out appropriate technology programs applied with Arduino kits. They plan to use scientific and engineering approaches to address local residents’ living challenges such as developing agricultural water suppliers using sensors measuring water in the soil and oxygen suppliers in the reservoir.
Meanwhile, in Ethiopia and Uganda, student volunteers will be involved in various ICT educational programs for local students. The volunteering corps will also introduce cultural programs including K-Pop dancing for young students there. They will also engage in sports and art classes for students at orphanages in the region.
President Sung-Chul Shin encouraged volunteers at the kick-off ceremony saying, “KAIST students should keep always humility, warmth, and tolerance in mind. I believe our students will exert leadership out there along with knowledge as well as wisdom.”
2018.07.02 View 8498 -
ICISTS 2018: Presence of the Wall, Constraint or Control
A KAIST undergraduates body, ICISTS (International Conference for Integration of Science, Technology and Society) will host the 2018 international conference from July 30 to August 3 at KAIST. Under the theme of “Presence of the Wall: Constraint or Control,” participants will share their opinions on the limits the global world is facing today and look for answers discussing various social issues and technologies. More than 300 students from 60 universities in 15 countries will attend the conference.
Speakers include CEO Sebastien Gendron of TransPod Inc., a Canadian company designing and manufacturing ultra-high-speed transportation technology and vehicles, researcher Sven Kreiss from the Visual Intelligence for Transportation of École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne, Professor Des Freedman from the Department of Media and Communications of Goldsmiths, University of London and political scientist-technologist Wilneida Negrón at the Data & Society Research Institute of Ford Foundation in the US.
The conference will hold programs to facilitate the exchange of ideas among speakers and participants. Participants will make small teams for free discussions to share their ideas and thoughts about issues affecting the human race. Participants will be also assigned a team project in which they must come up with creative ideas based on the lectures. Moreover, they can try new gadgets from companies during the Experience Session.
ICISTS was established in 2005 by undergraduate students from KAIST. The organization holds an international conference every year to explore ways to create harmonization among society, science, and technology. It has grown to become Asia’s largest international student conference.
For learn more and register for the program, please visit http://www.icist.org
2018.05.30 View 7614 -
KAIST-KU Sign MOU on 4th Industrial Technology Development
(President Shin(second from left) poses with Khalifa University President Tod Laursen after signing an MOU in the UAE on March 25. Far left is Chairman of the NST Kwangyun Wohn and far right is the UAE Minister of Educatiion Hussain Al Hammadi.)
KAIST President Sung-Chul Shin and Khalifa University Interim President Tod Laursen signed an MOU on the Fourth Industrial Technology Development on March 25 in the UAE.
They signed the MOU during the UAE-ROK Nuclear Friendship and KAIST Alumni Night at Khalifa University co-hosted by KAIST and the Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute (KAERI). The MOU will bring new opportunities to further expand bilateral cooperation in education and training in the relevant technologies called for the era of the Fourth Industrial Revolution.
More than 100 dignitaries including Chairman of National Research Council of Science and Technology (NST) in Korea Dr. Kwangyun Wohn, President of KAERI Jaejoo Ha, the UAE Minister of Education His Excellency Hussain Al Hammadi, Minister of State for Advanced Sciences Her Excellency Sarah bint Yousef Al Amiri, and His Excellency Federal Authority for Nuclear Regulation (FANR) Director General Christopher Viktorsson attended the event. In particular, a significant number of Emirati graduates of the KUSTAR-KAIST education program and many others who completed various KAIST training programs joined the event.
The Nuclear Friendship Night was celebrating the completion of the first nuclear power plant in Barakah exported by Korea. This is the first nuclear reactor in the Middle East, which is to start operation later this year. The event also coincided with Korean President Moon Jae-In’s state visit to the UAE.
KAIST and KAERI gathered distinguished leaders from the higher education and nuclear industries at the event in response to the UAE government’s top national agenda of fostering future talents and promoting the nuclear industry in order to ensure energy security.
KAIST and Khalifa University signed an initial agreement in education and research in 2009 when the governments of Korea and the UAE signed a contract to build four nuclear power plants in Barakah. Since then, the two universities have worked together closely in the areas of nuclear engineering, bio-medical engineering, robotics, mechanical engineering, chemical engineering, and materials science. With this signing on the new MOU, the partnership between the two institutions will mark the second phase of educating high-caliber human resources in science and technology of the two countries.
The KAIST Alumni Night also brought more opportunities to appreciate the achievements that the two countries have made through collaboration in education and research, mostly represented in the field of nuclear technology between KAIST and Khalifa University. During the event, KAIST graduates also shared their experiences from the education at KAIST, followed by the welcoming speeches from the UAE Minister of Education and the UAE Minister of State for Advanced Sciences.
KAIST President Shin, in his welcoming speech at the event, said, “I look forward to more students in the UAE having the opportunity to experience the world’s top-level education and global environment that KAIST offers. The collaboration with Khalifa University and the UAE is very important for building both countries’ future growth.”
KU President Laursen said, “This MOU on research cooperation focusing on technologies for the Fourth Industrial Revolution, nuclear engineering, and other technical areas will further consolidate our partnership with KAIST and support us in developing human capital suitable to take on future challenges in the science and technology sectors. We firmly believe the talent pool of experts created by this initiative will contribute to the overall economic growth of the UAE.”
2018.03.26 View 12147 -
Open Online Course in Science and Technology, STAR-MOOC
Four universities specializing in science and technology, along with POSTECH and UST, teamed up to establish programs for innovation in education programs, responding to the Fourth Industrial Revolution.
KAIST held an opening ceremony for the Science & Technology Advanced Research - Massive Open Online Course (STAR-MOOC) and signed an MoU with GIST, DGIST, UNIST, POSTECH, and UST.
STAR-MOOC was launched on February 26 to provide educational service to the public. It is a joint platform where people can take courses featuring lectures from professors from universities specializing in science and technology as well as national research universities.
It offers 15 courses covering basics, majors, and electives related to science and technology developed by the STAR-MOOC committee. Students can take a variety of courses.
At the opening ceremony, KAIST President Sung-Chul Shin, DGIST President Sang Hyuk Son, UST President Kil Choo Moon, POSTECH Vice President Wankyun Chung, UNIST Vice President Jae Sung Lee, GIST Vice President of Public Affairs Pil-hwan Park came to sign the MoU for provising educational services for the public.
During the ceremony, there was also time to introduce a technical agreement with a non-profit organization founded by NAVER, the CONNECT Foundation, for its courses and platform.
Universities participating in STAR-MOOC will put effort into capacity building in response to changes driven by the Fourth Industrial Revolution.
President Shin said, “STAR-MOOC is a platform that provides science and technology courses from basics to electives and major courses. It will become a leading educational platform.”
Students can register and choose courses from the website (http://starmooc.kr).
2018.03.19 View 10072 -
MoU Signed by the Republic of Korea Army and KAIST
(From left: KAIST President Sung-Chul Shin and ROKA Chief of Staff Youngwoo Kim)
On March 7, the Republic of Korea Army (ROKA) and KAIST signed an MoU and opened special sessions dedicated to the army in order to reinforce research and development capacities.
The close partnership between KAIST and ROKA will provide an opportunity to establish advanced combat development systems.
Through the MoU, signed by KAIST President Sung-Chul Shin and ROKA Chief of Staff Youngwoo Kim, both organizations will discuss new opportunities for cooperation between academia and military and establish an institute and its curriculum.
KAIST is offering special sessions for the army March 5-9, where about 150 executives from ROKA, including the headquarters, education and training command, and logistics command, will participate.
These session are expected to enhance the army’s capabilities through education on cutting-edge equipment that will emerge during the Fourth Industrial Revolution.
The director of the KAIST Security Convergence Institute, Soo Hyun Kim, said, “KAIST and ROKA will plan and operate various programs together though this partnership as well as special sessions. I hope this cooperation will be an opportunity to enhance the combat development of ROKA.”
2018.03.07 View 7549 -
KAIST Students Invited to the BNL
Siheon Ryee and Taek Jung Kim, combined Masters and PhD students from the Department of Physics, have been invited to be visiting researchers at the Brookhaven National Laboratory (BNL).
The BNL, located in Long Island, New York, is one of the most esteemed institutes in the United States. Ryee and Kim received the invitation from the Center for Computational Design of Functional Strongly Correlated Materials and Theoretical Spectroscopy. This center was established by scholars who have been leading this field in the United States.
The two students will be participating in developing a methodology and code for calculating strongly correlated electronic materials, and a grant of 40,000 USD will be provided to each student. This amount of support is not often awarded to researchers outside of postdoctoral programs.
Moreover, they are guaranteed to continue their combined Masters and PhD program and write their dissertations under the supervision of their advisor, Professor Myung Joon Han from the Department of Physics.
Professor Han said, “I was impressed by how well-known scholars established the center in order to cooperate with each other to solve challenging problems. Also, I was surprised and happy that my students were invited to this outstanding institute.”
“I believe that doing research with leaders in their field will give valuable experience to the students. At the same time, my students will be a great help to the scholars of the institute,” he added.
2018.01.11 View 9877 -
Meet the KAISTian of 2017, Professor YongKeun Park
Professor YongKeun Park from the Department of Physics is one of the star professors in KAIST. Rising to the academic stardom, Professor Park’s daily schedule is filled with series of business meetings in addition to lab meetings and lectures.
The year 2017 must have been special for him. During the year, he published numerous papers in international journals, such as Nature Photonics, Nature Communications and Science Advances. These high performances drew international attention from renowned media, including Newsweek and Forbes. Moreover, recognizing his research performance, he was elected as a fellow member of the Optical Society (OSA) in his mid-30s. Noting that the members’ age ranges from late 50s to early 60s, Professor Park’s case considered to be quite exceptional.
Adding to his academic achievement, he has launched two startups powered of his own technologies. One is called Tomocube, a company specialized in 3-D imaging microscope using holotomography technology. His company is currently exporting the products to multiple countries, including the United States and Japan. The other one is The.Wave.Talk which has technologies for examining pre-existing bacteria anywhere and anytime.
His research career and entrepreneurship are well deserved recipient of many honors. At the 2018 kick-off ceremony, Professor Park was awarded the KAISTian of 2017 in recognition of his developing holographic measure and control technology as well as founding a new field for technology application.
KAISTian of the Year, first presented in 2001, is an award to recognize the achievements and exemplary contribution of KAIST member who has put significant effort nationally and internationally, enhancing the value of KAIST.
While receiving the award, he thanked his colleagues and his students who have achieved this far together. He said, “I would like to thank KAIST for providing environment for young professors like me so that we can engage themselves in research. Also, I would like to mention that I am an idea seeder and my students do the most of the research. So, I appreciate my students for their hard works, and it is very pleasure to have them. Lastly, I thank the professors for teaching these outstanding students. I feel great responsibility over this title. I will dedicate myself to make further progress in commercializing technology in KAIST.”
Expecting his successful startup cases as a model and great inspiration to students as well as professors, KAIST interviewed Professor Park.
Q What made you decide to found your startups?
A I believed that my research areas could be further used. As a professor, I believe that it is a university’s role to create added value through commercializing technology and creating startups.
Q You have co-founded two startups. What is your role in each company?
A So, basically I have two full-time jobs, professor in KAIST and CTO in Tomocube. After transferring the technology, I hold the position of advisor in The.Wave.Talk.
(Holographic images captured by the product Professor Park developed)
Q Do your students also participate in your companies or can they?
A No, the school and companies are separate spaces; in other words, they are not participating in my companies. They have trained my employees when transferring the technologies, but they are not directly working for the companies.
However, they can participate if they want to. If there’s a need to develop a certain technology, an industry-academia contract can be made. According to the agreement, students can work for the companies.
Q Were there any hardships when preparing the startups?
A At the initial stage, I did not have a financial problem, thanks to support from Startup KAIST. Yet, inviting capital is the beginning, and I think every step I made to operate, generate revenue, and so on is not easy.
Q Do you believe KAIST is startup-friendly?
A Yes, there’s no school like KAIST in Korea and any other country. Besides various programs to support startup activities, Startup KAIST has many professors equipped with a great deal of experience. Therefore, I believe that KAIST provides an excellent environment for both students and professors to create startups.
Q Do you have any suggestion to KAIST institutionally?
A Well, I would like to make a comment to students and professors in KAIST. I strongly recommend them to challenge themselves by launching startups if they have good ideas. Many students wish to begin their jobs in government-funded research institutes or major corporates, but I believe that engaging in a startup company will also give them valuable and very productive experience.
Unlike before, startup institutions are well established, so attracting good capital is not so hard. There are various activities offered by Startup KAIST, so it’s worthwhile giving it a try.
Q What is your goal for 2018 as a professor and entrepreneur?
A I don’t have a grand plan, but I will work harder to produce good students with new topics in KAIST while adding power to my companies to grow bigger.
By Se Yi Kim from the PR Office
2018.01.03 View 14051 -
CLKIP Bearing Fruit in China
The Chongqing Liangjiang KAIST International Program (CLKIP) is rapidly gaining steam in China. CLKIP, an educational program operated in Chongqing internationally by KAIST since 2015, offers two majors, Electronic Information Engineering and Computer Science and Technology, applying the same curriculum as at KAIST.
To operate the program, KAIST assigns professors from the School of Electrical Engineering and the School of Computing to the program every year. They are in charge of one-third of the major courses, and transfer KAIST’s educational curriculum and know-how.
A total of 13 professors from Chongqing University of Technology (CQUT) have received or are receiving training on advanced education methodologies and technical know-how, including an on and offline integrated learning program, called Education 4.0 and large-scale internet open learning.As CLKIP is gaining in popularity, the number of students for its undergraduate courses keeps increasing, from 66 in 2015 to 172 in 2016 and 200 students in 2017, achieving the student volume for enrollment annually.
CLKIP selected seven exchange undergraduate students and five dual-degree students this fall, and they are currently studying in KAIST for either one semester or one full year.
CLKIP is located in Chongqing, one of the major direct-controlled municipalities and a focal point for notable government projects. The Korea-China industrial zone is also located in this area.
Considering its location, CLKIP is more than just an international programs for educational cooperation. The program will provide opportunities to cooperate with Korean enterprises including Hyundai, SK Hynix, LG Chem and Hankook Tire. While cooperating in research and development as well as technical assistance, KAIST hopes that these enterprises will play a bridging role for KAIST alumni entering the Chinese market.
President Sung-Chul Shin said, “The success of CLKIP shows that KAIST programs for fostering future manpower and developing cutting-edge technologies do work in other countries. Based on this case, KAST will put more effort into transferring our innovative education systems abroad. We are also pushing ahead to establish a joint institute between KAIST and CQUT by 2018, which will become a foundation for facilitating the entry of KAIST’s cutting-edge technologies into the Chinese market.”
“KAIST aims to become an entrepreneurial university that creates value through technology commercialization. In this sense, KAIST plans to transfer advanced technologies to domestic and international companies located in the Liangjiang district,” he added.
2017.12.12 View 13538 -
Strengthening Industry-Academia Cooperation with LG CNS
On November 20, KAIST signed an MoU with LG CNS for industry-academia partnership in education, research, and business in the fields of AI and Big Data. Rather than simply developing education programs or supporting industry-academia scholarships, both organizations agreed to carry out a joint research project on AI and Big Data that can be applied to practical business.
KAIST will collaborate with LG CNS in the fields of smart factories, customer analysis, and supply chain management analysis.
Not only will LG CNS offer internships to KAIST students, but it also will support professors and students who propose innovative startup ideas for AI and Big Data. Offering an industry-academia scholarship for graduate students is also being discussed. Together with LG CNS, KAIST will put its efforts into propose projects regarding AI and Big Data in the public sector.
Furthermore, KAIST and LG CNS will jointly explore and carry out industry-academia projects that could be practically used in business. Both will carry out the project vigorously through strong cooperation; for instance, LG CNS employees can be assigned to KAIST, if necessary. Also, LG CNS’s AI and Big Data platform, called DAP (Data Analytics & AI Platform) will be used as a data analysis tool during the project and the joint outcomes will be installed in DAP.
KAIST professors with expertise in AI deep learning have trained LG CNS employees since the Department of Industrial & Systems Engineering established ‘KAIST AI Academy’ in LG CNS last August.
“With KAIST, the best research-centered university in Korea, we will continue to lead in developing the field of AI and Big Data and provide innovative services that create value by connecting them to customer business,” Yong Shub Kim, the CEO of LG CNS, highlighted.
2017.11.22 View 14083 -
KAST Opened the Campus to the Public
KAIST hosted OPEN KAIST 2017 on the main campus from November 2 to 3, 2017. OPEN KAIST is a science and cultural event designed for students and the general public to experience and take a glance at research labs.
More than 10,000 visitors came to KAIST this year. Groups of families and students came to KAIST to experience various programs related to science.
Twenty departments, including Mechanical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, the Graduate School of Cultural Technology, and Materials Science and Engineering participated in the event, along with three research centers and the Public Relations Office.
The event was composed of a total of 70 programs in four sections: lab tour, research performance exhibition, department introduction, and special lectures.
The kick off activity for the event was a trial game of the AI World Cup 2017 which will be hosted by KAIST in December 2017. Many people also visited the mobile health care showroom where they could experience what a future smart home and hospital would look like. It was also interesting to visit a futuristic living space for one-person households that provides virtual reality services.
KAIST hopes that the event offers an opportunity for children and students to get to know about science better. Professor Jong-Hwan Kim, the Dean of the College of Engineering at KAIST said, “OPEN KAIST is the one and only opportunity to visit and experience our research labs. KAIST will make every effort to take a step closer to the public by focusing on research that contributes to human society.”
2017.11.06 View 8551