Campus/People
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IamCompany and KAIST's Midam Scholarship Contribute Scholarship to High School Students
IamCompany, a venture company established by a KAIST student which provides mobile users with educational applications, and Midam Scholarship, a volunteer group consisting of KAIST students that helps junior and high school students study math and science, selected a total of 118 students and presented them with scholarships.
Among the students, Ki-Bum Kim of Kyung-Hee High School in Seoul received USD 1,300, the largest sum.
In-Mo Chung, the President of IamCompany, who once worked as a member of Midam Scholarship, said, “I joined this scholarship program to support the Midam Scholarhsip which offers educational services to less privileged students. I hope many young students will benefit from this and receive an equal opportunity for better education.”
2014.12.15 View 6848 -
KAIST wins second place in unmanned boat competition
KAIST took second place in an international competition to promote technologies of the autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV).
Professor Jin-hwan Kim’s research team from KAIST’s Ocean Systems Engineering Department won the second place in Maritime RobotX Challenge which took place for the first time from October 20 - 26 in Marina Bay, Singapore.
Along with automobiles and drones, the necessity for unmanned boats has grown. To encourage and examine the development of these technologies, the U.S. Office of Naval Research decided to organize an unmanned boat competition which took place for the first time this year.
After three teams were selected from a domestic competition in each countries, a total of fifteen teams from five countries from the Pacific Rim including Korea, the United States, Australia, Japan, and Singapore competed. Teams from such universities as MIT, Tokyo University, Tokyo Institute of Technology, National University of Singapore, Nanyang Technological University, and Queensland University of Technology participated. In addition to KAIST, Seoul National University and Ulsan University participated.
Using a 4.5 meters long and 2.5 meters wide unmanned boat provided by the organizer, each team had to implement an integrated system that combined a propulsion system, hardware, and autonomous software. Each team’s vessel had to perform tasks without manual control, employing autonomous driving through recognition of the course, searching underwater for acoustic sources, automatically approaching piers, remote observation of buoy, and avoidance and detection of obstacles.
Although KAIST outpaced MIT in the semifinal which selected six out of fifteen teams, it won the second place in the final. As well as winning second prize, KAIST also won best website prize and a special prize from the competition sponsor, Northrop Grumman Corporation, an American defense technology company, totaling 16,500 U.S. dollars of prize money.
The Vice President for Planning and Budget, Professor Seungbin Park said, “It was a great opportunity to showcase the advanced unmanned robot technology of Korea.” He added that “this raised KAIST’s reputation as a global research oriented university.”
Professor Kim commented, “Along with automobiles and drones, the necessity for the development of unmanned ocean vehicles such as unmanned boats and submarines are recognized these days.” He added that “the use of unmanned boats will make the process of channel investigation, ocean exploration, surveillance over water territories safer and more effective.”
Professor Kim’s team was sponsored by the U.S. Office of Naval Research, Samsung Heavy Industries, Sonar Tech, Daeyang Electric, and Red-one Technology.
KAIST Team's Unmanned Boat
The Competition's Missions
2014.12.12 View 12581 -
KAIST Establishes a Center for Human Rights and Ethics
KAIST hosted an opening ceremony on November 27, 2014 for its Center for Human Rights and Ethics (CHRE) located in the Education Support Building on campus.
President Steve Kang and other senior administrators participated in the ceremony, pledging to eliminate violence, corruption, and prejudice on the campus.
The CHRE was created to provide members of the KAIST community with one-stop service to report and process human rights violation cases and issues related to corruption and illegalities such as verbal abuse, physical assault, sexual harassment, and bribes. The center will also launch campaigns to promote and strengthen awareness of human rights and ethics within the university.
The Director of CHRE, Professor Young-hee Kim of the Department of Humanities and Social Sciences at KAIST said, “The center will serve an important role in the improvement of human rights and in the reestablishment of moral standards in KAIST. I hope KAIST members make the most of the center wherever they face injustice and unequal treatment during their study and work at the campus.”
2014.12.08 View 7457 -
Kimchi Making by Students and KAIPlus Members
Kimchi is a traditional Korean dish of fermented vegetables, with the most common ingredients of Napa cabbages and daikon radishes. Every winter, Koreans make bountiful amounts of kimchi for consumption in the winter months.
President Steve Kang and about 50 KAIST students and members of KAIPlus, a volunteer group consisted of spouses of KAIST Faculty, made kimchi on November 28, 2014 at the Sports Complex on campus. They prepared 500 Napa cabbages for kimchi which were donated to local people in need.
2014.12.08 View 5859 -
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 8583 -
A Volunteer Project by Students: The Surprise Bus!
GoGeeks, one of the undergraduate student clubs at KAIST, plans to run a bus to take volunteers to places where help is needed such as nursing homes, orphanages, and community centers. This volunteer project is called “Surprise Bus!” Students interested in participating in the project can apply online via a social funding website, http://tumblbug.com, until December 5, 2014. Up to 150 students will be selected.
A total of five buses will leave from Seoul on December 20, 2014 to several places nationwide. Participants will not know their final destination until they arrive at the scene where they will work. GoGeeks was inspired by the “Do Good Bus” project, a volunteer organization that started in the US, through which people meet, and while performing their volunteer activities, they get to know each other.
Bum-Kyu Lee, the President of GoGeeks, who is a senior in the Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering, said, “I’ve encountered many students who want to volunteer, but they are not sure where to go to start. The “Surprise Bus!” is a wonderful volunteer opportunity, and I think participants will have fun and, at the same time, will have a meaningful time. The Christmas season is also an excellent time to do something good for our communities and neighborhoods.”
2014.12.04 View 7878 -
The Bio-Synergy Research Center, KAIST, Hosts an Annual Meeting
The Ministry of Science, ICT and Future Planning of the Republic of Korea founded the Bio-Synergy Research Center (BSRC) at KAIST in 2013 to develop source technology and generate new knowledge by conducting convergence research projects in natural resources with information technology (IT) and biotechnology.
The BSRC hosted an annual meeting on November 21, 2014, at the KAIST campus and reviewed the progress it made this year with the participation of President Steve Kang of KAIST, Commissioner Young-min Kim of KIPO, and Director Doheon Lee of BSRC.
The Korean Intellectual Property Office (KIPO) provided BSRC with its database in Korean traditional medicine that includes a vast amount of information about disease symptoms, native medicinal herbs and plant extracts, prescriptions, and chemical compounds used for medication. The database, “Compound Combination-Oriented Natural Product Database with Unified Terminology (COCUNUT),” holds approximately one million data sets in four major categories: prescriptions, medicinal resources, medicine components and functions, and diseases.
Based on COCUNUT, BSRC has been working on the standardization of Korean traditional medicine such as the development of data mapping and text mining technology and the analysis of big data in accordance with the said categories. Using IT and biotechnology, the center has also created a virtual human body to explain how traditional medicine works in human body, thereby contributing to the development of new natural materials for medicine.
2014.12.03 View 8487 -
SmileGate Membership Program for Students and Video Game Industry in Korea
The Office of University and Industry Cooperation at KAIST and SmileGate, a video game developer based in Korea, agreed in June 2014 to cooperate in the development of talents for the video game industry in Korea and to support students’ startup efforts.
The company established the SmileGate Studio at the KAIST campus in 2010 and has been supporting KAIST students who are interested in video game design and development, such as hosting design competitions and offering networking opportunities as well as consulting services for startups.
The Studio launched a scholarship program called the “SmileGate Membership” in November this year to offer 12 students research funding, equipment and tools for game design and development, and mentoring services for eight months. Participating students will also receive free space for research and development, legal services for business development, investment advice, and assistance in networking with the global community after the completion of the program.
Professor Joongmyeon Bae, the Dean of the KAIST Office of University and Industry Cooperation, said, “This is a great opportunity for our students because they can actually utilize their passion and creativity to make their own games. KAIST and SmileGate will continue to lead the video game industry in Korea through close collaboration.”
2014.12.03 View 9212 -
Elsevier Selects a KAIST Graduate's Paper as the Top Cited Papers in 2011-2012
Dr. Myung-Won Seo, a graduate from the Department of Chemical and Bimolecular Engineering at KAIST, published a paper in January 2011 in Chemical Engineering Journal, which was entitled “Solid Circulation and Loop-seal Characteristics of a Dual Circulating Fluidized Bed: Experiments and CFD Simulation.” His paper was selected by Elsevier as the Top Cited Papers of 2011-2012. The Chemical Engineering Journal is a renowned peer-reviewed journal issued by Elsevier.
Dr. Seo published another paper, “CFD Simulation with Experiments in a Dual Circulating Fluidized Bed Gasifier,” in January 2012 in Computers & Chemical Engineering, which was also selected as the Most Downloaded Papers in 2012-2013.
Dr. Seo graduated with a doctoral degree from KAIST in 2011. He is currently working at the Clean Fuel Laboratory, the Korea Institute of Energy Research, Daejeon, as a researcher. His research areas are coal gasification, upgrading, and liquefaction, as well as energy and chemical production from low-grade fuels such as biomass and wastes.
2014.11.24 View 10538 -
KAIST Robotic Art: Exhibit called "Artificial Brain, Robots Evolve"
It is not difficult to find the desire to create a Neoanthropinae in the history of mankind. Humans evolve through man-made extensions and live by self-training them. This is Seung Hyun Son’s description which encourages us to discuss the changes man-made humanoids would bring to our future lives. He depicts this in “Theory of Evolution: From mankind to humanoid” in the “Artificial Brain, Robots Evolve” exhibition in the KI Building, KAIST, from 21 November 2014 to 8 February 2015.
KAIST's Art and Design Committee (led by President Myung Seok Kim) is holding the third experimental art exhibition based on the integration of science and art. The previous exhibition themes were “See the Sky” in 2012 and “Life is Beautiful” in 2013. The exhibition is divided into five subtopics: Move, Feel, Think, Express, and Experiment in Imagination.
The exhibits are by 17 artists including Nam June Paik, Nancy Lang, and KAIST Professor Myung Seok Kim. The main exhibits include “Cloud Face,” by Seung Baek Shin and Yong Hoon Kim, that shows up as error on computer but can be seen by human eyes and “Brains in Vat," by Boo Rok Lee and Myung Chul Kim based on KAIST's robotic lab’s materials and motif. Also, “The May of My Life” by Professor Myung Seok Kim’s lab reminds us of the relationship between robot and human.
President Myung Seok Kim said, “The range of content in cultural art will inspire students’ imagination.” He continued, “I hope this exhibition will awaken both scientific ideas and artistic sense.”
The opening ceremony of the exhibition will be held from 14:00, 21 November. The “Artificial Brain, Robots Evolve” exhibition is hosted by the Daejeon Museum of Art and sponsored by National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art and Soma Museum.
Pictures from top to bottom are Cloud Face, Brains in Vat, The May of My Life_1, and The May of My Life_2.
2014.11.21 View 8562 -
The 2014 Wearable Computer Competition Takes Place at KAIST
“This is a smart wig for patients who are reluctant to go outdoors because their hair is falling out from cancer treatment.”
A graduate student from Sungkyunkwan University, Jee-Hoon Lee enthusiastically explains his project at the KAIST KI Building where the 2014 Wearable Computer Competition was held. He said, “The sensor embedded inside the wig monitors the heart rate and the body temperature, and during an emergency, the device warns the patient about the situation. The product emphasizes two aspects; it notifies the patient in emergency situations, and it encourages patients to perform outdoor activities by enhancing their looks.”
The the tenth anniversary meeting of the 2014 Wearable Computer Competition took place at the KAIST campus on November 13-14, 2014.
A wearable computer is a mobile device designed to be put on the body or clothes so that a user can comfortably use it while walking. Recently, these devices that are able to support versatile internet-based services through smartphones are receiving a great deal of attention.
Wearable devices have been employed in two categorizes: health checks and information-entertainment. In this year’s competition, six healthcare products and nine information-entertainment products were exhibited.
Among these products, participants favored a smart helmet for motorcycle drivers. The driver can see through a rear camera with a navigation screen of the smartphone and text messages through the screen installed in the front glass of the helmet. Another product included a uniform that can control presentation slides by means of motion detection and voice recognition technology. Yet another popular device offered an insole to guide travelers to their destination with the help of motion sensors.
The chairman of the competition, Professor Hoi-Jun Yoo from the Department of Electrical Engineering at KAIST said, “Wearable devices such as smart watches, glasses, and clothes are gaining interest these days. Through this event, people will have a chance to look at the creativity of our students through the display of their wearable devices. In turn, these devices will advance computer technology.”
The third annual wearable computer workshop on convergence technology of wearable computers followed the competition. In the workshop, experts from leading information technology companies such as Samsung Electronics, LG Electronics, and KT Corporation addressed the convergence technology of wearable computers and trends in the field.
2014.11.19 View 11246 -
KAIST-Coursera Offers a Course Entitled "Supply Chain Management: A Learning Perspective"
“Supply Chain Management: A Learning Perspective”
Learn about how to create maximum value through effective supply chain management, in particular, from a dynamic learning perspective.
Professor Bowon Kim of the Department of Management at the College of Business, KAIST, is offering a massive open online course through Coursera from October 27, 2014 to December 21, 2014. (Youtube Link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=VzMupUEWhds&list=PLXmuftxI6pTXJPLdhnCMZvde1rQIeu2kL)
Entitled “Supply Chain Management: A Learning Perspective,” the course explains the fundamental principles of value creation by reviewing a supply chain of products and services that are used by consumers. The supply chain is comprised of four primary functions such as supplier, manufacturer, distributor, and consumer. Through the course, students will explore such questions as how a product or service is developed; how the value-creating activities or functions are effectively coordinated; who should lead the process of value creation; and how a supply chain can influence the creation of values in products or services.
The course is open to anyone who is interested in business management. For more information, please visit https://www.coursera.org/kaist.
2014.11.14 View 7837