Steve+Kang
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Establishment Agreement for KAIST-Poongsan Future Technology Research Center
KAIST and Poongsan Corporation agreed to found the KAIST-Poongsan Future Technology Research Center and held a ceremony to sign a memorandum of understanding in front of 30 attendees including KAIST President Steve Kang and Poongsan Chairman Jin Ryu on May 27 at KAIST.
The Research Center will develop basic technology in the fields of defense and high tech materials as well as build a new foundation for future Poongsan projects. Research areas include technologies for new materials, propulsion control, and defense.
To further this endeavor, Poongsan Corporation will support the KAIST-Poongsan Future Technology Research Center for 3 years through an investment of USD 2.95 million, personnel, and technology.
An agreement was made between KAIST and Poongsan to establish the Future Technology Research Center.
2014.05.29 View 7358 -
KAIST Conducts Safety Awareness Campaign for Research and Experiment
KAIST had an opening ceremony to hold its first “Safety Awareness Campaign for Research and Experiment” on 13th May. Over 100 people attended the ceremony, including President Steve Kang, Provost Gyu-Ho Park, and the Dean of the Administration Office Jae-Nam Lee, as well as the Chief of the Department of Research Environment Safety from the Ministry of Science, ICT and Future Planning, Republic of Korea.
On the day of the event, Year 2014 was proclaimed as the first year of accident-free KAIST research and laboratory facilities.
A certificate of merit was awarded to promote safe and comfortable research environments. The Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, KAIST, was selected as the department with the best lab safety management and the Department of Mechanical Engineering as the second.
Along with the merit award ceremony, the results of the “7th Research and Laboratory Safety Campaign Contest” were announced: “Lady First When Dating, Safety First When Experimenting!” written by Jong-Su Bae from the Department of Mechanical Engineering was selected as the best slogan, and Hyeon-Chae Noh from the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering received the award for best poster.
President Steve Kang said, “KAIST is constantly striving to establish a comprehensive safety management system and to promote a safe research and laboratory environment,” and “To ensure the safety of KAIST and its members, we will be as supportive as possible.”
Below is the winner of the poster from the 7th Research and Laboratory Safety Campaign Contest.
What Would You Rather Wear? Gloves or Bandages?
Gloves worn in laboratories are protection from hazardous materials that students and researchers may come in contact with. The poster emphasizes the importance of wearing protective gloves when conducting research or experiment.
2014.05.19 View 7558 -
Opening of International Kitchen at KAIST
KAIST has renovated its International Kitchen on campus which will serve 850 international faculty members and students for their cooking, meal service, and networking. The kitchen, composed of a kitchen and cafeteria, is equipped to prepare a wide variety of food, with a large kitchen countertop, cabinets, and a refrigerator to accommodate everything necessary to cook and prepare meals for large groups.
An opening ceremony to celebrate the brand new International Kitchen was held on May 15, 2014, with the participation of President Steve Kang and international members.
President Kang said, “KAIST has been working quite hard to provide its international faculty and students with the best possible environment for their education and research. We offer a full coverage of healthcare and free dormitories to our international students, as well as newly built apartments to our international faculty members. The International Kitchen is an extension of such efforts.”
The international students or faculty who wish to use the International Kitchen need to register for the membership. The kitchen will be voluntarily operated and managed by the registered members.
2014.05.19 View 6152 -
Dr. Sung-Gu Kim of KARI receives the 10th KAIST Jung-Hun Cho Academic Award
KAIST President Steve Kang awarded the 10th "KAIST Jung-Hun Cho Academic Award" to Dr. Sung-Gu Kim of Korea Aerospace Research Institute (KARI) along with Byeong-Sup Park, a graduate student of KAIST Aerospace Engineering, Hee-Won Chae of Korea University, and Jin-Hyung Noh of Kongju National University High School on May 13, 2014.
Dr. Sung-Gu Kim was recognized for his development of a 30-ton class reproduction cooling burner and the securing of essential factor technology for liquid-fuel rocket engines on the Naro project.
The KAIST Jung-Hun Cho Academic Award was established to commemorate Jung-Hun Cho who was killed while researching in the rocket laboratory on May 13, 2003. From 2005, young scientists from the Aerospace Engineering field have been recognized every year. One student each from KAIST, Korea University, and Kongju National University High School, where the honorary doctorate Dr. Cho attended, has been chosen as a scholarship recipient.
The KAIST Jung-Hun Cho Academic Award was established with USD 460,000 in funds donated from Cho's family.
2014.05.17 View 8773 -
KAIST leaps to 2nd place in 2014 QS Asian University Rankings
The highest record ever made by a Korean university since the rankings were published in 2009
KAIST jumped four places to rank #2 from #6 last year, following the National University of Singapore
In the "2014 Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) University Rankings: Asia," KAIST advanced four places compared to 2013 and was ranked 2nd best university in Asia.
QS, an English institution for global university evaluation, and Chosun Newspaper, a leading daily newspaper in Korea, announced the results of the QS Asia University Rankings on April 12th. The result was a record high for a Korean University since the start of annual rankings in 2009.
KAIST has consistently ranked within the top ten, ranking 7th in 2009 and 2012, and 6th in 2013. The sudden jump from the 6th to the 2nd place was attributed to the increase in the number of published papers per professor and the number of citations per paper. In particular, KAIST received high marks for research contributions, which shows that the young faculty members hired since 2006 is now becoming very productive.
For details regarding the 2014 QS University Rankings: Asia, please visit
http://www.topuniversities.com/university-rankings-articles/asian-university-rankings/top-10-universities-asia-2014.
President Steve Kang of KAIST commented, “We are reaping the rewards of recruiting some of the most promising young professors. KAIST will continue its development towards becoming one of the top ten universities in the world.”
The QS Asia University Rankings have evaluated higher education institutions of Asia for the past six years. It evaluates 491 universities across 17 nations. Criterion for evaluation includes academic evaluation (30%), number of published papers per staff (15%), citation frequency (15%), number of students per staff (20%), alumni reputation, and internationalization (10%).
Please also refer to the Korean-American Science and Technology News (KASTN), dated June 4, 2014, for further information on the rankings.
Another Rankings, Pages 4-5
Chosun Ilbo, May 12, 2014
“Chosun-QS Rankings”
KAIST Soars to 2nd Place in Asian Rakings
http://www.phy.duke.edu/~myhan/b_14-12.pdf
2014.05.14 View 12884 -
Collaboration Agreement with Seoul National University
KAIST and Seoul National University (SNU) signed a memorandum of understating (MOU) on April 23, 2014 at KAIST to cooperate in education, research, and academic information.
About 30 senior representatives from both universities participated in the MOU signing ceremony.
With the agreement, KAIST and SNU will establish various exchange programs for students and faculty, share academic information, implement joint research projects across a wide field of disciplines, and co-host symposia and conferences.
President Steve Kang of KAIST said,
“We hope that the agreement will facilitate more exchanges and collaborations between KAIST and SNU, which will bring synergistic growth to the two universities.”
In the picture below, President Steve Kang (fourth from the left of the first row) and President Cheon-Yeon Oh of SNU (fifth from the left of the first row) are taking a picture together, along with deans and directors of the two universities.
2014.04.25 View 6474 -
Welcoming the Class of 2014
“The four years from today will go quickly, and I urge you to make the most of your time in KAIST, a great educational and research institution where you will explore the frontiers of science and technology and take part in the creation of new knowledge,” President Kang told the freshmen at the convocation ceremony.
Freshmen Convocation for the Class of 2014 took place on March 3, 2014 at the auditorium on the main campus. Members of the KAIST community, along with hundreds of parents and guests, welcomed the incoming 800 freshmen, celebrating the beginning of their four-year college life.
Kwang-Joon Ahn, a graduate of the Korea Science Academy, and Ha-Rim Jin, a graduate of Daegu Il Science High School, were representatives of the incoming students, and they took the “Class of 2014 Pledge,” a commitment to uphold KAIST’s core values, which is "creativity and challenge (endeavoring spirit)," and to pursue intellectual passion and discovery.
President Steve Kang delivered congratulatory remarks, encouraging students to use their opportunities to the fullest while at KAIST to broaden their knowledge and experience. He also stressed the following four important principles they should cultivate to become the leaders of tomorrow: be grateful, excel in their field, keep open minds about what the globalized world would bring, and never give up on their dreams and belief.
President Kang said:
“Probably, many of you, the graduates of the best high schools in Korea, will find KAIST a tougher place to be in than you imagined. But challenges, particularly intellectual challenges, should be viewed as an opportunity to grow. It is ok to fail. In fact, without risking failures, there won’t be a meaningful growth because the real growth comes from overcoming challenges.”
“You can’t avoid failing in the course of your college life, but your perseverance to do it over will allow you to develop the skills and passion needed to become a leader who will contribute to the local community, as well as to the betterment of humanity.”
The KAIST Alumni Scholarship Foundation presented a scholarship of USD 3,700 to 24 freshmen.
The convocation ended with music performances by members of the student clubs at KAIST.
2014.03.04 View 7589 -
KAIST held its 2014 Commencement Ceremony
The KAIST Commencement Ceremony for 2014 was held on Friday, 21st February, at Sports Complex, KAIST.
On this day, a total of 2,619 students
received their degrees. This included 499 doctorates, 1,220 masters, and 900 students with bachelor’s degrees. Since its establishment in 1971,
KAIST has produced 9,881 Ph.D., 25,161 MA and 13,693 BA,
which amounts to 48,735 scientific and engineering personnel.
The former Minister for Science and Technology
of the Republic of Korea, Dr. KunMo Chung, received an honorary doctorate for his effort in establishing the Korea Advanced Institute of Science (KAIS) to foster talented scientists and engineers, thus contributing to the significant growth
of Korea that has led it to stand as a scientifically advanced nation today.
The student graduating with summa cum laude was Jang-Geun
Kim from the Department of Biological Sciences. Mr. Kim received the Minister of Science, ICT and
Future Planning Award.
Mr. Kim said, “I am honored to receive the
award from the minister. I hope a lot of talented students will go onto science and
engineering field, so that Korea can earn a place among the technologically
elite countries.” Jang-Geun Kim will continue his
study of genomic medicine at KAIST graduate school.
President Steve Kang spoke
to the graduates:
“The whole nation has given their wholehearted support to KAIST so that students can study in a good environment. Please have
great aspirations and hopes, and continue to
broaden your knowledge and solve the challenges that humanity is facing today,
so our country and the world can advance.”
2014.02.27 View 8485 -
KAIST Participates in the 2014 Davos Forum on January 22-25 in Switzerland
Through the sessions of the Global University Leaders Forum, IdeasLab, and Global Agenda Councils on Biotechnology, KAIST participants will actively engage with global leaders in the discussion of issues on education innovation and technological breakthroughs.
The 2014 Annual Meeting of the World Economic Forum (WEF), known as the Davos Forum, will kick off on January 22-25 in Davos-Klosters, Switzerland, under the theme of "The Reshaping of the World: Consequences for Society, Politics, and Business." Each year, the Forum attracts about 2,500 distinguished leaders from all around the world and provides an open platform to identify the current and emerging challenges facing the global community and to develop ideas and actions necessary to respond to such challenges.
President Sung-Mo Steve Kang and Distinguished Professor Sang Yup Lee from the Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, KAIST, will attend the Forum and engage in a series of dialogues on such issues as Massive Open Online Courses, new paradigms for universities and researchers, the transformation of higher education, the role and value of scientific discoveries, and the impact of biotechnology on the future of society and business.
At the session entitled "New Paradigms for Universities of the Future" hosted by the Global University Leaders Forum (GULF), President Kang will introduce KAIST"s ongoing online education program, Education 3.0. GULF was created in 2006 by WEF, which is a small community of the presidents and senior representatives of the top universities in the world.
Implemented in 2012, Education 3.0 incorporates advanced information and communications technology (ICT) to offer students and teachers a learner-based, team-oriented learning and teaching environment. Under Education 3.0, students study online and meet in groups with a professor for in-depth discussions, collaboration, and problem-solving. KAIST plans to expand the program to embrace the global community in earnest by establishing Education 3.0 Global in order to have interactive real-time classes for students and researchers across regions and cultures.
President Kang will also present a paper entitled "Toward Socially Responsible Technology: KAIST"s Approach to Integrating Social and Behavioral Perspectives into Technology Development" at another session of GULF called "Seeking New Approaches to Critical Global Challenges." In the paper, President Kang points out that notwithstanding the many benefits we enjoy from the increasingly interconnected world, digital media may pose a threat to become a new outlet for social problems, for example, Internet or digital addiction.
Experts say that early exposure to digital devices harms the healthy development of cognitive functions, emotions, and social behavior. President Kang will introduce KAIST"s recent endeavor to develop a non-intrusive technology to help prevent digital addiction, which will ultimately be embedded in the form of a virtual coach or mentor that helps and guides people under risk to make constructive use of digital devices. President Kang stresses the fundamental shift in the science and technology development paradigm from research and development (R&D) to a research and solution development (R&SD), taking serious consideration of societal needs, quality of life, and social impacts when conducting research.
Professor Sang Yup Lee will moderate the IdeasLab session at the Davos Forum entitled "From Lab to Life with the California Institute of Technology (Caltech)." Together with scientists from Caltech, he will discuss scientific breakthroughs that transform institutions, industries, and individuals in the near future, such as the development of damage-tolerant lightweight materials with nanotechnology, the ability to read and write genomes, and wireless lab-in-the-body monitors. In addition, he will meet global business leaders at the session of "Sustainability, Innovation, and Growth" and speak about how emerging technologies, biotechnology in particular, will transform future societies, business, and industries.
As a current special adviser of the World Economic Forum"s (WEF) Chemicals Industry Community, Professor Lee will meet global chairs and chief executive officers of chemical companies and discuss ways to advance the industry to become more bio-based and environmentally friendly. He served as a founding chairman of WEF"s Global Agenda Councils on Biotechnology in 2013.
President Sung-Mo Steve Kang Distinguished Professor Sang Yup Lee
2014.01.17 View 10056 -
KAIST receives $20 million donation for futures studies
A retired businessman, Moon-Soul Chung, the former chief executive officer of Mirae, Inc., a semiconductor equipment company in Korea, today donated USD 20 million to the Graduate School of Future Strategy at KAIST.
It was Chung's second contribution to KAIST—his first donation of USD 28 million in 2001 supported the construction of the Bio and Brain Engineering building, a major research center on campus where biotechnology and information technology converge.
Established in 2013, the KAIST Graduate School of Future Strategy consists of three interdisciplinary graduate programs on future strategy, intellectual property, and science journalism. The Research Center for Future Strategy is an affiliate of the graduate school. KAIST is the first Korean university that offers an academic program granting a degree in futures studies.
The rapid advancement in science and technology today affects, profoundly and extensively, all corners of global society from education, politics, economy, and environment to resources, sustainability, and inequality. As we live in a highly interconnected, digitalized, and unpredictable world, analyzing the events, trends, patterns, and changes of the past and present, developing foresight, and mapping preferred futures have become more relevant than ever.
KAIST utilizes its strong tech-knowledge base in science and engineering to offer students a high quality education and training in futures thinking, skills, and methodologies to develop foresight and to plan future strategies for international relations, business and industry, national defense, science and technology, and new media. KAIST also anticipates helping government, business, public service, and non-profit organizations identify important issues and develop long-range implementation strategies to prepare for probable and preferred futures.
Moon-Soul Chung (left), the former CEO of Mirae Inc., and President Steve Kang (right), holding together the donation agreement in Seoul, January 10th, 2014
2014.01.13 View 7832 -
Freshmen join a volunteer program to assist people in need
“Learning how to share love is the first step to start a good, meaningful college life,” said President Steve Kang.
KAIST offers an opportunity to all freshmen entering KAIST in 2014 to participate in a volunteer program to help people in need. Under the program, about 800 students will visit a shelter for the homeless, senior citizens, and orphans, which is called “The Flower Town” located two hours away from KAIST campus.
The town was founded by a Catholic organization, “The Flower Town Preservation Foundation,” to provide housing, education, and health services to the most vulnerable and neglected populations in our society.
President Steve Kang and Woong-Jin Oh, the president of the foundation, made a partnership agreement to promote volunteerism and spread the spirit of sharing and caring among young people, including KAIST students. The participating students will stay at the shelter for a few days and engage in various volunteering activities such as serving meals, cleaning, playing with children, and teaching.
President Kang said, “I am very happy that we are able to give our students a chance to develop into warm-hearted people. Scientists without a heart may bring about modern conveniences but not necessarily the betterment of humanity. Learning how to share love is the first step to start a good, meaningful college life.”
2013.12.30 View 5706 -
Visit by the President of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, US
A delegation from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (UIUC) in the United States visited KAIST on November 11, 2013.
The delegation consisted of senior administrators from the university, the president, vice president for research, dean of engineering college, dean of nursing college, and associate chancellor for corporate and international relations. The managing director of the State of Illinois Far East Office also joined the delegation.
They met with President Steve Kang, including vice presidents and deans of KAIST, and discussed forming a possible partnership between KAIST and UIUC.
Robert A. Easter, the president of UIUC, said, “Higher education institutions today are bearing a critical responsibility to increase the awareness, knowledge, skills, and values needed to create a sustainable future. I hope KAIST and the University of Illinois will join forces to lead innovation in higher education and to stay connected and relevant in a global marketplace.”
President Steve Kang responded, “There would be many opportunities for the two universities to collaborate and achieve global preeminence in such field as biotechnology, engineering, and convergence research.”
The University of Illinois, with three distinct campuses in Chicago, Springfield, and Urbana-Champaign, is one of the most prestigious universities in the world. The university has an annual operating budget of more than USD 5 billion, collectively enrolls more than 78,000 students, awards nearly 20,000 degrees each year, and has more than 665,000 alumni around the world.
2013.11.18 View 7244