단국대학교

Sending best wishes for health and happiness to everyone at Dankook as we roll into the new year! 2023 is the year of the black rabbit which represents wisdom and abundance. We hope it will be a year where all of you come closer to reaching your goals. Below, we share new year’s messages from Chairman Hosung Chang of the Dankook Board and Dankook University President, Soobok Kim. [Chairman Hosung Chang of the Dankook Foundation] OUT WITH THE OLD AND IN WITH THE NEW - preparing the foundation for a new leap forward. Implementing an educational platform, leveraging new digital technology. Chairman Hosung Chang extends his deepest gratitude to the members of the Dankook community for their endeavors in overcoming the hardships of COVID-19 over the past three years. Amid the current difficulties, such as the shrinking school-age population, he asked that Dankook embrace the saying of ‘OUT WITH THE OLD AND IN WITH THE NEW’ by laying the foundation for the university to advance forward through educational programs and platforms that leverage new digital technology. [President Soobok Kim of Dankook University] Seek measures to sharpen the university’s competitive edge. Make it the year of advancing as a global university. Dankook University President Soobok Kim asked for all members of the Dankook family to unite in the spirit of ‘ONE HEART, ONE SOUL (strive together to achieve a common goal)’ and develop active measures to improve the university’s finances, enhance efficiency in its academic and administrative systems, and prepare thoroughly for domestic and international evaluations. This way, he hopes, Dankook will be able to further sharpen its competitive edge this year and strengthen DKU’s reputation as a global university.

Dankook University is expanding its investments in fostering essential talent needed for new industries in the future, such as future vehicles, semiconductors, biohealth, and hydrogen-related sectors. First, a convergent semiconductor engineering major (80 students) was newly set up at the undergraduate level to advance the semiconductor sector with a specialized curriculum that covers areas such as semiconductor devices, material, processes, circuit design, and reliability tests. The Foundry Engineering Department was introduced to the graduate program last September where students take a deep dive into the system semiconductor fabrication process. Professors from five departments, including the Department of Electronics and Electrical Engineering, teach inter-disciplinary courses in all aspects of semiconductor fabrication, including power, material, parts, and equipment. Starting in 2023, employees from Samsung Electronics’ semiconductor business will be brought as guest professors as part of an industry-academia collaboration effort to teach courses on how to generate added-value to the future semiconductor industry and will also engage in joint research with the university. Meanwhile, the Department of Mechanical Engineering is also stepping up to nurture professional talent called for in the development and production of future vehicles as it won a major government project this year. In addition to landing research initiatives for digital manufacturing equipment and AI-collaborative robots, the department is capable of producing over 30 graduates with masters and doctorate each year, not to mention students completing the undergraduate program to serve in the fields of ecofriendly vehicles and smart sensors. Talent development in bio-healthcare is also on track. Dankook is the lead university in the convergence and open sharing system for biohealth and came in at the top of the list of the 56 universities participating in the initiative in the first-year evaluation of the project. Eighty-five bio convergence courses were opened on various topics including ‘AI-driven genetic disease diagnosis,’ and an intensive curriculum was implemented to make the courses available for students from other universities in the consortium. More than six thousand students have already completed courses on the new shared education platform that was set up to support the university’s plans to foster 25 thousand bio specialists by 2026. In addition, investments are underway in the development of hydrogen energy, which is a leading component of a carbon-neutral society. Last year, Dankook transferred four premier material technologies related to hydrogen, which amounted to KRW 1.8 billion. The hydrogen separation and production technology that was transferred was acclaimed as an outstanding result of industry-academia collaboration that can be utilized by material-parts-equipment companies to secure global competitiveness quickly as it improves domestic separator manufacturing technology, cuts energy costs, reduces process unit costs, and strengthens durability when producing hydrogen. The LINC+ 3.0 program (phase 3 of the Leaders in INdustry-university Cooperation) has also grown into a substantial talent development program. DKU plans to invest a total KRW 35 billion by 2027 including KRW 24 billion in government grants and KRW 11 billion in educational expenditures that include start-up funds to develop talent for future industries and bring the industry-academia cooperation ecosystem to global levels under the goal of achieving ‘total and open industry-academia cooperation.’ Five industrial collaboration centers opened to nurture talent in cutting-edge fields, such as ICT and biotechnology, as well as strengthen partnerships with businesses in medical biotechnology, ICT, and material-parts-equipment. Currently, support is also being extended to connective major, convergence major, and micro major programs where 450 teaching staff and over 13 thousand students are participating across 60 academic departments.

The Industry-Academic Cooperation Foundation (IACF) at Dankook’s Jukjeon campus transferred core technology needed in semiconductor processing to Mntek.Co., Ltd, a next-generation sensor company. The transferred technologies, ‘interconnection structure through substrates and its fabricating method’ and ‘packaging technology for devices with interconnection structures through substrates,’ are from professors Jae-Hyoung Park and Seung-Ki Lee (Department of Electronics and Electrical Engineering). The royalty for the transfer of this Korean and U.S. patented technology is KRW 100 million. This technology etches the top of silicon substrates where semiconductor devices are fabricated to create micro patterns which are sealed with glass substrates. Afterward, the glass reflow technique is applied to fill in the microstructures. This can be used for the fabrication and packaging of semiconductor devices with multi-layer structures. When applied, it can significantly reduce semiconductor signal losses in semiconductor fabrication, as well as lower device production costs and decreases in the size of the overall structure by nearly half. “Glass reflow technology is applied to enable formation of interconnection structures of various sizes from 25 to 50㎛ and 300㎛ tall through glass substrates at the wafer level,” explained professor Park who added that it boasts stable structure and excellent electrical properties. Professor Seung-Ki Lee and Jae-Hyoung Park’s research teams study MEMS (microelectromechanical systems) technology that are applied to various fields including micro and nano devices based on semiconductor process technology, bio sensors, and wafer-level packaging.

Recently, DKU students have been spreading Dankook’s’ name by reaching great achievements in the world of sports. Ye-lim Kim (Freshman, Department of International Sports Studies) won her first ever Grand Prix event at the 2022-2023 ISU (International Skating Union) Grand Prix of Figure Skating - NHK Trophy on November 19th in Sapporo, Japan. It was the first time in 13 years that a Korean skater took the gold medal at the Grand Prix since Yuna Kim in 2009. “I tried not to get my hopes too high for the free skate program, so I am grateful to have earned this invaluable victory,” said the young Korean skater who added that “[I] will improve my shortcomings to deliver a perfect performance in the finals.” Meanwhile, on November 16th, the university football team scored a whopping four goals and took the champion position, beating Gimcheon University by 4 to 0 at the ‘2022 University Football U-League Finals’ held at the Gimcheon University field in North Gyeongsang province. It is the first victory cup for Dankook at the U-League in 13 years. Coming in first place for a second time, Dankook joins Yonsei University and Korea University as universities with the most championship titles. Along with the winning prize of KRW 15 million, Dankook University also received individual awards in seven categories. Individual awards went to Gwang-hee Kim (Most Valuable Player, Junior), Seung-ho Park (Top Scorer, Freshman), Gyeong-tae Lee (Best Defender, Junior), Hyeon-sok Choi (Best Goalkeeper, Junior), Jae-seong Lee (Best Player, Freshman), Jong-gwan Park (Best Head Coach), and Il-hwan Bae (Best Coach). Some of the football team’s other recent achievements include the National University Football Competition champion (2000) and runner-up (2009), U-League champion (2009) and runner-up (2014), Fall University Football Association Championship champion (2017) and runner-up (2013, 2019), KBSN Freshmen-Sophomore University Football Association Competition runner-up (2019), and the Korean National Sports Festival champion (2014, 2015), placing Dankook as a leading team in college football. In addition, there was also good news about Dankook alumni as Chul Hong (Daegu FC) and Sang-ho Na (FC Seoul) were placed on South Korea’s national football team roster for the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar.

On November 2nd, Dankook University held its 75th anniversary celebration at the Nanpa Concert Hall. Officials from the Dankook University Foundation, University, and Alumni Association, as well as award recipients, including Chairman Young-joo Ham of Hana Financial Group, attended the ceremony to look back on the university’s achievements during the past year and strengthen Dankook’s commitment for the future. In his commemoration speech, Chairman Hosung Chang of the DKU Board said that “amid the many difficulties faced, [we] should collaborate on normalizing all aspects of education, research, and student counseling while investing in education to enable our students to shape Korea into a superpower.” Dankook University President Soobok Kim applauded researchers who spared no effort in their fields as he introduced some of the university’s major accomplishments, including being selected for the MRC Leading Research Center, being named number one in the Convergence and Open Sharing System (COSS) university project, launching the Dasan LINC 3.0 program, and engaging in industry-academia partnerships in the field of applied sciences. In addition, President Kim asked all members of the university to unite in marching forward to attain greater glory beyond the university’s centennial. At the ceremony, the Dankook University Foundation awarded alumni Young-joo Ham (Chairman of Hana Financial Group) the Beomeun Award, which is the most prestigious recognition given by the university. Chairman Ham started his career at Seoul Bank and went on to serve as the vice president of the bank’s Chungcheong Sales Group, the first president of KEB-Hana Bank, and vice chairman of Hana Financial Group before being appointed as chairman of the Hana Financial Group holding company last March.

Strengthening the foundation for spreading the Korean Wave and global education infrastructure Dankook University President Soobok Kim recently visited sister universities in Spain and Hungary to expand cooperation in international exchanges and strengthen the foundation for sharing Korean language and culture in Europe by hosting various events, including a Korean Speech Contest. Discussing exchanges and cooperation in medicine and semiconductors with Universidad Complutense de Madrid (UCM) On October 3rd, President Kim visited UCM where an agreement was reached to further discussions for comprehensive cooperation, including academic exchanges in fields of strength for the two universities, as well as carry out student exchanges. “We delivered our vision to share DKU’s strengths in medicine and semiconductors with UCM while building a win-win model for both universities through active international exchanges,” said Kim. Student Exchange Agreement for graduate school exchanges with the University of Salamanca and special lecture and poetry readings On October 6th, President Kim made a courtesy visit to President Ricardo Rivero Ortega of the University of Salamanca, DKU’s sister university in Spain, to sign an agreement to expand the existing undergraduate exchange program to include graduate school students. Following the agreement signing, a special lecture and poetry reading were held under the theme ‘Language as a Guiding Light’ to commemorate the university’s Korean Culture Week. President Kim recited a poem he wrote himself that embodies his perspective on the world using implicit expressions on communing with nature. A special lecture was also held with renowned Spanish poet, Antonio Colinas. ‘Dankook University Korean Speech Contest’ held at ELTE On October 10th, the ‘2022 Korean Speech Contest at ELTE with Dankook University’ was held at DKU’s sister university in Hungary, Eötvös Loránd University (ELTE). Over 70 students from ELTE’s Department of Korean Studies and Sejong Institute participated in the contest where 14 went on to the final round to compete under the theme ‘Korea that makes my heart flutter.’ Prizes included benefits linked to studying at Dankook University, such as opportunities to take part in the International Summer School or regular semester studies, dormitory stays, airline tickets, etc. “This visit to Europe has served as a chance to strengthen our relationships with sister universities while expanding the Korean Wave and Korean language in Spain and Hungary, so Dankook can take the lead in building a global education infrastructure,” said President Kim.

Dankook University’s Professor Hee-seok Yang (Department of Nanobiomedical Science) and his research team have succeeded in developing a ‘scaffold for enhancing bone formation’ for the effective regeneration of damaged bone tissue using protein (casein) extracted from milk. Damaged bones usually need a scaffold to form an appropriate environment for immune cell and stem cell uptake and differentiation, but there have been frequent side effects from existing scaffolds such as undermining the effect of drugs. Professor Yang’s team derived protein (casein) from milk and developed a scaffold that enhances bone formation for bone grafting needed in affected areas. Bone regeneration with the newly developed scaffold showed over 20% more bone mass and 6-times more bone density in the mouse calvarial defect orthotopic model and ectopic bone formation experiments compared to the control group. This research paper was published in the June 2022 edition of Bioactive Materials (IF=16.874), a renowned peer-reviewed scientific journal similar to SCIE in the field of bioactive materials. The title of the paper is “Rationally designed bioactive milk-derived protein scaffolds enhanced new bone formation”.

The Dasan LINC 3.0 project group joined hands with the animal feed and livestock company CJ Feed&Care to foster talent and promote cooperation in animal biotechnology. The project group visited CJ VINA AGRI, CJ Feed&Care’s local subsidiary in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam on August 19th. There, the two parties signed an MOU to build programs for tailored talent cultivation and corporate cooperation. They will also offer internships for Dankook students and capstone design planning to strengthen industry-academia partnerships in the area of animal biotechnology. As a result of the MOU, students at the College of Science & Technology and College of Biotechnology will be able to apply to the global internship program at CJ VINA AGRI. Along with the internship program, both parties will deliver capstone design programs and carry out joint technology development initiatives with more than KRW 50 million each year to help address difficulties faced by businesses in the field.

Representing universities from around the country selected for the STAR-Academy project (Science and Technology Acceleration for Region + Academy), Dankook University held a launch ceremony at the SW ICT Hall on the Jukjeon campus on September 7th. This launch marks the beginning of a journey to nurture professionals with master’s and doctoral degrees to accelerate commercialization of science and technology. Being selected for the project, DKU set up the Department of Science & Technology Policy Convergence at the Dankook Graduate School and has started working on utilizing and sharing local science and technology achievements. The new department will operate as a ‘Practical Science & Technology Graduate School’ designated by the Ministry of Science & ICT, receiving KRW 6.8 billion in government subsidies by 2027. It will foster talent in over 40 professionals each year with master’s and doctoral degrees taking the lead in putting technology to practical use in the fields of digital healthcare and cutting-edge machinery driven by artificial intelligence. Professor Sunghan Lim, head of the STAR-Academy project team (Department of Mechanical Engineering and Director of the Innovation Institute for Future Education), shared the blueprint for the project, saying that “[we] will set up and deliver a curriculum for over ten thousand people including those currently in the field, as well as future entrepreneurs, to provide graduate school education and help drive the commercialization of science and technology at both public (specialized research institutes) and private institutions.”

The Office of International Affair’s 2022 International Summer School, held from June 21 to August 18, has ended in success. The program was held for the first time in three years and attracted more than 160 foreign students and 600 Dankook students this year. The 2022 International Summer School consisted of three main programs: the Global Village, where foreign students and Dankook students form teams to study various foreign languages together; the Academic Program, where professors from Korea and abroad teach major courses in English and cultural experiences are provided; and the Korea Immersion Program (KIP), made up of Korean language and culture courses for foreign students. Foreign students taking part in the Academic Program not only attended lectures, but also enjoyed Korean cultural activities such as pottery making, K-POP demonstrations, Taekwondo, a temple stay, and the Boryeong Mud Festival. “I was worried about taking classes with fellow students from all around the world, but it was amazing to see how we all became friends,” said Jordan Cohen, one of the participating students from Southern Oregon University (USA), who added that “I want to thank all of the students and staff who made it possible for me to have a more memorable time and experience in Korea than I ever expected.” Associate Vice President Jaeil Kim who heads the Office of International Affairs said that “the program was packed full of enriching activities and was successful thanks to the active participation from our overseas partner universities, as well as Dankook students. We will strive to create an even better program and hope to see more foreign students take part in the International Summer School in the years to come.”

Project teams in the fields of future automotives, semiconductors, and intellectual property (IP) at Dankook University were selected for the government’s ‘Talent Cultivation Program for Emerging Industries and Cutting-edge Industries.’ Accordingly, a total KRW 3.6 billion in state grants will be extended over the course of three years to nurture talent in these fields. Dankook will deliver curriculums tailored to the needs of these high-tech industries while receiving government support for scholarships, personnel costs, facilities, and equipment. The selected areas are the Future Car Technology Convergence Innovative Talent Cultivation Program, the Semiconductor Track Program, and the IP Convergence Talent Cultivation Program. To nurture professional talent needed in developing and producing future cars, the Future Car Technology Convergence Innovative Talent Cultivation Program will offer consulting on curriculum design to meet the needs of industries and build short-term professional courses that include setting up cutting-edge equipment such as Nvidia hardware, simulators, and electrode-making devices for batteries for a hands-on experience. Meanwhile, the Semiconductor Track Program plans to establish a system to develop professional talent for semiconductor engineering in line with the new Convergence Semiconductor major being offer at DKU in 2022 and the Convergence Semiconductor Engineering Department, which is scheduled to launch in 2024. The program focuses on building a learning environment tailored to industry demands as well as developing and delivering a curriculum fit for the field to upgrade performance while going on to engage in follow-up specialization projects. The project for nurturing IP convergence talent will invest KRW 960 million in fostering future experts by bringing on board the technical expertise of professors in IP related capabilities in convergence semiconductors with Professor Seung-ki Lee, cutting-edge new material with Professor Kayoung Kim, and biohealth with Professor Jong-hwa Jang. The lead research professors will help cultivate research talent for these new industries while extending comprehensive support in IP courses, professor training, content development, and scholarship assistance to develop skilled talent in these areas

Dankook University is joining hands with LegoChem Biosciences, Inc., a KOSDAQ listed company, to open the ‘DKU-LCB Innovative Anti-Cancer Drug Research Center’ and to conduct joint studies on next-generation anticancer drugs to fight mutant cancer. On July 21, DKU President Soo-bok Kim and LegoChem Biosciences CEO Yong-zu Kim signed an MOU at the Industry-Academia Partnership Hall on Dankook’s Cheonan Campus. The agreement includes details on the two parties collaborating in △discovering and developing anticancer new drugs, △commissioned research and mutual technology guidance, △joint development and operations of a talent cultivation program, and △joint use of test analysis facilities and equipment to expedite the discovery of new anticancer drugs. According to the agreement, the ‘DKU-LCB Innovative Anti-Cancer Drug Research Lab (Director Jeong-hee Cho)’ will be set up at the Cheonan Campus Industry-Academia Partnership Hall where the cancer research of Professor Jeong-hee Cho’s (Department of Medical Biotechnology) team will come together with LegoChem Biosciences’ antibody drug conjugate (ADC) technology for joint research on next-generation new drugs to fight cancer with gene mutations.

Dankook University was selected for phase three of the Leaders in INdustry-University Cooperation initiative (LINC 3.0) led by the Ministry of Education and the National Research Foundation of Korea. DKU was specifically chosen for the ‘Customized Growth’ area, which focuses on development of talent and cooperation with industry to meet the demands of businesses and future society. As part of the initiative, the university will receive 4 billion KRW each year in government funding until 2027 (estimated total of 24 billion KRW). In addition to being selected for phases one and two, Dankook strengthened its position as a true leading university in industry-academia cooperation by being picked for a third time. Based on its success in phase one (2012~2016, 23 billion KRW) and phase two (2017~2021, 20 billion KRW), DKU has created a solid industry-academia cooperation model across the Seoul metropolitan area all the way down to the Chungcheong provinces, which is part of what led to being selected to take part in the third phase. In particular, Dankook was chosen as an excellent example of building a sharing and cooperative governance system, strengthening relationships with hub institutions, setting up a sharing system for patents, equipment, and information, supporting late-starter universities, and promoting contribution with local communities to renew and expand its system as a leading university in sharing and collaborating with industries. In addition to government funding, Dankook University plans to invest 10 billion KRW in matched funds and 1 billion KRW in start-up funding during the project period to drive comprehensive cooperation with businesses. Building on the spirit of the great thinker Jeong Yak-yong of seeking truth from facts (實事求是) and applying morality to practical affairs (經世致用), DKU plans to build and operate a leading model for industry-academia partnerships by constructing five parks for the five areas of talent development, start-ups, technology transfers, corporate partnerships, and sharing and collaboration.

Dankook University Hospital’s Center for Cancer opened on April 29 and has started providing patient services. A total 84 billion KRW was invested in the Center for Cancer which covers a 30,393.5㎡ space in a ten-story building, that includes 2 basement floors, with a total of 250 beds. It is the largest in South Chungcheong province in terms of both infrastructure and medical professionals. The Center for Cancer added around 20 medical specialists in addition to existing medical staff to offer multidisciplinary care. In particular, it provides one-stop services for initial visits for cancer patients supported through coordinators who specialize in different types of cancer. It also provides customized treatment plans for patients through ‘next-generation sequencing (NGS)’ for the analysis of genome variants to lower the psychological burden on cancer patients and offers accurate diagnoses with optimal treatments.

Dankook University’s Graduate School is launching a program for Foundry Engineering - recruiting students starting this fall - to nurture system semiconductor specialists needed in various fields, including autonomous driving systems, artificial intelligence, and cutting-edge IT devices. The Graduate School offers masters, dual masters and doctorates, and PhD programs for professional education and research related to semiconductor manufacturing tracks (front-end/back-end processes). Practical skills for overall semiconductor manufacturing will be taught with the front-end (or foundry) track targeting processes, process consolidation, equipment, and thin-film evaluation while the back-end (OST) track will focus on packaging material, packaging processes, understanding semiconductor IC features, reliability tests, and quality engineering. Science and technology graduates (or graduands) can apply with a concentration program available for new students who did not study semiconductors to focus on basic courses such as physical electronics, semiconductor devices, circuit theory, and electronic circuits in their first semester. This will be followed with intensive courses and various programs that enhance semiconductor research capabilities to build stronger research and practical skills.