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ITTP Produces 119 Graduates from 52 Countries.
“Transparency of Costa Rica was highly improved after adopting an electronic purchase and supply system from Korea.”
So noted a public official from the technical office of the digital government in Costa Rica, Ileana Palaco, who entered the master’s program in KAIST’s Global Information and Telecommunication Technology Program (ITTP) last September.
She also said, “The electronic government of Korea is an exemplary model emulated in the establishment of the e-Government system in Central and South America. I am eager to introduce Korean IT technology and policies to the countries in the region.”
Consisting of master’s and doctoral programs designed for public officials and technical experts in emerging countries, ITTP fosters international cooperation, builds human networks, and supports domestic companies in technology transfers.
For the past twenty years, the IT industry has been the key to Korea’s development. Utilizing its advancement in the IT technology, Korea provides developing countries with the support necessary for their continuous growth in the 21st century. To that end, KAIST created ITTP which invites government officials from emerging countries with a growing IT industry.
Run by the Business and Technology Management Department of KAIST since 2006, ITTP has produced 119 graduates from 52 countries. For the past 10 years, 57 students from Africa, 45 from South East-Asia, 16 from Eastern Europe, and 7 from the Middle East were accepted to the program.
The program consists of theory-based classes which introduces the technology and IT policies of Korea and project-based classes for university-industry cooperation. In the latter, experts from professional organizations in IT such as the Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute (ETRI), the National Information Society Agency (NIA), and Korea Telecom participate and provide information based on industry experience.
Foreign governments and international organizations have reacted positively to this program. Having recognized its excellence, the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) has supported it by sending the application information to 193 member countries. The African Development Bank (AFDB) chose ITTP as one of the Next Generation African Leadership Programs and assigned 19 public officials from Africa.
ITTP graduates have played a large role in promoting the e-Government system overseas. In In 25 cases in 2012, graduates participated as researchers in 6 cases. Thanks to the support of elite public officials from emerging countries who graduated from ITTP, Korean technology companies can bring their technology to overseas countries more effectively.
Recently, government officials from these countries have been asking for both long and short- term programs on technology and IT policies. In response, KAIST is planning to expand the program. Professor Jaejeung Rho from the Business and Technology Management Department who supervises this program said, “Allowing public officials in the field of IT all over the world to know more about Korea is very important in raising Korea’s reputation in technology and in the globe” and added that “having these officials is a boon in keeping our country’s competitive edge in the IT industry.”
Picture: About 60 people including ITTP students, the Nigerian ambassador to Korea, and President Steve Kang of KAIST joined a ceremony to raise a scholarship fund for KAIST on April 2, 2015 at Munji campus in Daejeon.
2015.04.03 View 8581 -
KAIST and Hancom Sign for Development of Mobile Healthcare
KAIST signed a memorandum of understanding with Hancom, Inc., an office suite developer in Korea, to foster mobile healthcare software programs. President Steve Kang and Chairman Sang-Chul Kim of Hancom held a signing ceremony on March 13, 2015 at the KAIST campus.
Based on the agreement, KAIST and Hancom will exchange research personnel to build Dr. M, a smart healthcare platform developed by the university, collaborate in research and development, and cooperate in the transfer of research developments from the university to the software industry including Hancom.
KAIST and Hancom also signed a memorandum of understanding on the development of software in April 2014. The Hancom-KAIST Research Center opened on campus last October.
2015.03.20 View 11016 -
'Dr. M,' Mobile Healthcare Showroom Opened at KI
Portable and wearable computers have made the way we manage our health easier and potentially more effective. Researchers from six departments and one graduate school at KAIST collaborated and conducted a one-year project called the “Mobile Healthcare Innovation” to develop a mobile healthcare system. Their research results are on exhibit on campus at the “Dr. M Showroom” which was open on March 13, 2015.
Located on the second floor of the College of Information and Electrical Engineering building, the showroom displays the entirety of mobile healthcare system developed during 2014, from the collection of biological data through smart sensors to analyzing big data to provide customized healthcare models for patients.
Standing in for a mobile doctor, Dr. M is a networked medical service system provided through the Internet of Things (IoC), wearable electronics, smart home, and smart car. Under this care, people can monitor their health on a daily basis at any-time and place, helping them to lower the risk of serious health problems. Patients who have chronic diseases such as diabetes or cardiovascular illness can inform doctors of their health status in real time. Moreover, people living in remote regions can receive quality medical services without traveling long distances.
At the showroom, about 40 convergence technologies are displayed, including biological sensors, low-power communication devices, IoC technology, big data, disease analysis, and prediction technology, presenting how these technologies are connected and worked systematically. For example, all the data earned from biological sensors are analyzed to produce relevant user information. Once abnormalities are discovered, the results would be sent immediately to medical staff for treatment.
As part of Dr. M, KAIST has been implementing the establishment of a “Mobile Healthcare Campus,” distributing small, wearable wristbands to 100 students. The wristbands read students’ biological signals and send them to researchers for monitoring. In addition, KAIST plans to collaborate with local hospitals, nursing care centers, communications, and mobile healthcare service providers for the commercialization of Dr. M system.
Professor Hoi-Jun Yoo of the Electrical Engineering Department, who has led the Mobile Healthcare Innovation project said, “One of the great advantages Dr. M can offer is the capability to customize healthcare service based on individuals and ages. For individuals in their twenties, for example, healthcare services such as skincare and diet programs will be more relevant whereas blood pressure monitoring for patients in their fifties and early diagnosis for the recurrence of diseases for those in their seventies. If we define human history in terms of major technology advancements, the first big one was computation, communication for the second, and I think ubiquitous healthcare will be the third one. We will continue to develop Dr. M in collaboration with medical and research organizations.”
A total of 32 professors from the Departments of Electrical Engineering, Computer Science, Industrial and Systems Engineering, Industrial Design, Web Science, Knowledge Service Engineering, and the Information Security Graduate School participated in the Mobile Healthcare Innovation project.
2015.03.17 View 11583 -
Ethiopian Minister of Education Visits KAIST
An Ethiopian delegation headed by the Minister of Education visited the KAIST campus on February 26, 2015. The delegation consisted of Mr. Demitu Hambisa, Minister of Education, Mr. Dibaba Abdetta, Ethiopian Ambassador to Korea, Dr. Jang-Kyu Lee, President of Adama Science and Technology University (ASTU), and Mr. Nurelegne Tefera, President of Addis Ababa Science and Technology University (AASTU).
Minister Hambisa explained the purpose of his visit, “We would like to learn about what KAIST has achieved over the years for Korea and its people and increase exchanges and cooperation between our universities and KAIST.”
KAIST and the two Ethiopian universities, ASTU and AASTU, signed memoranda of understanding for cooperative programs in science and engineering education.
Established in 1993, ASTU appointed Dr. Jang-Kyu Lee, a former professor from Seoul National University, Korea, to become its president since 2011. President Lee is the first Korean ever to have served the institution.
2015.02.26 View 9063 -
KAIST Team Wins International Hacking Competition, "SECCON CTF 2014"
KAIST’s white hacker team, “TOFEL Beginner,” secured the first place in an international hacking competition, SECCON CTF 2014. SECCON is an international hacking competition which has operated for more than 20 years. It uses the Capture the Flag (CTF) method. Last year’s competition was held in Tokyo on December 7, 2014.
The TOFEL Beginner team consisted of two KAIST graduate students and two researchers from a private security company based in Korea: In-Soo Yoon of Computer Science, Eun-Soo Kim of the Graduate School of Information Security (GSIS), and Jong-Ho Lee and Jung-Hoon Lee of Raon Secure.
Of 4,186 competitors, 24 teams made it to the finals. The TOFEL Beginner took the lead with 4,506 points compared with HITCON (3,112 points) of Taiwan and PPP (2,858 points) of the USA.
With this victory, the KAIST team qualified to participate in the most renowned international hacking competition, the DEF CON Hacking Conference in 2015.
Professor Yongdae Kim of the Electrical Engineering Department at KAIST, who advised the TOEFL Beginner team, said, “Our members have achieved an outstanding result. By taking advantage of this opportunity, KAIST will continue to offer the best programs in information security in Korea and hopefully beyond.”
2015.02.24 View 11502 -
Singaporean Minister for Education Visits KAIST
Heng Swee Keat, the Minister for Education of Singapore, and his delegation visited KAIST on January 26, 2015, to discuss innovative education models being implemented by KAIST and future cooperation with Singaporean universities.
The visit included 21 key personnel responsible for higher and gifted educational programs in the Singaporean government.
Minister Heng showed great interest in KASIT's learner-focused teaching method, "Education 3.0," and graduate school-centered education. He said, "Singapore is in the process of making innovations in university education, for example, by offering more opportunities for global education such as joint programs with leading universities like MIT and Yale University in the US."
In the picture, Vice President for Planning and Budget Seung Bin Park (sixth from the left), KAIST, and Minister Heng Swee Keat (right next to Park) posed together.
2015.01.28 View 6693 -
A Doctoral Student of KAIST Donates Scholarship to the University
Sang-Won Seo, a Ph.D. student at the Department of Computer Science at KAIST, recently donated USD 9,300 to the university to support joint degree programs with international universities. He received dual degrees himself for the Bachelor of Science both from KAIST and the Technical University of Berlin in Germany in 2009.
Explaining his reason to donate, Sang-Won said, “I have always felt grateful for the support I received from KAIST during my study abroad. I’m glad to find an opportunity to return to my alma mater what I have received.”
In the picture below, Sang-Won Seo (fourth from the left) and his adviser Professor Seungryoul Maeng (to the right next to Seo) pose together holding the certificate of appreciation on January 14, 2015.
2015.01.16 View 6461 -
KAIST Partners with Science-focused Universities in Korea for Student Exchange Programs
KAIST and four science-focused universities in Korea (Pohang University of Science and Technology, Gwangju Institute of Science and Technology, Daegu Gyeongbuk Institute of Science and Technology, and Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology) agreed to exchange programs during academic semesters including summer and winter terms by signing a memorandum of understanding (MOU) on November 28, 2014. The signing ceremony took place at the KAIST campus with the participation of academic affairs deans from all five universities.
Based on the agreement, KAIST students can take up to 12 credits of coursework at any of the said universities and have unimpeded access to the university facilities during their coursework.
Dean Hyun-Wook Park of Academic Affairs at KASIT said, “Through exchange programs, students can capitalize on each university’s advantages, and this eventually will lead to greater advancement in science and technology in the nation.”
2014.12.08 View 8983 -
KAIST and ETH Zürich Sign a MOU on Cooperation in Education and Research
KAIST and ETH Zürich, a leading engineering, science, and technology university in Switzerland, signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) to cooperate in engineering education and research on November 3, 2014 at the KAIST campus.
The two universities have agreed to implement student and academic exchange programs, collaborate on research in the advanced fields of engineering, and host joint conferences and seminars.
President Steve Kang of KAIST (on the right in the picture below) and President Ralph Eichler of ETH Zürich (on the left) attended the signing ceremony.
President Kang commented that KAIST and ETH Zürich would mutually benefit from the cooperation, sharing their knowledge and resources to further develop their faculty and student's work in the field.
2014.11.11 View 7213 -
The KAIST Institute for Disaster Studies (KIDS) Opens
About 60 professors from across different departments at KAIST teamed up to make Korean society safer and more secure.
The professors voluntarily created the KAIST Institute for Disaster Studies (KIDS) that will implement the following responsibilities:
- Conduct research on disaster prevention and reduction
- Develop policy on safety and preventive measures for the public
- Establish resilience engineering programs at the university
- Create a platform for social media and machine-based information management
- Develop robot-based search and rescue mission programs
- Conduct disaster risk assessments and develop disaster-recovery plans
- Establish virtual reality programs for training and education
An opening ceremony for the institute took place on campus on October 22, 2014. President Steve Kang of KAIST, Young Jin, a National Assemblyman of the Republic of Korea, Myung-Ja Kim, a former Minister of the Environment of the Republic of Korea, Professor Hee-Kyung Park of the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at KAIST, and other dignitaries attended the ceremony.
Professor Park, the Director of KIDS, said, “In recent years, our society has seen many tragic accidents that claimed hundreds of lives. This prompted us to examine the fundamental cause of accidents and forced us to review our current public safety policies and measures. As a result, we were able to identify many reasons, among others, technological problems in public facilities and structures, lack of social policies and systems to protect public safety, and human error.”
He further explained the need for KIDS as follows:
“In order to understand the cause of disasters and prepare remedies, such as how disasters happen, how to respond to them, and what to do for recovery, we need to have a comprehensive approach to the issues from the various perspective of social policy, science, and engineering. KIDS has been created to meet these needs.”
Following the opening ceremony, a seminar was held on the topic of “KIDS’s Mission and Its Role.”
2014.10.24 View 8081 -
KAIST and Samsung Heavy Industries Celebrate 20 Years of Cooperation
KAIST and Samsung Heavy Industries (SHI) celebrated the twentieth anniversary of their university-industry cooperation in shipbuilding and ocean technology research. Established in 1995, the cooperation has remained steadfast for two decades, even times when Korea suffered gravely from its financial crisis in late 1990s.
A ceremony to commemorate the cooperation took place at the Mechanical Engineering Building on October 17, 2014. About thirty distinguished guests including the Head of the Department of Mechanical Engineering, Professor Choong-Sik Bae, and the chief engineer of SHI Marine Research Institute, Dr. Jong-Soo Seo, participated in the ceremony.
The cooperation programs included appointing advisory professors for technological support, implementing business-based academic courses, offering university-industry wide open lectures, opening regular courses for auditing, and finding possible joint researches. Through this cooperation, Samsung has secured technologies needed for industry, and KAIST has produced students who have real-world experience in industrial fields.
Twenty years of cooperation has produced shining results by running various programs such as technological advice, special lectures, small-scale research projects, consignment research projects, and courses for research and design personnel.
For example, what started as a small-scale research project with USD 4,800 in funding, the LNG (Liquefied Natural Gas) related research has grown into a large-scale research project with a total of USD 2.85 million in funding. As a result, they developed a secondary barrier for LNG carriers which was recognized by Lloyd‘s Register. Their research eventually lowered ship manufacturing costs tremendously.
In 2003, the cooperation project received the presidential citation from the University-Industry Cooperation Competition organized by the Federation of Korean Industries.
KAIST and SHI planned to increase their cooperation to make it Korea’s leading university-industry cooperation program.
Professor Bae said, “Our programs to focus on solving industrial problems have turned out quite successful.” He emphasized that “for this reason, the cooperation even continued during the Asian financial crisis in 1997.”
He added, “By expanding the current cooperation, we aim to make it an exemplary program that contributes to Korea’s shipbuilding and ocean plant industries.”
2014.10.21 View 11285 -
KAIST and University of California, Santa Cruz, Agree to Cooperate
KAIST and the University of California in Santa Cruz signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) at the KAIST campus on October 14, 2014.
The two institutions agreed to cooperate in the following four areas:
- Research collaboration in genomics and biology
- Academic exchanges in engineering and information communication technology
- Student and faculty exchange programs
- Joint academic workshops and seminars
Following the MOU signing ceremony, Dr. George Blumenthal, the Chancellor of UC Santa Cruz, held a special seminar for KAIST students and faculty, during which he shared some of the success stories made through UC Santa Cruz’s close cooperation with companies in Silicon Valley.
President Steve Kang of KAIST praised the MOU saying, “KAIST and UC Santa Cruz have top-notch research professionals, and the MOU will reinforce their research capability. We hope that the two universities will carry out many research projects that bring significant impact on the world.”
UC Santa Cruz was established in 1965 as a public research university committed to undergraduate education. The university has a total student population of 16,000 (15,375 undergraduates and 1,378 graduates). Offering 60 undergraduate majors, UC Santa Cruz's faculty includes six recipients of Pulitzer Prizes and five MacArthur Genius Awards. The university was ranked the 2nd in the world for research influence in 2012-2013 Times Higher Education rankings.
2014.10.15 View 9379