Prof. Oh Tae-seok, selected as 50 Excellent Performance for Acad...

Prof. Oh Tae-seok, selected as 50 Excellent Performance for Academic Research Support Projects by the Ministry of Education The third award since 2012 and 2015 Prof. Oh Tae-seok of the Dept. of Chinese Language and Literature at Dongguk University was awarded the excellent performance for academic research support project by the Ministry of Education on last 17th (Thu).The annual “Award Ceremony of the excellent performance for academic research support project”, organized by the Ministry of Education, has been conducted to inspire the researchers' passion for research and encourage continuous R&D by discovering outstanding practices of academic and research support projects.In his thesis "Meta-scientific Interpretation of Traditional East-Asian Space-time Perspective in Comparison with Contemporary Physics", Prof. Oh reinterpreted the characteristics of East Asian space-time representations such as the book of change, Laozi and Zhuangzi, and Buddhism from the perspective of humanities-based convergence, by citing the achievements of modern physics such as the theory of relativity and quantum mechanics. This study is the achievement of second year of a mid-level research project supported by the National Research Foundation of Korea.In particular, Prof. Oh has accumulated high-quality research achievements, which was selected as the third excellent performance in the academic research support project of the Ministry of Education since 2012 (the Book of Change) and 2015 (Laozi).

Professor Jongpil Kim selected as “Scientist of the Month” by th...

Professor Jongpil Kim selected as “Scientist of the Month” by the Ministry of Science and ICT Contributing to the development of innovative technology in cell therapy for neurodegenerative diseases Jongpil Kim, professor of chemistry at Dongguk University, has been selected as “Scientist of the Month” for December by the Ministry of Science and ICT and the National Research Foundation of Korea.Kim developed the first innovative nanobiotechnology in the world and completed in vivo neuronal reprogramming technology, thereby setting a milestone for the treatment of neurodegenerative diseases like Parkinson’s disease. Details of this accomplishment are published in Nature Nanotechnology (IF 31.5, 2017).The article was published with Kim and a Dongguk University PhD student as the sole corresponding author and first author. It is acclaimed for having taken global research competencies in Korean regenerative medicine and advanced biomedical technology to the next level.“This research has great academic value in that it provides a globally original technology for treating cranial nerve disorders based on in vivo reprogramming, which is the next generation in stem-cell technology,” said Kim. “Above all, commercializing this research achievement will have a considerable economic and social ripple effect throughout the field of regenerative therapy for neurodegenerative diseases.”

Dept. of E.L.I.T. of Dongguk University Selected for the BK21 FO...

Dept. of E.L.I.T. of Dongguk University Selected for the BK21 FOUR Project as a 'Team for Training Future Professionals for Interpretation & Translation (Studies) in the Areas of Cognitive Science and AI Based on the Industry-University Cooperation Business Model' The Department of E.L.I.T. has been selected for the BK21 FOUR Project supervised by the Ministry of Education. The project team is officially known as the 'Team for Training Future Professionals for Interpretation & Translation (Studies) in the Areas of Cognitive Science and AI Based on the Industry-University Cooperation Business Model'. The BK21 FOUR project improves the educational and research competencies of outstanding graduate schools and nurtures specialists with master's or doctoral degrees with the aim of boosting the future competitiveness of the country. BK21 FOUR will span seven years (Sep. 1, 2020 to Aug. 31, 2027), and has a budget of up to 1.55 billion won. The research team manager is Prof. Park Myeong-gwan, with Prof. Kim Soon-yeong, Prof. Park Beom-sik, Prof. Shin Jeong-ah, and Prof. Hong Jeong-min as its members. The education research team aims to train interpretation and translation professionals in cognitive science and AI, which are gaining in importance as the world steps into the 4th Industrial Revolution. It will nurture specialists in advanced English and language services, in creating data for realizing AI-based interpretation and translation, and in analyzing language resources, among others. In particular, the project will create an industry-university business model, thereby increasing job opportunities and upgrading the professionalism and practicality involved in research. Prof. Park Myeong-gwan said, "To accomplish these goals, we will expand our cooperation with academics and businesses operating in cognitive science and AI, and actively publish research results."

Hangzhou Normal University, Harvard University, Dongguk Universi...

Hangzhou Normal University, Harvard University, Dongguk University and other universities jointly organize the World Literature International Cloud ForumThe 2020 World is co-sponsored by the School of Foreign Languages, Hangzhou Normal University, the Institute of World Literature, Harvard University, Dongguk University, Korea National Research Foundation Global Research Network (NRF-GRN), and the Comparative Literature and Intercultural Research Society of the Chinese Society of Foreign Literature The Literary International Cloud Forum was successfully held on November 6-7, Beijing time.In the context of the global spread of the new crown epidemic, the theme of this forum is "Reading World Literature in the Era of the Epidemic", and the organizers will be held in collaboration through online venues. Professor Zhang Longxi, City University of Hong Kong, Chairman of the International Society for Comparative Literature, Professor David Damrosch, Director of the Institute of World Literature, Harvard University, Professor Ou Rong, Dean of the School of Foreign Languages, Hangzhou Normal University, Professor Thomson, Aarhus University, Denmark (Mads Thomsen), Deputy Director of the Institute of World Literature, Harvard University, Associate Professor Delia Ungureanu (Delia Ungureanu), University of Bucharest, Romania, Professor Chen Lizhen, Associate Dean of Hangzhou Normal University Research Institute, and Professor Youngmin Kim of Dongguk University and Jack Ma Chair Professor of Hangzhou Normal University. More than 300 experts and scholars at home and abroad, including Professor Youngmin Kim and Professor Hyungji Park of Yonsei University in South Korea, gathered in the cloud to exchange ideas and enlighten wisdom.Professor Kim Youngmin presided over the opening ceremony, and Professor Damrosh and Professor Ou Rong delivered opening speeches in turn. Professor Chen Lizhen presided over the first half of the forum.In the first half of the forum speech, Professor Damroche first expressed his views on the topic of "Reading in the Epidemic in Two Rooms". Professor Damroche pointed out that the new crown pneumonia epidemic has forced us to pay more attention to works describing the plague when reading, and try to get enlightenment from these works to deal with the current situation. Professor Damroche listed and analyzed works such as Boccaccio’s Decameron, Tagore’s “Home and the World”, Marquez’s “A Hundred Years of Solitude” and Saul Bellow’s “Rain King Henderson”, To point out the various issues that the writers are discussing behind the text of the work.Professor Wengulianu dialectically viewed the phenomenon of people being lonely due to the epidemic being forced to stay at home, and innovatively affirmed the "value of loneliness". From Marc Aurelius to Montaigne, from Woolf to the feminist Enola Holmes (Enola reversed as Alone), Professor Ungureanu tells the story of loneliness participating and interfering in world history repeatedly.Professor Park Hyungji was inspired by the Harvard University political philosopher Michael Sandel’s cloud debate on “When and How to Reopen America” in April 2020 and proposed “Ethics of the Epidemic and End-Time Literature”. Professor Park analyzed the "Ghost Ghostwriting" (1999) by British writer David Mitchell and the novel "Vegetarian" (2007) by Korean female writer Han Jiang, revealing the ethics and society related to the current epidemic period in the novel problem.Professor Kim Youngmin talked about the "Poetic Self in World Literature". Using the scale as a metaphor, Professor Jin tried to connect the scale of aesthetic distance with the lyrical word "I" in modern and contemporary poetry during the epidemic period. At the end of the first half of the forum was an active question and answer session. The opinions of teachers, students and scholars from all over the world and the four experts sparked a spark of thought. They actively put forward their own ideas and questions, and addressed their problems. The experts gave detailed answers one by one.The second half of the forum was hosted by Professor Damrosh. First, Professor Zhang Longxi gave a keynote speech on "Epidemic, Maintaining Social Distance, Literary Reading and Writing". Professor Zhang Longxi believes that the struggle between viruses and humans has always existed. The current COVID-19 epidemic has stimulated literary imagination and creativity just like the plagues of the past, just like Boccaccio’s Decameron and Daniel Defoe’s Plague Year Magazine and Poe’s "Mask of the Red Death" and other works about the plague were shown. Therefore, in this new crown pneumonia epidemic, literature has once again proved to be the best way to express our indomitable spirit in the face of global challenges, heroism in difficult times, our love for humanity and the nobility of human dignity. Professor Zhang also On the spot, he recites his own poem about the epidemic.Professor Thomson emphasized the human community in his speech entitled "Going Against: Nationalism and Universalism Growing in the Epidemic" and explored some historical uses of global issues in literature and how they play a special role in world literature .Finally, Professor Ou Rong discussed "Viral Poetics and Epidemic Poetry: Rethinking World Literature in an Epidemic Era". Professor Ou Rong made a rough review of Chinese and English poems in response to the new crown pneumonia epidemic around the world, and selected some poems for promotion and interpretation, and proposed to rethink world literature from the perspective of "viral poetics": just like the epidemic of the virus, ignore it The boundaries of race, skin color, language, and national borders should not set artificial barriers to the study of world literature. Any literary work, which is not only native literature, but also through the Internet and various translation tools, has also become undiscovered. World literature.The World Literature International Cloud Forum has aroused great repercussions in the international academic community. Many foreign media have carried out vigorous publicity reports, such as e-대학저널, Pinpoint News, Metro News, The Public, Veritas, 스마트경제, 브릿지 and other media releases related news. The forum is strongly affirmed by the international academic community, and the importance and significance of reading world literature during the epidemic is self-evident. The successful holding of this international academic exchange activity provides an important platform for communication between domestic academic circles and internationally renowned scholars, and opens up broad prospects for the development of comparative literature and cross-cultural studies.

Research team of Professor Sung-in Cho at Dongguk University dev...

Research team of Professor Sung-in Cho at Dongguk University develops video aspect ratio adjustment technology using video extrapolation A research team led by Multimedia Engineering Professor Sung-in Cho at Dongguk University has developed innovative technology for adjusting the aspect ratio of video contents using video area expansion. The multimedia engineering technology was published in IEEE Transactions on Image Processing (Impact Factor: 9.340, top 3.947% JCR), the most prestigious journal in the field of image processing. The research led by Professor Cho significantly improved user satisfaction by expressing the aspect ratio of a video content display without distortion. It was necessary for the research team to ensure that the aspect ratio adjustment algorithm could be used in actual display products. They successfully verified their work, by proposing a method that creates a region that does not exist in the input image, and an algorithm that can block visual distortion that users can feel in advance. Summarizing his work, Professor Cho stated the following: "This research has developed a new approach that can express existing content without distortion in the recently diversified display aspect ratios”. He added that “Through an experiment, we verified that the algorithm proposed by displays with various aspect ratios shows overwhelmingly outstanding customer satisfaction to the existing aspect ratio adjustment technology”. This research was conducted in collaboration with Sogang University and was supported by Samsung Electronics, alongside the National Research Foundation of Korea.

Dongguk University’s Department of Mechanical, Robotics, and Ene...

Dongguk University’s Department of Mechanical, Robotics, and Energy Engineering selected for the BK21 FOUR project Selected as the Autonomous Intelligent Machines and Systems team The Department of Mechanical, Robotics, and Energy Engineering at Dongguk University has been selected as the autonomous intelligent machines and systems (AIMS) team for the BK21 FOUR project, devised by the Ministry of Education. The BK21 FOUR project aims to reinforce and strengthen the educational and research capacity of prestigious graduate schools, further educating professionals holding masters’ and doctoral qualifications, to foster national competitiveness. BK21 FOUR is a 7-year-long project (September 1, 2020–August 31, 2027), with a total research fund of up to KRW 3 billion. The team is to be led by Prof. Heung-Soo Kim, with Professors Joong-Yeon Lim, Seung-Jun Lee, Soo-Chul Lim, Jae-Hun Lee, and Min-Woo Han from the Department of Mechanical, Robotic, and Energy Engineering comprising the remainder of the research team.The term ‘autonomous intelligent machine’ refers to an artificial intelligence-based machine that voluntarily recognizes the external environment under automated command systems, performing specific tasks based on autonomous decision-making criteria. Such machines could include robots, autonomous vehicles, and autonomous drones. AIMS is a field of integrated science that combines traditional mechanical engineering with artificial intelligence, a core part of the 4th industrial revolution. The AIMS education research team intends to educate world-class professional academics in the field of autonomous intelligent machines by designating intelligent robots, intelligent materials, and smart machine systems as core research fields. As a result of systematic education for graduates and active academics alike, the team intends to produce outstanding research results that lead the world's drive for AIMS.

Professor Soo-Hong Lee of Dongguk University has successfully de...

Professor Soo-Hong Lee of Dongguk University has successfully developed a technique enabling the mass production of mesenchymal stem cells derived from pluripotent stem cells. Professor Lee’s article has been published in Advanced Science, a renowned scientific journal in the field of biotechnology.▲ Stem Cell Engineering Laboratory, Department of Medical Biotechnology, College of Life Science and Biotechnology, Group Photo with Professor Lee in the front centerThe Stem Cell Engineering Laboratory of the Department of Medical Biotechnology, College of Life Science and Biotechnology of Dongguk University, has successfully developed a technique for the efficient isolation and enrichment of mesenchymal stem cells with potent therapeutic effects from random differentiation-induced human embryonic stem cells by utilizing the interaction between integrin α5β1 and fibronectin (Sole Corresponding author, Soo-Hong Lee). Professor Lee’s research findings have been published in the renowned scientific journal Advanced Science (IF = 15.84, ranked upper 5% by Journal Citation Reports). Pluripotent stem cells can differentiate into any cell that makes up a living body and exhibit unlimited proliferation, enabling them to be a source for the mass production of mesenchymal stem cells, which exert favorable effects in tissue regeneration and cell therapy. However, a significant technical barrier that hindered this process was the separation of mesenchymal stem cells en masse from random differentiation-induced pluripotent stem cells. Professor Soo-Hong Lee’s research group has successfully developed an efficient separation technique for mesenchymal stem cells that exert favorable effects in tissue regeneration and cell therapy. This success is attributed to the utilization of the interaction between integrin α5β1 (a specific cell surface receptor on mesenchymal stem cells) and fibronectin (a biomaterial). In particular, the mesenchymal stem cells separated using fibronectin showed an anti-senescence effect and a higher cell proliferation rate than other mesenchymal stem cells derived from the bone marrow and adipose tissue. Professor Soo-Hong Lee stated, “The innovative technique developed by Stem Cell Engineering Laboratory at the Department of Medical Biotechnology, Dongguk University most certainly will become a source technology in the field of cell therapy products and regenerative medicine for the mass production of clinically proven mesenchymal stem cells and the enhancement of therapeutic effects.”Professor Lee’s research was jointly funded by Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency for Construction of Korea National Hygiene and Medical Infrastructure and Korea Ministry of Information and ICT for Individual Basic R&D Program and Bio•Medical Technology Development Program.

A research team at Dongguk University, led by Professor Lim Hyeo...

A research team at Dongguk University, led by Professor Lim Hyeon-sik, develops a new radiation scintillatorPublished in Light: Science & Applications, a sister journal of NatureA research team led by Professor Lim Hyeon-sik (director of the Research Department at Dongguk University) of Dongguk University's Department of Physical Semiconductor Science have published the latest results from their research on liquid-type X-ray imaging scintillators using a new mechanism, in "Light: Science & Applications” (Impact Factor: 15, JCR Top 1.5%), a world famous academic journal published by Nature-Springer. Cho Sang-eun (first author, obtained a Ph.D. from Dongguk University in August 2020 under the supervision of professor Lim Hyeon-sik) and Professors Lim Hyeon-sik and Kim Hyung-sang (corresponding authors) have successfully developed a scintillator technology that can replace existing commercially available materials with organic–inorganic hybrid materials.Recently, there has been a rapid increase in the necessity and demand for radiation and X-ray devices. Commercially available scintillator materials are in desperate need of independent, original, and domestic technologies, as they have domestic development limitations and high foreign dependence due to difficulties in manufacturing and processing.In response, the research team at Dongguk University devised a low-cost and high-efficiency radiation scintillator material. They proposed an X-ray emission mechanism based on a novel electron transfer method. It showed excellent results for replacing commercially available scintillators and can widely use low-energy (~keV, for examination) to high-energy (~MeV, for treatment) radiation.Professor Kim Hyung-sang said, “This technology not only shows high-efficiency characteristics of X-rays and radioactivity but also can be applied in various forms to measure curved images, which is difficult with existing scintillators. I hope that our results can contribute toward the domestic development of scintillators.”This study was conducted in collaboration with Asan Medical Center and supported by a funding program from the Korea Research Foundation and the Korea Radiation Promotion Association.

A research team at Dongguk University, led by Professor Kim Gyo-...

A research team at Dongguk University, led by Professor Kim Gyo-beom, de-velops tissue engineering platform technology for joint tissue regeneration Published in the Journal of Controlled Release, a world-class biotechnology journal A research team led by Professor Kim Gyo-beom of Dongguk University's Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering has developed the latest technology for joint tissue regeneration via simultaneous delivery of therapeutic growth factors and adi-pose derived stem cells into the body.The work was published in the Journal of Controlled Release (Impact Factor: 7.727, JCR Ranking Top 5%), an international journal in the field of biomaterials and biotechnolo-gy.The research led by Professor Kim increased the stability of a growth factor that in-duced cell activity in knee joint tissue by enclosing it within a polymer structure. Its effectiveness was demonstrated in a subsequent animal experiment in which the en-closed growth factor and stem cells were transplanted into damaged joint tissue in rabbits.Professor Kim said, “Results from this research show the technological value of the composite tissue engineering platform material developed in the Cellular Tissue Engi-neering and Functional Materials Laboratory of the Department of Chemical and Bio-medical Engineering, which combines an implantable hydrogel that was developed and a polymer-based drug delivery structure for the delivery of therapeutic growth fac-tors. We demonstrated that it can effectively induce regeneration in damaged joint tis-sues in knee osteoarthritis patients in preclinical experiments.”The research was conducted as an international joint research program between re-searchers from Cornell University (USA) and Seoul National University, and was sup-ported by funding from the National Research Foundation of Korea.

Dongguk University Research Institute of Biotechnology & Medical...

Dongguk University Research Institute of Biotechnology & Medical Converged Science appointed for a research service development project for the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety in 2020Interview with Shin Han-seung, Director of Dongguk University Biomedical Convergence Research InstituteDongguk University Research Institute of Biotechnology & Medical Converged Science has been appointed for the third research service development project for the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety (MFDS) in 2020. The MFDS has recruited research institutes to manage service research and development projects in four areas: safety management of food; safety management of medicines; safety management of medical devices; and safety assessment methodology. Dongguk University Research Institute of Biotechnology & Medical Converged Science will receive 4.6 billion Korean won from the Ministry and is planning to conduct research on safety management of food and others for the next three years. We met Professor Shin Han-seung, the director of the Biomedical Convergence Research Institute and chairman of the Korea International Life Science Association (ILSI Korea).▲ Professor Shin Han-seung, Director of Dongguk University Biomedical Convergence Research InstituteQ. Dongguk University Research Institute of Biotechnology & Medical Converged Science (Dongguk University Biomedi) has been appointed for a research service development project for the MFDS in 2020. Could you tell us about the project?A. Dongguk University Biomedi won two large-scale research projects worth 4.6 billion from the MFDS in the first 6 months of 2020. We will investigate the contamination levels of hazardous pollutants for each food, supported by a fund of 2.8 billion won for 2 years, and we will establish test methods for hazardous pollutants in food, supported by a fund of 1.8 billion won for 3 years. Through these projects, we plan to secure data on the contamination levels for each food, to identify exposure levels of harmful pollutants in HMR products in response to changes in food consumption trends, and to develop measures to manage the public exposure to these substances. We expect that this research will allow us to periodically reevaluate standards of hazardous pollutants in consideration of changes in both the climate and in our eating habits. In addition, we will establish testing methods for a preemptive response to harmful pollutants in foods, such as heavy metals and new fungal toxins, and conduct pollutant surveys and risk assessments for hazardous pollutant investigation.Q. These are large-scale projects in which 4.6 billion won as government subsidies is invested for 3 years from the MFDS. How do you think the money will help the research team specifically to conduct the research?A. The project is an extensive survey of pollution levels conducted at a national level, reflecting the trend of the times and environmental food consumption trend. We will use high quality research equipment provided by Dongguk University Biomedi. The purpose of these projects is to strengthen safety management and enhance public safety through an evaluation of total human body levels of hazardous pollutants, including seven heavy metals, 29 dioxins, seven polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), eight fungal toxins, four polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, and 3-monochloropropane-1,2-diol (3-MCPD), and by re-evaluating the appropriate exposure standards. To achieve this research goal, researchers in various fields will participate in this study at the biomedical campus of Dongguk University, funded by large-scale government research grants for 3 years. Based on the results from this research, we expect that various bio-convergence studies necessary for the prevention of chronic diseases and the promotion of health will be enabled by accurate evaluation of human exposure to hazardous substances and by obtaining basic research data necessary for updating relevant laws and regulations.Q. Recently, the eating habits of the Korean people have changed, given the increase in single-person households, with an emerging preference for convenience food. How do you expect this research will help our food culture?A. With the recent increase in single-person households, alongside the Covid-19 pandemic, these effects are not limited to the food consumption patterns of consumers in Korea, but are also widespread abroad. This research reflects the changing trends of food consumption at home and abroad, and is expected to contribute to the preparation of national policies for healthier eating habits by evaluating human exposure to harmful pollutants in popular food, such as convenience foods, of which consumption has increased rapidly, and by securing basic research data for the safety management of hazardous materials.Q. As interest in food increases, concerns about harmful pollutants in food have also increased. There seems to be a need for a different response other than the Food Sanitation Law. Is there a goal in this study in relation to this?A. Given the recent developments in the industry, the need for national management has emerged owing to the continuous emergence of new harmful substances, such as environmentally-derived pollutants and unintentional side-product pollutants generated during the food manufacturing process. Consequently, serious social issues and conflicts have occurred, and huge management costs are being generated. One of the main objectives of this research is to perform pollution surveys and risk assessments by establishing test methods to assess the preemptive response to harmful pollutants in food and to investigate the actual condition of harmful pollutants, to prepare basic data to help establish food safety management policies, such as setting and reviewing laws and standards for hazardous pollutants in food, and to suggest relevant policies.* The current food sanitation law suggests standards for food additives, but newly identified hazardous substances that are not included in the law require separate standards.Q. If there is anything you would like to say to people of Dongguk University, please do so.A. In 2019, Dongguk University Biomedical Convergence Research Institute established a new convergence research strategy as a new venture of the Institute to drive the specialization of the Biomedical Campus (BMC). In order to promote the convergence of research reflecting the latest trends in the fields of biotechnology, medicine, pharmacy, and oriental medicine, the center was reorganized into six sub-centers.From now on, the institute will perform large-scale convergence research projects for biotechnology, medicine, pharmacy, and oriental medicine; recruit excellent global research personnel; invest in advanced research equipment; commercialize our technology; and support R&D education for students at the Biomedi campus. Through these, we plan to accelerate the specialization of biotechnology.By winning these projects, Dongguk University’s Biomedi is now able to focus more on research and development in biotechnology, one of our university’s specialized fields. Convergence research in various fields will achieve research goals and contribute further to specialization. At present, given the increased interest in health and food safety, we hope that the research conducted by our university research team will help provide a new foundation for food safety management.Web reporter Park Hyun-jung (Department of Law)