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10 Students Majoring in Korean Studies at the University of Malaya, one of the prestigious universities of Malaysia, Visit the YU 'Park Chung Hee School' New 'Hallyu' expected in the Political and Economic Sector [July 20, 2012] Students from the University of Malaya visiting the YU Park Chung Hee School of Policy and Saemaul pose in front of the camera together with the president Lee, Hyo-soo. “Seeing and hearing it here makes it more amazing. We were able to see for ourselves the development of Korea that we learned about through the news and books such as the 'Miracle on the Han River', 'Saemaul Movement' and the 'Saemaul Spirit'. We were also able to get a gist of how Korea was able to grow so much through this opportunity. After graduating from university, I would like to enroll in the 'Park Chung Hee School' and learn more." This is what Devi A. Poetri (18, female), a freshman majoring in Korean Studies at the University of Malaysa in Malaysia, said after taking a look around at the Park Chung Hee School of Policy and Saemaul. On the morning of the 20th, 10 female students from Malaysia visited YU. The purpose of the visit of these students who major in Korean Studies at the University of Malaya, which is one of the oldest and most prestigious universities in Malaysia, was to explore the 'Park Chung Hee School of Policy and Saemaul', which was opened in March of this year. Led by Park, Chang-gyu, professor of Korean Studies at the University of Malaya, these students took their tour with an air of sincerity while visiting the classrooms, library, dorms, various places on campus, as well as the curriculum, enrollment and scholarship programs, educational environment, and information prepared by staff members of the Park Chung Hee School. They asked many questions during a luncheon with YU president, Lee, Hyo-soo. The most frequently asked question was the secret behind Korea's high speed development. The president Lee said that the most important thing was for the philosophy and leadership of the person in charge of the policies and a national consensus and participation. When asked about the purpose of founding the Park Chung Hee School, he said with emphasis, "The purpose and mission of establishing this school is to localize the successful economic development model of Korea, which is best known through the Saemaul Movement, while also providing SDA (Self Development Assistance) rather than ODA (Official Development Assistance)." He also added, "The YU Park Chung Hee School will also assertively engage in realizing the dreams of youths in third world countries to become future leaders that lead development for their nation, while constructing a global human network." Meanwhile, the 'Yeungnam University Park Chung Hee School of Policy and Saemaul' was opened in March of this year to become a global graduate school of policies like that of the 'Kennedy School' of Harvard University in the US and the 'Lee Kuan Yew School' of the National University of Singapore. It offers three majors such as Saemaul Studies, Public Policy Leadership, and Forest Resource and Ecological Restoration. 38 students including 34 foreigners from 15 countries (9 from Asia, 4 from Africa, and 2 from South America) are currently working on their master's degree here. The backgrounds of the international students are quite astonishing. Most of them are elites serving in public offices or serving as professors in their nations. They receive full scholarships, one million won monthly living expenses, and a dormitory. Agreements were signed with the governments of Gyeongbuk and Daegu, and the Korea Forest Service to come up with the funds for the scholarship, while looking for ways to cooperate with institutes such as KOICA. Though it is operated as a special graduate school, it offers full-time classes and has three terms in a year. Therefore, it is possible to graduate in a year and a half. The faculty is composed of the best experts and scholars in the field such as Lee, Jai-chang, president of the Korea Saemaul Undong Center, Song, Byeong-rak, honorary professor of Seoul National University, and Lee, Don-koo, Minister of Korea Forest Service.
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YU Multi-cultural Education Research Center leads mentoring trainings for 6 universities in the Yeungnam region YU held the Orientation training of mentoring for 500 mentors at the YU Chunma Arts Center at 1pm on the 10th [July 11, 2012] YU (president Lee, Hyo-soo) was selected as the regional hub university of the Yeungnam region for the 2012 'Multi-cultural/North Korean Defector Student Mentoring' project, which is being pursued by the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology(MEST), and the Korea Student Aid Foundation(KOSAF). The 'Multi-cultural/North Korean Defector Student Mentoring' project is a program that unites regional university students with the children of multi-cultural families and North Korean defectors to lessen learning gaps by enhancing their basic academic standards and offering emotional support so that the children may not be excluded from the reaches of public education. Participating universities in the Yeungnam region include Yeungnam University, Daegu National University of Education, Catholic University of Daegu, Daegu University, Keimyung University, and the Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology. Prior to the mentoring activities at 1pm on the 10th, the 'Orientation for the Yeungnam Region for Multi-Cultural/North Korean Defector Student Mentoring' was held at the Chamber Hall in the YU Chunma Arts Center until 5pm. At this event hosted by the YU Multi-cultural Education Research Center, over 600 people were present, including mentors, and personnel from MEST, the KOSAF, governments of Daegu and Gyeongbuk, as well as the 6 universities in the Yeungnam Region. The orientation session was made up of ▲introducing the mentoring project and activity plans, ▲understanding multi-cultural families, ▲education for mentors, and ▲case-study presentationg on outstanding mentors. Ahn, Sang-ho (male, 26), a senior at the YU Department of Public Administration, who is acting as a mentor for the second year, stated, "I began doing this because of my interest in different cultures, and I am happy to be able to give direct help to the emotional stabilization and improved academic progress of the children in multi-cultural families. I feel a sense of accomplishment seeing the positive changes in students. I will continue to work hard and be responsible and diligent in my mentoring activities so that I can become an exemplary mentor." Park, Seung-woo, director of the YU Multi-cultural Education Research Center and representatives of mentors from the 6 universities in the Yeungnam region pose for a photo. (back row, left to right: Jang, Won-ju of the Daegu University, Kim, Min-sik of the Daegu National University of Education, Cha, Jun-hyuk of the Catholic University of Daegu; bottom row, left to right: Jung, In-hye of Keimyung University, Ahn, Sang-ho of Yeungnam University, Kim, Yoon-seon of the Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology) The 500 mentors from the 6 universities in the Yeungnam region who were selected through a competition of 5 to 1 will begin mentoring activities for Multi-cultural and North Korean Defector students for 130 hours until February of next year. Park, Seung-woo (Department of Sociology), director of the YU Multi-cultural Education Research Center who is in charge of the 'Multi-cultural/North Korean Defector Student Mentoring' project for the Yeungnam region, stated, "The multi-cultural family online mentoring program, which is the only such program in Korea, is now in its third year. Using the system and operational knowhow of the YU Multi-cultural Education Research Center, which is assessed to be an outstanding model by MEST, the KOSAF, and government organizations around the nation, as a role model, we are planning to expand it nationwide starting next year." He also added, "As a regional hub university for the Multi-cultural/North Korean Defector Student Mentoring project in the Yeungnam region, YU will play a leading role in creating a desirable multi-cultural community culture in our society."
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A group of families of Chinese students visited only YU among Korean Universities for the first time. They were 100% satisfied with YU's educational environment, employment assistance, and other support programs for foreign students. [July 2, 2012] Chinese international students and their families pose for a photo with Lee, Hyo-soo, president of YU. (Visiting family members gave the president Lee, Hyo-soo a calligraphy work which means "Be virtuous and tolerate all things') "I always wondered how my daughter was doing after sending her to YU two years ago. After visiting I am now convinced that I made the right choice. She will be graduating in a while, so I ask that YU takes good care of her for the next two years." Chen Jiarong (52) is the dean of the Computer Science Department at Shanghai I&C Foreign Languages College, China. He sent his only daughter, Chen Siying to YU in September 2010. Her dream is to become an interpreter/translator between China and Korea, and so he allowed her to transfer to YU, a sister school of the university. After two years, he came to visit his daughter at YU. His first impression was that it is a school that he can trust to attend his daughter. After touring the YU campus and her room with her, he said that once she earns her bachelor's in the Chinese Translation and Interpretation major in August, he will provide full support for her to study two more years so that she can earn her master's degree. On the morning of the 2nd, a group of family members for international students from China visited the campus. They wanted a look at the place where their sons and daughters are studying hard to make their dreams come true in a foreign country for as short as a year to as long as five years. This is the first time that a group of family members of international students studying in Korea visited the university where their children study. The YU Chinese Students Association planned together with Daegu City and the Suseong-gu Health Center to invite about 30 families of Chinese students studying in the Daegu-Gyeongbuk region. Of them over 30 family members of 20 teams visited YU. YU prepared a welcoming event for them and introduced and explained the current status of international students, its various support programs, educational curriculums, employment status, and alumni activities. The families that listened to the briefing said, "We are 100% satisfied. Thank you." Some said that they would strongly recommend YU to their cousins who are interested in coming to Korea to study. Lee, Hyo-soo, president of YU, had a luncheon with the Chinese international students and their families and said in his welcoming speech, "We are focusing on providing the best support and educational programs for international students so that parents will be convinced that they made the right choice in trusting their children to us. We are also doing all that we can in terms of employment support so that students can achieve the dream they had when the left home." He also added, "Recently, international students who graduated from YU have made local alumni associations in their hometowns at Ho Chi Minh, Vietnam and Beijing, China. The full activities of these global alumni associations will also be great help to international students who graduate from YU in the future." Meanwhile, there are currently about 960 Chinese international students studying at YU. Over 500 of them are undergraduate students, which is the largest in Korea. YU is currently exchanging with 49 Chinese universities including Tsinghua University, Fudan University, Nanjing University, Nankai University, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, and Xi'an Jiaotong University, and has graduated over 1,000 students. They are currently working for provincial governments of China, universities, Korean companies in China such as Samsung, Hyundai Motors, SK, STX, E-mart and Amore Pacific. Some are also in important positions in the financial sectors as well such as in the Korea Exchange Bank's Beijing branch and the Tianjin Bank. Recently, Xin Yue(24), who graduated from the YU School of Economics and Finance, was picked up by Daegu Bank through a competition of 90 to 1 for its Chinese first branch in Shanghai.
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'2012 QS World University Rankings' - Only Korean university to be ranked 50th in the world in Mathematics No. of citations of theses, 'world top class' [June 29, 2012] YU (president Lee, Hyo-soo) was ranked 40th in the world in the math sector in the '2012 QS World University Rankings'. YU is the only Korean university that was ranked in the top 50 in math. QS (Quacquarelli Symonds) of England, a global university evaluation institute, announced its world university ranking results for individual academic fields on the 28th. YU is ranked 40th in the entire world in math. YU shocked the academic circles in last year's QS rankings by being ranked in the top 101-150 together with Seoul National University. This year, its ranking was boosted by over 50 and became the only Korean university to be in the world's top 50. Especially in the 'citation' evaluation in mathematics, YU received a near perfect score and is assessed to be at the world's top class. Such results can be attributed to a large part for the outstanding research of Professor Park, Ju-hyun (45, photo) of the Department of Electrical Engineering who wrote many papers that scholars around the world cited. Professor Park published 37 SCI-level theses last year alone. While it is difficult for most people to write one paper in a year, he wrote over three every month. In the Scopus DB registered academic journals, which acts as a standard for the research evaluations of QS, Professor Park published 99 papers from 2007 to 2011, and his theses were cited a total of 1,448 times. In addition, since working as a professor at YU at the age of 34 in 2000, he published over 200 SCI-class papers, and when including his papers that were published in other academic journals and academic conferences, the number of papers exceeds 300. His main field of research is in control engineering, and especially on the Nonlinear Dynamics, which is a field of basic theories, rather than applied sectors such as for robots. It is a 'basic academic field' that finds rules in the complexities of nature. He is also very active in scholastic and outside activities. Last year, he actively worked as a committee member for 4 international academic conferences including the IFAC (International Federation of Automatic Control) MMM 2012, and worked as an editing committee member for a total of 4 academic journals such as SCI-level international academic journals overseen by Elsevier of the US and Springer of Germany. In 2008, he became the first Korean to be appointed as the tenured deputy-chief editor for 'Applied Mathematics and Computation', which is an international journal of Elsevier. Being the chief editor for determining whether or not to publish theses is the greatest honor for scholars. 'Applied Mathematics and Computation' is based on applied mathematics and is an SCI-class journal that includes all applied sciences (math, engineering, physics, bio-chemistry, etc), and since its founding in 1975, its editing team changed very little and is famous for its strict quality management. On this, Professor Park, Ju-hyun said, "I will work hard to stay on my original track and will continue to write papers as a scholar."
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6 public officials of foreign local governments with sisterhood relations with Gyeongsangbuk-do to learn Korean at YU Korean Language Institute A total of 390 hours of Korean language education and monthly cultural experiences [June 24, 2012] YU will begin Korean language courses for public officials of overseas autonomous districts that have sisterhood relations with Gyeongsanbuk-do. Gyeongsangbuk-do will invite public officials of sister cities and offer a total of 390 hours in Korea education for six months from June to November. There are 6 international public officials learning Korean at the YU Korean Language Institute. They are Huang Xianrong (32, female) of the Ningxia Huizu of China, Phan Le Tung (26, male) of the Thai Nguyen Broadcasting Company of Thai Nguyen, Vietnam, Lor Oudom (29, male) of the Statistics Division of Siem Reap Province, Cambodia, Ahmad Dwi Kurniawan (29, male) of the Indonesian Maritime Affairs Office, Gina Anindyajati (25, female) of Central Java, Indonesia, and Muaz Bahadir Mutaf (26, male) of the Turkish National Police in Bursa, Turkey. International public officials receiving training at the YU Korean Language Institute experiencing tea ceremonies at the 37th 'Gyeongsan Jain Danoje Festival'. In addition to the daily 3 hour education in Korean, they are also focusing on learning more about Korea by participating in monthly cultural experience programs. At 2pm on the 22nd, they attended the 37th 'Gyeongsan Jain Danoje Festival' held at the Jain Gyejeong Forest in Gyeongsan, Gyeongbuk and experienced traditional Korean cultures such as washing hair in water boiled with the sweet flag, tea ceremonies, riding swings, shooting arrows and making the rice cakes with mallet(tteokme). Muaz Bahadir Mutaf from Turkey said, "My hair is really shiny after washing it in water that boiled with the sweet flag(changpo) for six hours," and added, "Korea is a safe country and the people are kind and nice so I enjoy staying here. I've becoming fascinated with the traditional songs of Korea and I will learn about Korea as much as I can during my remaining time in Korea and contribute to the exchange between Korea and Turkey." Lor Oudom, a public official of Siem Reap in Cambodia is washing his hair in changpo water at the 37th 'Gyeongsan Jain Danoje Festival'. Gina Anindyajati, a public official of Indonesia, also stated, "The Hallyu has hit Indonesia so many people are curious about Korea. Korean is difficult, but the more I learn it, the more interesting it becomes. Once I return home, I will introduce and share with my people that Korea and the Korean society is quite charming." Suh, Jong-hak (61, Department of Korean Language Education), director of the YU Korean Language Institute, who is overseeing this education program, stated "In addition to reading, writing, speaking, listening, vocabulary, and grammar of the Korean language, I want to help them to accurately understand the history and culture of Korea and Gyeongsangbuk-do. I will do all that I can so that they will later become key figures who are Korea-friendly and Gyeongbuk-friendly." Jeon, Byeong-gi, secretary of international commerce for the Provincial Government of Gyeongbuk, stated, "This program for inviting public officials of sister cities of Gyeongbuk started in 2005, and 51 people from 11 countries including China, Vietnam, Indonesia, Cambodia, Japan, Russia and Turkey participated in this program. By creating a continuous friendship with them, we are planning to utilize them as our human network when conducting exchange with their respective provinces." During this program, they will attend major festivals in the Gyeongbuk province such as the Pohang Fireworks Festival and the Andong International Maskdance Festival and visit major historical, cultural, tourist places, and industrial complexes so that they may experience the history and development of Gyeongbuk and Korea. They will return to their homes in November of this year.
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'Shell Eco-Marathon Asia 2012' was held at Sepang F1 Circuit, Malaysia during July 4-7th. 141 teams from 18 countries competed for the championship in the fuel efficiency and the design creativity. [Jun 19, 2012] YUSAE team that will represent Korea at the Shell Eco-Marathon Asia, guidance professor Hwang, Pyung (second from right), and sponsors (fifth from right, Ha, Jong-hwan, president of Shell Korea) "We will do our best so that our efforts over the past six months to achieve 100km per liter of gasoline do not go to waste." The YU School of Mechanical Engineering's automobile production club 'YUSAE' (advising professor Hwang, Pyung) became the first in Korea to compete in the international eco-friendly automobile contest. The YUSAE team held a launching ceremony for the 'Shell Eco-Marathon Asia 2012' at the YU Mechanical Engineering Building in Gyeongsan, Gyeongbuk in the afternoon of the 18th. President Ha, Jong-hwan and Director Jang, Rok-joo of Shell Korea, as well as representatives from Shell Pacific Enterprises, Nexen Tires, and POSCO were present at this event in which the YUSAE team was introduced, their vehicle explained, and logo stickers of sponsors were attached. The 'Shell Eco-Marathon' is an annual automobile race held for students over the age of 16 from 3 contents by the Shell International Petroleum Company. The Asia-Pacific event of this year will be held from July 4-7 at the Sepang F1 Circuit in Malaysia, in which 141 teams from 18 countries will compete in. The event is made up of two different sectors - the prototype (vehicles that have minimum friction and highest efficiency) and urban types (vehicles operated at maximal fuel efficiency for different types of fuels). Teams with the best fuel efficiency and unique designs are selected for each sector. The YUSAE team, which is made up of eight students of the YU School of Mechanical Engineering will be participating in the urban type. Since being selected in November of last year to represent Korea, they designed, produced, maintained and test-drove their automobile all alone. In particular, the ECU (engine control unit) that controls the 150cc gasoline engine was newly mapped for optimization and the vehicle was designed to minimize air resistance, while also making it as light as possible. Their main sponsors Shell Pacific Enterprises and Shell Korea provided full support, while Nexen Tires provided support for tire design and production, while POSCO offered support in selection of the materials for vehicle, as well as consultation. Kim, Min-jo (23, junior in the School of Mechanical Engineering), the team leader of YUSAE that is making last-minute inspections before departing on July 1, said, "It was difficult to prepare for the competition while doing our school work, but we always reminded ourselves that we should be proud to represent Korea, 'an automobile powerhouse'.", while adding, "We will demonstrate the traditions and capacities of YUSAE, which it accumulated for over 20 years." Ha, Jong-hwan, president of Shell Korea, who attended the ceremony, stated, "Shell has hosted the Eco-Marathon since 1984. I'm happy that Korea finally joined." He added, "As an alumni, I hope that YUSAE of YU, which is representing Korea, will have good results and show the world just how talented Korean university students are. Above all else, I want to remind the participants to pay special care to their safety and health." Ha was admitted to the YU College of Law in 1971. On the other hand, the YUSAE team was organized as an automobile production club of the School of Mechanical Engineering in 1991, and was certified for Korea's first club by the US SAE(Society of Automotive Engineers) in 1997. Based on its tradition and capacities accumulated by continuously participating in international competitions held in the US and Japan since 2000, it made its attempt to manufacture its first vehicle for Formula races in 2004. At its first appearance in England, it ranked 41st among 80 teams. In 2007 and 2008 in England, it ranked in the top 40 from over 110 teams, thus receiving international recognition for its capacities. In late 2009, it won first place at the 'National Online Electric Automobile Idea Contest' hosted by KAIST, thus being officially recognized as the 'Korea's best' in the eco-friendly car sector.
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Yeungnam University Alumni Association in the US holds 6th General Meeting in Chicago Over 100 alumni in the US attends and donates 14,000 USD for international student scholarships and university development funds Increases overseas internships for young YU students [Jun 11, 2012] The YU US Alumni Association held its 6th general meeting in Chicago. Over 100 alumni in the US are wearing mufflers with the YU logo to pose for a photo. "Though we are far away, I am always happy and proud to hear news about Yeungnam University. I hope that the students at YU always remember that alumni in the US and all over the world are hoping the best for you." YU (president Lee, Hyo-soo) once again exhibited its strong alumni power in the US this time. From June 8 to June 10, local time, the YU US Alumni Association general meeting was held at the Chicago Marriott Lincolnshire. This is the 6th general meeting that has been held since 12 years ago. Over 100 YU alumni in various regions of the US gathered again after two years to show their unchanging affection for Yeungnam University and its students. Lee, Hyo-soo, president of YU, and Jeon, Jae-hee, former Minister of Health and Welfare (class of 68, Department of Public Administration) were also present. In the opening address, president Lee stated, "It is not an easy task for university alumni living abroad to hold general meetings every two years. I am very thankful that you have taken time out of your busy schedules to be here today. Through such promising support, YU will become a prestigious university of not only the region and Korea, but the world." He added, "We will also do our best so that our alumni in the US, as well as those in Vietnam and China that were recently founded, and the alumni in Indonesia that will organize the Indonesia Alumni Association later this year will all be invited to YU on a 'Global Homecoming Day'. At this general meeting, the YU US Alumni Association donated 10,000 dollars for university development. In addition, a total of 4,000 dollars was granted to two students who are currently studying abroad in the US as scholarships. On this day, Kim, Hyo-sung (31) who graduated from the School of Business in February 2009 and will be in an MBA course at Cornell University and Park, Dae-gwon (33), who graduated from the Department of Architecture Engineering in February 2004 and is currently in his fourth term for his master's degree at Harvard University (majoring in design engineering), received 2,000 dollars each. In addition, Kim, Byoung-tak (67), who was in the class of 69 in the Department of Economics, and is currently the president of Foster Bank in Chicago, was appointed as the new chairman of the YU US Alumni Association. Mr. Kim stated in his inaugural address, "I will do everything I can such as increasing the number of overseas internship programs so that students from Yeungnam University can gain more experience in a larger world." He also added, "I will do my best so that the graduates in the global area and current students will have stronger ties as 'YU Alumni'." The YU Alumni Association in the US was founded in LA in October 2002 and there are currently over 3,000 members in eight different areas of the US. The 7th general meeting will be held in Atlanta in the summer of 2014.
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Overseas volunteer work, internships, language courses, backpacking trips, etc Investment of 800 million won including university funding, raise global competitiveness of YU students [Jun 13, 2012] The YU overseas volunteer corps that were dispatched to the Ukraine posing for a photo with university students from around the world Kim, Young-hoon (26), a senior in the YU Department of Civil Engineering, will depart to volunteer at Erzurum, an urban region in eastern Turkey on the 26th. He will be the team leader for the first group being sent off as part of the overseas volunteer programs conducted jointly by YU and Korea UNESCO. He stated, "I am very happy that I will be able to gather with university students from all around the world to practice 'love without borders' for a month to experience love for humanity as well as global life." He added, "I am looking forward to rediscovering myself at the other part of the world at this juncture where I am about to end my university life." YU (president Lee, Hyo-soo) will send about 860 students, including Kim, to different parts of the world during this summer break. This is to enhance their global competitiveness and to give them an opportunity of living education. The best known summer overseas program of YU, in which 800 million won will be invested in, is overseas volunteering, which is in its eleventh year. About 1,700 students were able to practice 'love without borders' in different parts of the world through this program. This summer, 98 students will be sent to Turkey, France, Armenia, Estonia, the Czech Republic, Germany, Italy and Laos for three to seven weeks. YU will provide 130 million won for airfare, lodging, purchasing of materials, education and training expenses, and domestic transportation fares so that more students will be able to receive the experience, and also give 1 credit for overseas volunteering. Another popular program is 'WTW' (Window to the World) in which students choose their theme for themselves and go out into the world on a backpacking trip supported by YU. WTW program is offered twice a year during vacations and the competition is four-to-one. The 20th batch this year includes 114 students in 43 teams. 600,000 to 1,50,000 won will be provided to each student in the WTW team. 74 students will be dispatched to companies, embassies and research centers of the US, Paraguay, Oceania, Indonesia and Uzbekistan through an overseas internship program where they will gain on-site experience, learn languages, and earn credits. YU will invest 50 million won to help selected students to settle down, while also giving credits. About 300 students will be sent to short-term overseas cultural experience and language training programs by each department, which is the first time to be conducted this year. YU invested 200 million for this program. In addition, 300 million won will also be invested in the 'Summer OPP (Summer Outbound Pilot Program)' by YU, 250 students will be dispatched. In the Summer OPP, English scholarship students will be selected for freshmen and sophomores and they may study English in the Philippines for a month during summer break to makes it easy for participation in various overseas exchange programs in their junior and senior years. Also, 23 students of the Chunma Honors School student and Chunma scholarship student will be given the opportunity for language programs for up to 6 weeks at the University of Nebraska in the US. YU president Lee, Hyo-soo said, "Think about how unfortunate it would be to have to spend the entire campus life while concentrating for the so-called 'specs', such as GPAs and official language test scores." He added, "Our university will focus on providing support so that more students will be able to go out into the bigger world to dream bigger dreams and have a broader perspective." YU overseas volunteers teaching English and math to elementary school children in Bangalore, India.
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Active international research exchange in the Nano-Ceramics sector with the National Institute for Materials Science of Japan World-class international collaborative research for two months during summer vacation [June 6, 2012] YU (president Lee, Hyo-soo) will send 3 students in the School of Materials Science and Engineering as interns to a national research institute of Japan. Sohn, Hyeong-won (25, male, senior), Kim, Duk-yeon (24, male, junior), and Jeon, Jae-hee (23, male, junior), of the School of Materials Science and Engineering were chosen for this overseas internship opportunity. They will be sent to Japan's NIMS (National Institute for Materials Science), which is a world-renowned research institute for the materials sector for 2 months from June 20 to August 10. Students of the School of Materials Science and Engineering to be sent as interns at Japan's NIMS (left to right: Kim, Duk-yeon, Jeon, Jae-hee, Sohn, Hyeong-won) NIMS, which is located in Tsukuba in Ibaraki Prefecture, Japan, is a research institute founded in 2001 by merging the 'National Research Institute for Metals' that was established in 1956 and the 'National Institute in Inorganic Materials' that was established in 1966. Currently, it has developed into a world-class research institute that leads the development of advanced materials, which are essential for the future of humanity based on nano-technologies. It has over 500 doctorate level researchers in the materials sector. Interns are being sent according to the global intern program of NIMS, which it has conducted since 2006. NIMS selected about 60 interns from 20 countries across the world including Korea, France, Germany, Australia, and Canada by evaluating the grades and research plans of applicants for the internship this summer in April. Those selected will have all expenses paid for by NIMS and will engage in the 'international collaborative research in the Nano-Ceramics sector' with invited researchers of NIMS for two months. Sohn, Hyeong-won, the oldest of the three, is planning to conduct research on the 'evaluation of the mechanical properties of biomaterials'. He stated, "After participating in the Summer Abroad Program in UC Davis last summer, I became highly motivated in my research and that is why I applied for this internship." He added, "I would like to thank the three counseling professors who helped me during preparations such as thesis studies and English resumes for over a month. Since this is a collaborative research with university students from around the world, I will do my best to represent the capacities of Korean university students." Jeon, Jae-hee who will research the 'metal ceramic coating sector' and Kim, Duk-yeon who will work on the 'feasibility study of biomaterials on the human body by adding Carbon Nanotubes and BN Nanotubes', stated, "It is exciting to think about competing with students from around the world in an advanced research lab, but I feel a grave sense of responsibility being the first group to represent our university there. We will do our best so to bring about good results." Professor Kim, Suk-young (58, photo right) of the YU School of Materials Science and Engineering who instructed the students said, "Since signing an MOU for research cooperation between our School of Materials Science and Engineering and Japan's NIMS in September of last year, we have actively engaged in collaborative research in the nano-ceramics sector." He added, "We will continuously pursue exchange in research personnel by sending interns not only this summer, but also during the winter break and next year, so that we can enhance the global competitiveness of our students." Meanwhile, the YU School of Materials Science and Engineering became the first university in not only Korea, but all of Asia, to take part in the Summer Abroad Program for UC Davis last year, and has taken the initiative in constructing a global network by holding international seminars and pursuing dual diploma programs.
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'JOON TEC Inc.', developing new products using technologies possessed by university Selected for 'Direct Commercialization Support Project' by the Small & Medium Business Administration, and received 1 billion won in national funding for 3 years [June 4, 2012] YU (president Lee, Hyo-soo) launched a joint venture with a local company and is in the limelight as a successful model for industry-academic cooperation. According to YU on the 4th, AJIN Industrial Co. Ltd. (CEO Seo, Jung-ho), an automobile press parts company and the YU Office of Research Cooperation Foundation launched the joint venture 'JOON TEC Inc.'. Through this, new technologies developed by YU will be utilized for Ajin Industrial's manufacture of new products in the industry-academic cooperation system. JOON TEC is a company that provides technological services for the mold parts industry such as mold analysis and mold development, and its sales goal is 50 billion won by 2020. JOON TEC has also procured up to one billion won in support for 3 years from the Small & Medium Business Administration(SMBA). This is because the new technology developed proprietarily by YU, 'Development of Stamping Mold Technologies for Optimization of Mold Processes and Cost Cutting' was selected as the SMBA's 'Direct Commercialization Support Project for Technologies Possessed by Universities and Research Institutes'. Founders of 'JOON TEC Inc.', a joint venture between YU and Ajin Industrial (from left to right: Yang, Min-a, Lee, Seung-yeob, Professor Shim, Hyun-bo, Lee, Won-chan, General executive of Ajin Industrial) As a substitute for past mold development methods that depended on prior experience, this technology is based on mold analysis in order to minimize loss of raw materials. When taking into consideration the press industry, in which the materials expenses account for 70% of the product cost, by calculating the optimal injection amount of materials and standardizing quality, it minimizes excessive use of materials that would be lost, while also reducing defective products. This method is expected to optimize the quantity of injected materials, reduce the development and delivery time, remove variables through optimization of mold processes, reduce the mold development period and reduce the defect rate by standardizing quality. Lee, Seung-yeob (25), a senior at the YU School of Mechanical Engineering, who conducted the R&D of this technology, stated, "I was interested in assembly and design from my early childhood because of my father who ran an automobile parts manufacturing factory. Last year, I saw the engineering assignment and became very interested so I teamed up with five other students and participated in it." He added with a big smile, "We had many trials-and-errors, but we visited plants and met people who actually work there so we were able to learn many things that we could not in classrooms. I am especially happy because we were able to succeed in this difficult assignment my applying the solution methods suggested by our professor. I feel a great sense of accomplishment because I was able to find something that I want to do and that I am good at." Yang, Min-a (21), a senior and the only female student in the project team, said happily, "I did not expect our research that was made based on theoretical knowledge that we learned in classrooms and practical knowledge that we learned at the actual workplace to result in the founding of a company." Professor Shim, Hyun-bo (53, School of Mechanical Engineering), who was appointed as the CTO (Chieft Technological Officer) of JOON TEC, stated, "We have been actively engaged in industry-academic cooperation projects with Ajin Industrial since 2007. From August of last year, we worked on an engineering project titled 'Improving the Automobile Wheel Housing Mold Process' with five undergraduate students. In result, we found the solution for minimizing defect rates and the use of materials." He proudly added, "My students who worked hard to meet the goal of 'optimization' and to improve problems are the true founders of JOON TEC." Lee, Won-chan, General executive of Ajin Industrial, who was directly involved in the founding of the company also stated with high anticipation, "Based on the trust we have made with YU, we will manifest greater synergy effects in order to establish this as a win-win model which both the university and company benefits from." Meanwhile, Ajin Industrial, which was established in 1976, is a company that specializes in automobile parts and a primary vendor for Hyundai Motors. It is a strong middle-sized company of the region that total sales of 400 billion won together with its subsidiaries Woosin Industrial and Ajin USA. YU has operated internship programs since 2007 and from 2010, overseas work experience agreements were made to select about 5 undergraduate students every semester to go to Ajin USA located in Alabama, the US. The two has continuously pursued industry-academic cooperation projects.
