Kaist - Korea Advanced Institute of Science & Technology

KAIST
Established February 16, 1971
Type Government-run
President Nam-Pyo Suh
Faculty 526 (as of September, 2009)
Staff 322 (as of January, 2008)
Students 8,929 as of September, 2009)
Undergraduates 3,839 (as of September, 2009)
Postgraduates 2,213 (as of September, 2009)
Doctoral students 2,877 (as of September, 2009)
Location Yuseong, Daejeon, South Korea South Korea
Campus Urban
1,432,882m² (Daedeok Campus)
413,346 m² (Seoul Campus)
Affiliations AEARU, LAOTSE, AOTULE
Website http://www.kaist.edu









KAIST (formerly the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology), is located in Daedeok Science Town, Daejeon, South Korea. KAIST was established by the Korean government in 1971 as the nation's first research oriented science and engineering institution. KAIST is one of the nation's most prestigious science and technology institutions. The QS-The Times World University Rankings in the year of 2009 placed KAIST 69th in overall ranking and 21st in technology & IT subject field in the world.


Institutions

KAIST was founded with government funding and was initially staffed with a number of Korean engineering and science talents educated in the United States. From the onset, the emphasis has been in theoretical as well as applied research. KAIST continues to be Korea’s foremost center of strategic R&D projects. The University helped pioneer the establishment of competitive research oriented graduate school programs in Korea.

The University’s some 540 faculty conducts research in cooperation with academics and industries all over the world. KAIST offers grants and fellowships to international students.

The President of KAIST, Nam Pyo Suh, is an authority in axiomatic design technology. Soon-Heung Chang, a nuclear scientist, serves as Provost and Ji-won Yang, a chemical engineer, as Vice President for external affairs.

The University has for many decades, recruited faculty from overseas. The current KAIST President Nam Pyo Suh taught for many years at MIT. His predecessor, Robert Laughlin, a Nobel Prize laureate and a physics professor from Stanford University, was the first foreigner to head a Korean university. Professor Emeritus Cho Jang Hee, was a dual professor at both Columbia, New York, and KAIST, and played major role in the development of the PET scanning technology.

The vast majority of professors come from US higher education institutions. The school engages in many international programs with leading European and Asian universities. The university is a member of LAOTSE, an international network of universities in Europe and Asia. It is also a member of the Association of East Asian Research Universities.

History

February 16, 1971 Establishment of Korea Advanced Institute of Science (KAIS), Hongneung Campus, Seoul
March 5, 1973 First entrance ceremony for the master’s program
August 20, 1975 First graduation ceremony for the master’s program
September 12, 1975 First entrance ceremony for the doctoral program
August 19, 1978 First graduation ceremony for the doctoral program
December 31, 1980 Establishment of Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST) united with KIST
December 31, 1984 Establishment of Korea Institute of Technology, newly added bachelor degree course
March 3, 1986 First entrance ceremony for Korea Institute of Technology
June 12, 1989 KIST separated from KAIST
July 4, 1989 United with Korea Institute of Technology (move to Daedeok Campus)
December 17, 1990 First graduation ceremony for bachelor’s program
October 1, 1996 Establishment of Korea Institute of Advanced Study (KIAS)
May 4, 2004 Foundation of the National Nanofab Center (NNFC)
January 1, 2008 Name change to only KAIST, replacing the spelled-out name
March 1, 2009 Information and Communications University (ICU) was merged into KAIST as KAIST Information Technology Convergence Campus

KAIST was established under the name of Korea Advanced Institute of Science (KAIS) under a special law in February 16, 1971, as the first research oriented graduate school in science and engineering in Korea. In 1989, KAIST established the education/research system of special talents in science and engineering fields in bachelor, master and doctoral degrees. Students accepted into the extraordinarily competitive program, were exempt from military duty, but required to remain in Korea for 5 years following graduation, to prevent brain drain. All other Koreans, of college age, are required to do military duty, unless they are in college, then they must report for military duty soon afterward.

A statue of Jang Young Sil, a Korean Scientist, in front of science library, Daejeon campus

KAIST has led other colleges and research institutions in Korea and was verified by the ABET assessment (graduate course is within 10% of top US college level) in 1992, evaluation of nationwide colleges by Joongang Ilbo (1995, 1998~2001,2006, 2008, 2009: number one in overall rank, and evaluation of Asian colleges by Asiaweek (1999~2000: Number one in science and technology), Chosun Ilbo evaluation of Asian colleges(2009,overall rank number one in the nation, 7th in Asia, world university ranking of The Times newspaper(2008: 34th of Top 100 world university in Technology) and others.

For the past 30 years, KAIST has produced 8,453 bachelors, 17,762 masters, 6,726 doctorate holders (doctors under 30 years of age were 2,920, 43.4%) giving a total of 32,941 alumni. The thesis published in SCI (US, Science and Technology Quotation Thesis Search) journals reached approximately 4 articles per each faculty member, and the commissioned research grant was approximately 200 million won per each facility, which is world-class level. The famous scientific publications such as「Nature」 (GB, July 1993) and 「Science」 (USA, October 1993) have assessed that, “KAIST has the potential to be the world best level education institution.”

It founded the National Nano Lab in 2002 and established the KAIST Institute in 2006.

The first act of President Suh upon his inauguration in July 2006 was to lay out the KAIST Development Plan. The ‘KAIST Development Five-Year Plan’ was finalized on February 5, 2007 by KAIST Steering Committee after a thorough examination. The goals of KAIST set by Suh are to become one of the best science and technology universities in the world, and to become one of the top-10 universities by 2011.

In January 2008, the university dropped its full name, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology, and changed its official name to only KAIST.

Academic Program

7 colleges, 7 Schools, 21 departments and 11 interdisciplinary programs

Governed by a special law, KAIST has an autonomous and flexible academic system. Other South Korean colleges and universities are required to abide by the government-directed admissions and curriculum requirements. Undergraduate students can join the school through an “open major system” that allows students to take classes for three terms and choose a discipline that suits their aptitude. In addition, undergraduate students are free to change their major anytime.

With Korea’s first test-free admissions system, the overall grades, the math and science grades, recommendation letters from the teachers, study plan, personal statements, and other data that show the excellence of potential students are evaluated for admission.

KAIST has produced many doctors through the Integrated Master’s and Doctoral program and Early Completion System. Students must publish their papers in globally renowned academic journals.

Scholarships are given to all students in the bachelor, master and doctorate courses, and doctoral students are given military-exemption benefits. On campus dormitories are provided to all those who wish to use them.

College of Natural Science

The College of Natural Sciences consists of 5 departments: Physics, Biological Sciences, Mathematical Sciences, and Chemistry. It strives to nurture qualified scientists and engineers with a profound theoretical knowledge and practical application abilities so that they may later take on key roles in society. Each department is in charge of not only the education of each subject but also the education of elementary science subjects for all undergraduate students. Furthermore, it maintains a wide and systematic relationship with each department, maintaining a close,cooperative system. The College of Natural Sciences has received domestic and international recognition for its achievement of active research projects for contributing to a research-oriented graduate/undergraduate education and to new technology industrial development.

The College of Natural Sciences also holds the Natural Science Research Institute as an annexed research institute. The college has greatly contributed to academic-research-business exchange through cooperative studies with governmental research institutes and companies. In addition, it actively operates international cooperative projects through academic exchanges.

College of Life Science and Bioengineering

Founded on June 1, 2008, the College of Life Science and Bioengineering pursues multidisciplinary education and research in the field of bioscience, biotechnology, and bioengineering. Its goal is to support the nation’s endeavor to develop bioscience and technology by fostering new areas of science through convergence with IT and NT. The college consists of the Department of Bio and Brain Engineering, the Department of Biological Science, and the Graduate Graduate School of Medical Science and Engineering.

The College of Life Science and Bioengineering has developed a system that facilitates innovative convergence education and research in the field of bioscience and bioengineering through organic combinations or independent activities of its departments. With this system, the College hopes to contribute to enhancing health care and welfare around the world.

College of Engineering

Humanoid Robot, Hubo walks 1.2 km/h by itself, and has 10 fingers and 41 joints

The College of Engineering aims to foster highly qualified science and technology personnel needed by industrial, research and government organizations and to build a harmonious structure of cooperation among industry, academia, research and government.

The College consists of two schools, seven departments and four divisions, each with a unique domain and set of characteristics which maintain a system of mutual cooperation among them to engage in broad and systematic education and research. This will, in turn, lead to the advancement of science and technology as well as the industrial technology of the nation.

College of Information Science and Technology

In an endeavor to take the initiative in developing information technology (IT) for the 21st century, KAIST is launching the new College of Information Science and Technology in 2008 by relocating the Departments of Electrical Engineering, Computer Science and Industrial and Systems Engineering from the College of Engineering and establishing the Department of Intelligent Service Engineering.

The KAIST College of Information Science and Technology is aimed at nurturing creative leaders equipped to address the world's complex problems by creating and developing information technologies. It will support pioneers of information technology through teaching and research within an environment where multidisciplinary research and education is encouraged.

The College of Information Science and Technology will pursue research and education for emerging and fusion information technologies including Bio-IT, Nano-IT, Contents-IT and Green-IT and, at the same time, will establish advanced education and research systems for this purpose so that it can further cement Korea's reputation as a leader of IT innovation and convergence. On top of this, it will pioneer new fields of intelligent service for the 21st century and thereby transform Korea into one of the strongest powers in the future knowledge-based society.

College of Cultural Science

The College of Culture and Science is composed of two Departments: School of Humanities and Social Sciences and Graduate School of Culture and Technology. The College was established to produce Creative Global Leaders in the realm of science and technology with a common objective of cultural understanding through mutual cooperation.

The School of Humanities and Social Sciences offers students an undergraduate education in a range of courses in the humanities and social sciences. The Graduate School of Culture and Technology also provides master and doctoral degree programs for the purpose of producing manpower of the nation’s cultural industry with support of the Ministry of Culture and Tourism.

The School of Humanities and Social Sciences has about 75 faculty members (3 professor emeritus, 18 full-time faculties, 13 visiting professors, 1 research professor, 40 lecturers), the Graduate School of Culture and Technology also has 4 full-time faculties, 5 visiting professors, 7 adjunct professors, and 89 master students and 36 doctoral students. The Graduate School established the Humanities and Social Science Research Center and the Culture and Technology Research Center, and has carried out various research projects.

College of Interdisciplinary Studies

The interdisciplinary major program at KAIST was founded on September 1, 2003. With the subsequent establishment of auxiliary organizations, the program was launched in earnest in April 2004.

College of Business

KAIST established the Graduate School of Management in March, 1996. In 2006, The Graduate School of Management joined with the Graduate School of Finance and the Graduate School of Information & Media Management to form KAIST Business School.

KGSM currently offers one general MBA (Techno-MBA) and four specialized MBA programs (MIS-MBA, FE-MBA, Telecom-MBA, and Green-MBA) and conducts studies in five centralized fields: marketing, accounting/finance/business analysis, e-Business, strategy and organization, and venture business.

Campus

KAIST is located in the Daedeok Research Complex in the city of Daejeon, 150 kilometers south of the capital Seoul. Daedeok is also home to some 50 public and private research institutes, universities and high-tech venture capital companies.

KAIST has two campuses in Daejeon and one campus in Seoul.

KAIST Daejeon campus (besides Daejeon Expo Park) has total twenty nine dormitories where all students wishing to reside can stay. Twenty three dormitories for male students and four dormitories for female students are located on the outskirts of the campus, and two apartments for married students are located outside the campus.

KAIST Daejeon campus (besides Munji-Dong) KAIST Information Technology Convergence Campus has total two dormitories.One for undergraduate students and the other for graduate students.

Seoul Campus is the home of Business Faculty of the university. Graduate school of finance, management and information & media management is located there. The total area of Seoul Campus is 413,346 m2. Its primary goal is to achieve an optimal combination of engineering and business studies which will make engineers more effective at their craft.

Digital Science Library

KAIST Digital Science Library

KAIST digital science library was established in 1971 as KAIS library, and it went through a merge and separation process with KIST library. It merged with KIT in March 1990. A contemporary 5 story building was constructed as the main library, and it is being operated with an annex library. The library uses the American LC Classification Schedule.

East Dormitory

KAIST always does its best to provide optimal facilities to create a cozy atmosphere where students can complete their courses satisfactorily.

Research

Seven KAIST Institutes (KIs) have been set up: the KI for the BioCentury, the KI for Information Technology Convergence, the KI for the Design of Complex Systems, the KI for Entertainment Engineering, the KI for the NanoCentury, the KI for Eco-Energy, and the KI for Urban Space and Systems. Each KI is operated as an independent research center at the level of a college, receiving support in terms of finance and facilities. KAIST is currently conducting research planned by the government and private businesses that are worth mounts as much as 100 billion won. In terms of ownership of intellectual property rights, KAIST holds 1,591 domestic patents and 500 international patents so far.

KAIST Institute (KI)

Academic rankings

In the 2009 The Times - QS World University Rankings - Technology & IT, the University was placed 21st in the world and 1st in Korea. In the 2009 THE - QS World University Rankings (known from 2010 onwards as the QS World University Rankings), KAIST was placed 69th overall. KAIST was again recognized as a number one University in Korea by Joong Angh Ill Bo Review. In the year of 2009, KAIST's department of industrial design has also been listed in the top 30 Design Schools by Business Week. KAIST ranked the best university in Republic of Korea and the 7th university in Asia in the Top 100 Asian Universities list, the first regional ranking issued by THE-QS World University Rankings (known from 2010 onwards QS World University Rankings(QS).

Daedeok Innopolis

Daedeok Innopolis, formally known as the Daedeok Science Park, is a cluster of institutions in research and development of technology located in Daedeok Valley in northern Daejeon, Korea. The cluster is built around KAIST, Korea's leading technical university, Chungnam University, a group of government research institutes in applied technologies, corporate research centers and more than 900 venture companies[citation needed].


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