Pukyong National University

16 ph.d. students from PKNU selected for research support program 2024- receiving research funding for 1-2 years to pursue creative and challenging researchPukyong National University (President Jang Young-Soo) announced that 16 of its ph.d. students have been selected for the academic research support program 2024 for the next generation of scholars, recently announced by the Ministry of education and the National research foundation of Korea. The selected ph.d. students from Pukyong National University will receive research grants ranging from KRW 25 million to 50 million each, supporting them to embark on creative and challenging research for 1-2 years starting this September. Research projects include Kim Guk-Hyeon from the department of aquatic life medicine studying 'establishment of complex vaccine formulation and vaccination strategy for effective protection against red sea bream iridovirus disease (RSIVD)' (supervised by professor Kim Kwang-Il), Baek Eun-Jin’s project on 'construction and evaluation of effectiveness of a minigenome system for screening infectious kidney and spleen necrosis virus (ISKNV) antivirals' (supervised by professor Kim Kwang-Il), Jeong Ye-Jin’s 'investigating the death and recovery mechanisms of DGF cells infected with megalocytivirus (ISKNV and RSIV)' (supervised by professor Kim Kwang-Il), and Hong Soon-Joo’s 'development of a ghost bacteria-RNA interference platform and its application for controlling complex infectious diseases in whiteleg shrimp (litopenaeus vannamei)' (advisor Kim Ki-Hong). In the department of food science and engineering, projects include Jeong Geum-Jae’s 'exploration of marine-derived biosurfactants for biofilm control and development research on anti-biofilm coating materials for application in food processing environments' (advisor Kim Young-Mok), Jo Kyung-Jin’s ‘research on the development of chlorella-derived protein materials using microbial fermentation and development of plant-based meat substitutes using the same' (advisor Kim Young-Mok), and Han Ji-Min’s 'research on nanoencapsulation of phenolic compounds derived from Sargassum thunbergii obtained by eco-friendly extraction method and development of multi-functional biopolymer' (advisor Chun Byung-Soo). The department of industry 4.0 convergence bionics engineering will undertake the research including Kim Nam-Gyun's research on 'development of eco-friendly drugs and drug delivery systems for tissue regeneration using phlorotannin derived from marine brown algae' (advisor Jung Won-Kyo), and Han Won's research on 'development of a spring-based power-free all-in-one molecular diagnostic device for on-site detection of viral pathogens' (advisor Shin Joong-Ho). Also, from the division of earth and environmental system sciences, Park Hye-Min's research on 'measurement of radionuclide flux in groundwater using a fluxmeter and analysis of its origins' (advisor Yang Min-June), and Shim Ju-Hyeon's research on 'production of real-time fog forecasts and visibility maps using CCTV images' (advisor Not Young-Min) will be carried out for the project. The following research projects have also been selected including Kim Ha-Ham from the department of marine biology for her research on 'establishment of a feed supply system for sustainable domestic Atlantic salmon farming' (advisor Lee Seung-Hyung), and Baek Se-Na from the division of marine production system management for her research on 'development of a small fish escape device for bottom trawl gear for sustainable fisheries' (advisor Kim Seong-Hun), Lee Sung-Man from the department of chemistry for his research on 'development of organic monomer-based photothermal agents with high photothermal conversion efficiency for photothermal therapy' (advisor Lee Song-Yi), Jang Jae-Hun from the department of intelligent robotics for his research on 'development of autonomous path generation and exploration technology for intelligent swarm robots based on end-to-end learning models' (advisor Lee Kyeong-Chang), and Ha Ye-Jin from the department of architecture and fire protection engineering for her research on 'the numerical model of fire spread through the analysis of pyrolysis and combustion reactions of solid combustibles' (advisor Jeon Joon-Ho). Pukyong National University continues to receive recognition for the excellent research performance of its ph.d. students, with 16 students selected for the research support program this year, up from 5 students last year.

PKNU students won Korea's first victory in 'Google solution challenge'- showcased a 'daily management app for dementia patients' winning USD 12,000 cash prize△ The winning students, Lee Ji-Eun, Park Soo-Jeong, Lee Hong-Joo, Jeon Joo-Eun from the left. A team of students from Pukyong National University has won the prestigious 'Google for developers solution challenge 2024', marking the first-ever victory for a Korean team in this global competition hosted by Google. The team, consisting of Lee Hong-Joo, Park Soo-Jeong, and Jeon Joo-Eun from the department of computer engineering, and Lee Ji-Eun from the department of industrial design, emerged as one of the top three winning teams (TOP3) along with teams from India and Nigeria in the global competition 'Google for developers solution challenge 2024', which featured students from Google developer student clubs at over 2,000 universities in more than 110 countries. The Pukyong National University team first entered the TOP100 in April, followed by the TOP10 in May, and finally secured a spot in the TOP3 in June, clinching the prestigious victory. They were awarded a USD12,000 cash prize. In this competition, where student developers use Google technology to address one of the UN 17 sustainable development goals (SDGs), the Pukyong National University team developed an innovative daily management application for dementia patients called 'memory friend Atti' and their groundbreaking technology was highly acclaimed. The application offers services to assist mild dementia patients with memory recall and record-keeping. It features an interactive chatbot that helps users revisit memories and manage their daily tasks and upcoming schedules independently. Users can utilize the app to check daily tasks such as taking medication or going for a walk and manage upcoming appointments like hospital visits or family birthdays. They can also engage in conversations with the chatbot about past photos and memories to help jog their memory. Lee Hong-Joo from Pukyong National University said, "Our goal in developing this app was to enhance communication abilities and provide psychological stability for mild dementia patients. As our society rapidly ages and the risk of dementia increases, we hope this application can help improve the quality of life for mild dementia patients in some way." The winning team of this competition receives various benefits, including the prize money, technical mentoring from Google engineers, and attendance at Google demo day. △ The 'memory friend Atti' 

PKNU, the only university in Korea selected for 40 billion KRW advanced industry specialization in 2 fields- specializing in secondary batteries with Kumyang co., ltd., and semiconductors with Gyeongsang national university to foster advanced talentPukyong National University (President Jang Young-Soo) has been selected for both secondary batteries and semiconductors in the 'advanced industry specialized university support project' announced by the Ministry of education and the Korea institute for advancement of technology on July 4. Pukyong National University is the only university in the nation to be selected in both fields for this project, which supports bachelor’s degree talent nurturing as a core basis for advanced industry talent development, being chosen for the 'secondary battery specialized university support project' as an independent type and the 'semiconductor specialized university support project' as a co-growth type support university. As a result of this selection, Pukyong National University will receive intensive financial support totaling 40 billion KRW for up to four years, enabling the establishment of a system for nurturing advanced talent and the expansion of educational infrastructure, including curriculum, faculty, and practice equipment, thereby enhancing its competitiveness in advanced industries.In the independently selected 'secondary battery specialized university support project', Pukyong National University will receive 12 billion KRW over four years to nurture practical, regionally connected secondary battery specialized personnel in the field of 'secondary battery process and material technology' (project leader professor Oh Pil-Gun). To achieve this, the university plans to establish the 'department of energy convergence technology engineering', the nation’s first industry-academic integrated major, in collaboration with Kumyang co., ltd., a leading company in the secondary battery field. This department will nurture industry-friendly personnel through a specialized convergence curriculum in secondary battery processes and materials, and a secondary battery specialized industry-academic innovation laboratory is also being established at the Yongdang campus. Kumyang co., ltd. has committed 800 million KRW in private matching funds as scholarships. Additionally, Pukyong National University, in partnership with Gyeongsang national university, was selected as a co-growth type in the non-metropolitan area for the 'semiconductor specialized university support project', receiving a total of 28 billion KRW in national funds over four years. Pukyong National University will specialize in the field of 'core materials and processes for high-reliability semiconductor packaging' (project leader, professor Lee Ji-Yeol), while Gyeongsang national university will focus on 'semiconductor packaging design and process, and analysis on semiconductor reliability' (project leader, professor Kang Seok-Geun), with plans to nurture specialized personnel in extreme environment semiconductor packaging and testing over the next four years. Pukyong National University had previously formed partnerships with semiconductor companies BtoZ, OXIDE from Korea and Japan last year, and signed an industry-academic cooperation MOU with semiconductor packaging material company Duksan Hi-metal co., ltd. earlier this year. Additionally, the university expanded the department of nanotechnology engineering into the division of nano semiconductor engineering, establishing majors in Nano-tech engineering and next-generation semiconductor engineering, with both majors notably being selected for this project, positioning the university to accelerate the nurturing of convergent talents in advanced fields. President Jang Young-Soo of Pukyong National University said, "We will do our best to fulfill our role as a central institution in nurturing core regional and national talents in the advanced strategic industries of semiconductors and secondary batteries."

PKNU sets sail for '68-year tradition' offshore sailing training- departure ceremony on the 28th, 127 student crew members embark on a 32-day sailing△ Participants of the offshore training posing for a commemorative photo during the departure ceremony. ⓒPhoto Lee Sung-Jae (PR team)Pukyong National University (President Jang Young-Soo) held the 'offshore sailing training departure ceremony of 2024 academic year' on June 28 at the reclaimed pier of Yongho-man bay. On this day, a total of 127 people, including 92 students from the division of marine production system management, the department of fisheries education, a major of electrical engineering, and including 35 crew members, started the 30-day training voyage. Pukyong National University's offshore sailing training began in 1957 when 48 students, including honorary chairman Kim Jae-Cheol of the Dongwon group, ventured to Ji-long port in Taiwan, marking the first voyage from Korea. Now in its 68th year, this training has laid the foundation for the country's offshore industry and economy, and today, it has become a program for cultivating talents in the future advanced marine and fisheries new industry fields. Through this program, Pukyong National University students will learn in the east sea, south sea, west sea of Korea and the Japanese sea, and learn the navigator and engineer programs on the sea in accordance with the STCW International Convention, including courses in fishing, navigation, electronic communication operation, ship engine operation, and automatic control system operation. Additionally, the students plan to visit universities and institutions at ports of call such as Hakodate Port in Japan and Keelung Port in Taiwan to engage in exchanges and build international networks. President Jang Young-Soo encouraged the trainees, saying, "Our Pukyong National University offshore training voyage has greatly contributed to the national economic development by producing numerous talents in the fisheries and marine fields. I hope all the trainees carry this pride in your hearts and do your best to acquire not only knowledge in your major fields but also the qualities of leaders in the fisheries and marine." △ The ship Baek-kyung departing from Yongho-man bay.△ A panoramic view of the departure ceremony.△ Trainees presenting bouquets to the crew.△ Trainees taking an oath.△ The ship Baek-kyung sailing in the waters off Gwangalli after departing from Yongho-man bay.△ The ship Baek-kyung docked at Yongho-man bay before departure, with the ship Nara docked nearby.

Prof. Bae Sang-Hoon elected as the 1st priority candidate for the 8th president of PKNU- will serve a four-year term upon presidential appointment, prof. Wang Je-Pil is the 2nd priority candidateIn the election for the 8th president of Pukyong National University, professor Bae Sang-Hoon (major of geomatics engineering) has been selected as the priority candidate, and professor Wang Je-Pil (metallurgical engineering) as the second candidate. In the final round of the election, conducted online on June 26, professor Bae Sang-Hoon received 60.36% of the votes, securing first place. Professor Wang Je-Pil received 39.64% of the votes. The electorate for this election consisted of 1,749 eligible voters, including 620 professors, 531 staff members, 586 students, and 12 teaching assistants. Professor Bae graduated from the department of civil engineering at Pusan National University (1990) and earned his ph.d. in traffic engineering from Virginia tech (1995). He has been a professor in the major of geomatics engineering at Pukyong National University since 2002, served as dean of the college of environmental and marine sciences and technology, also served as a research fellow at the Korea transport institute and an editorial board member of the Korean society of transportation. Currently, he is the chairman of the Busan mass transit citizen's funds foundation and president of the Busan public transportation future forum. He said, "I will take the lead in consolidating internal capabilities and collaborating with the region to drive the innovation needed for Pukyong National University to advance as a sustainable future university," he added, "I am committed to realizing the vision of Pukyong National University as a competitive institution with world-class research and educational capabilities, driving educational innovation to become a global university beyond the region, fostering interdisciplinary research and industry-academia cooperation, expanding support for research and education, and leading future industries." Following this election, Pukyong National University will recommend professor Bae Sang-Hoon as the priority candidate and professor Wang Je-Pil as the second candidate for the 8th president to the Ministry of education. The final appointment will be made by the president upon the recommendation of the Minister of education. △ Ballot counting in progress on the third floor of Dongwon hall at Dongwon Jang Bogo building. ⓒPhoto Lee Sung-Jae (PR team)

PKNU selected to operate a customized program for 1st graders at Neulbom school in the second semester, 2024- in collaboration with educational enterprises, Busan national university of education, and Silla university, the consortium plans to operate the program in the Busan, Ulsan, and Gyeongnam regions△ Operating a customized program for first graders at Neulbom school.Pukyong National University (President Jang Young-Soo) has announced that it has been selected as the operating institution for the second semester of 2024 customized program for first graders at Neulbom school. With the nationwide expansion of Neulbom school this year, the Ministry of education, 17 metropolitan and provincial education offices, the Korea foundation for the advancement of science and creativity, and the Korea arts & culture education service invited applications from institutions to support customized programs for first-grade students, including school adaptation support and play-based arts and physical education activities. Pukyong National University has been selected as the operating institution for the Busan, Ulsan, and Gyeongnam regions in this nationwide call, receiving 3.2 million KRW in project funding to run the program in the second semester of 2024. With its selection for this project, Pukyong National University will lead the consortium for the project through the PKNU support center for educational donation (director Lee Sang-Gil) including educational institutions such as Ted education, Eduvision, and others. Additionally, the department of education at Busan national university of education, the department of education at Silla university, Sangsangharu co., ltd., Norit co., ltd., and Doit science co., ltd. will participate as partner institutions. Building on its experience as the operating institution for the first semester customized program for first graders at Neulbom school, Pukyong National University plans to establish Neulbom education hub centers in Busan, Ulsan, and Gyeongnam, targeting 30 schools with over 60 classes, implementing more than 1,800 sessions of Neulbom school educational programs. In particular, the university will support the program content through monitoring and performance analysis of various learning programs in conjunction with its on-campus teaching and learning support center, while also collaborating with the teaching and learning support centers of universities in the southeastern region to involve university students in the Neulbom school educational programs, to expand human resources. Lee Sang-Gil, director of the PKNU support center for educational donation, said, "Through this project, we aim to establish a public-private partnership support system for Neulbom school involving universities, businesses, and institutions, focusing on discovering and disseminating customized programs for first graders."

PKNU research team participates in 'CINDI-3 campaign' for international performance evaluation of atmospheric remote sensing equipment- prof. Lee Han-Lim team developed the atmospheric remote sensing equipment for air quality analysis△ International research teams posing for a group photo.A research team from Pukyong National University participated in the 'CINDI-3 campaign' for the international performance evaluation of atmospheric remote sensing equipment, held in Cabauw, Netherlands, under the auspices of the Royal Netherlands meteorological institute (KNMI). 'CINDI-3', held for the third time following previous events in 2009 and 2016, aims to verify the performance of ground-based remote sensing equipment and the accuracy of environmental satellite data through mutual comparison of equipment operated by various countries. In addition to Pukyong National University and the National institute of environmental research from South Korea, participants include the National aeronautics and space administration (NASA) from the USA, the Max planck institute for chemistry (MPIC) from Germany, the Belgian institute for space aeronomy (BIRA-IASB), the Rutherford appleton laboratory (RAL) from the UK, and the Laboratoire atmosph？res, milieux, observations spatiales (LATMOS) from France, among more than 30 institutions worldwide. Pukyong National University, led by professor Lee's team from the division of earth and environmental system sciences, is participating in this international performance evaluation with the ground-based remote sensing equipment 'AQ profiler', developed jointly with the National institute of environmental research, from May 21 to June 21. The 'AQ profiler' is the first domestically produced equipment based on UV-VIS spectroscopy, capable of measuring the vertical distribution of gases (NO2, O3, O4, HCHO, etc.) and aerosols in the atmosphere. Graduate students Park Gyeong and Lee Kang-Ham from the division of earth and environmental system sciences at Pukyong National University are participating in the campaign alongside researcher Kim Dae-Won from the Environmental research institute at Pusan national university, observing atmospheric nitrogen dioxide, ozone, formaldehyde, and conducting inter-comparison studies between equipment. Pukyong National University and the National institute of environmental research expect that participating in this international performance evaluation will contribute to the performance assessment of measurement equipment and the expansion of the use of measured data. △ 'AQ profiler', ground-based remote sensing equipment

Research on tripling the performance of organic photodetectors published in a Nature sister journal- prof. Park Song-Yi from PKNU investigated characteristics of organic semiconductors for high-performance organic photodetectors△ Image related to professor Park Song-Yi's research. Schematic of the organic semiconductor molecular structure, the organic photodetector device structure, and the photoelectric conversion process used in the research (top), simulation results of energy level separation in Cl6-SubPc thin films (bottom left), and photodetection capability results based on Cl6-SubPc thickness (bottom right).  New research results have shown that the performance of organic photodetectors, which are emerging as next-generation image sensors, can be improved by more than three times compared to existing technologies, attracting significant attention. Professor Park Song-Yi from the department of physics at Korea Pukyong National University recently published research findings in the international journal , identifying the characteristics of organic semiconductor materials that can enhance the detectivity of organic photodetector devices and simplify the fabrication process. Photodetectors are electronic devices that convert light into electrical signals. They are used in various applications, including camera image sensors and health monitoring sensors in wearable electronic devices such as smartwatches. Among these, organic photodetectors are gaining global attention as next-generation photodetectors due to their excellent light absorption capability, ease of bandgap tuning, and physical flexibility, utilizing organic semiconductors as the photoactive layer. In this study, Professor Park revealed that the high octupole moment of the subphthalocyanine compound (Cl6-SubPc) plays a crucial role in generating free charges upon light irradiation. Generally, in organic semiconductors, light irradiation creates electron-hole pairs called excitons, which do not easily separate into free electrons and holes at room temperature due to their high binding energy. To overcome this strong binding energy, bulk-heterojunctions, which mix two or more materials randomly, or planar-heterojunctions (PHJs), which layer two materials, are commonly used as photoactive layers in organic photodetectors. According to professor Park's research, Cl6-SubPc molecules inherently exhibit energy level separation due to the electrostatic potential difference induced by their high octupole moment in the thin film. This energy level difference allows excitons to readily separate into free electrons and holes. In the study, PHJ-based organic photodetector devices were fabricated using Cl6-SubPc as the main photoactive layer and MPTA as the auxiliary photoactive and hole transport layer, and the analysis of their optical and electrical properties resulted in a detectivity of ~1013 Jones at a wavelength of 590 nm. This performance is more than three times higher than that of previously reported PHJ-based organic photodetector devices. Professor Park said, "Using materials with high octupole moments like Cl6-SubPc can enable the realization of high-performance photodetectors with a single material and single layer, significantly simplifying the fabrication process and potentially accelerating the commercialization of organic photodetectors." As the first author of this study, she conducted international collaborative research with Imperial college London in the UK and the Samsung advanced institute of technology. Her research findings are detailed in the paper titled 'Octupole moment driven free charge generation in partially chlorinated subphthalocyanine for planar heterojunction organic photodetectors', which was published in the June 13 issue of Nature communications.

PKNU launches priority research centers program 'G-LAMP project'- secures 25 billion won over 5 years... Aiming to become a global center for water cycle research△ Participants, including faculty and researchers of the LAMP project, posing for a commemorative photo shoot after a workshop earlier this year.Pukyong National University (President Jang Young-Soo) announced that the 'G-LAMP project team' (director professor Kim Young-Seok), aimed at becoming a global hub for basic science research, has officially launched this month. The G-LAMP (global learning & academic research institution for master & phd students, and postdocs) project is a large-scale research program funded by the Ministry of education to strengthen the university's research base and produce world-class research results. The project aims to establish an autonomous research institute management and support system within the university, promote collaborative research centered on themes without barriers between majors and departments, and support collaborative research focused on new researchers such as postdoctoral fellows. Last year, Pukyong National University, along with seven other universities, was selected for the LAMP project. This year, six additional universities have joined, transitioning to the international-focused G-LAMP project. Each university selects one of the ten basic science fields to establish a focused theme research system and conduct global collaborative research. Pukyong National University, with 15 faculty members, including project director professor Kim Young-Seok (major of environment & geoscience), will receive 5 billion won annually for five years, totaling 25 billion won, to undertake creative and innovative research aimed at becoming a global center for water cycle research. The project team will focus on three major themes including atmospheric science, marine science, and geoscience, aiming to establish a sustainable and self-sufficient core R&D research base for marine-atmospheric-geoscience convergence, understanding global water cycles influenced by climate and environmental changes, ensuring the safe and efficient use of local water resources, and predicting and responding to the resulting social impacts. In particular, the project team plans to become a global center for water cycle research by promoting international academic exchanges and cooperation, also aim to broaden the scope of basic science research to include the acquisition and circulation of water resources on future space planets, contributing to the advancement of future science and technology. Project director professor Kim Young-Seok said, "We expect that continuous research and innovation will enable us to grow into a global research hub leading world-class basic science research in the field of geosciences."

PKNU celebrates its centennial with the completion of the Ungbi tower and a time capsule sealing ceremony- a time capsule containing the university's historical books and other items will be sealed for 50 years in front of Ungbi tower on the 11th△ Participants of the time capsule sealing ceremony posing for a commemorative photo. ⓒPhoto Lee Sung-Jae (PR team)Pukyong National University (President Jang Young-Soo) held a ribbon cutting ceremony and a time capsule sealing ceremony in front of the newly completed Ungbi tower on the morning of June 11th. In celebration of its 100th anniversary, Pukyong National University made the Ungbi tower with funds raised by the alumni association and members of the university community to support the construction of a memorial tower and the ribbon-cutting ceremony took place on this day. The name of the tower, located at the center of the campus, is inherited from the Ungbi stone tower, which was established in front of Mirae hall in 1987. The design of the tower features a compass-shaped base with a hand encircling the globe, symbolizing the university's motto, "the future is in our hands". At the top of the tower, the globe is installed upside down, symbolizing that Korea is not at the end of the land but at the beginning of the sea, expressing the spirit of expanding our stage from the campus to the vast ocean. Following this, Pukyong National University held a time capsule sealing ceremony to commemorate its centennial of founding, sealing the time capsule in a space created at the base of the Ungbi tower. The time capsule contains various items, including a book detailing the 100-year history of the university since its founding, educational materials for the 2024 academic year, university newspapers published by Busan National University of Technology and the National Fisheries University of Busan before their integration, art catalogues from the historical exhibition room in the university museum, and commemorative items for the 100th anniversary of the university's founding. Pukyong National University plans to open the time capsule in May 2074, marking the 150th anniversary of university founding. △ Commemorative photo taken at the ribbon cutting ceremony commemorating the completion of the Ungbi tower.△ President Jang Young-Soo is giving a commemorative speech.△ President Jang Young-Soo and the faculty members posing for a commemorative photo shoot before sealing the time capsule.△ The event attendees posing for a group commemorative photo shoot.