Initiation of GIST-Caltech Project

Exchange Cooperation Managers’ Visit in March followed by a visit by Prof. Kornfield to GIST

Advice on Undergraduate Curriculum and Discussions on Cooperation

 

                           

Professor Kornfield of Caltech is delivering a lecture at GIST Materials Science and Engineering Graduate School.

 

Gwangju Institute of Science and Technology (GIST) and California Institute of Technology (Caltech) are facilitating cooperation.

 

According to GIST (President Jung-Ho Sonu), Professor Julia A. Kornfield (Chemistry & Chemical Engineering) visited GIST on (May) 14 to discuss areas of cooperation between the two schools. Only three months earlier in March, Honorary Professor Gary Lorden, Chairman of the GIST-Caltech Cooperation Committee, visited GIST.

 

The visit by Professor Kornfield, who had been deeply involved in discussions of cooperation between the two schools, is expected to push the discussions forward. The two schools are both known as “small but powerful” institutions, and share characteristics such as small-sized classes and concentrated investment in basic sciences.

 

Professor Kornfield’s visit began with meetings with President Jung-Ho Sonu, the Vice President and the Dean of GIST. Talks on mutual exchange of students by utilizing Caltech’s Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF), which had been pursued by GIST, took place during the meetings. Three to five GIST students could be dispatched to study at Caltech as exchange students through SURF as early as next year, signaling a fruitful result of the exchange and cooperation discussions so far.

 

Furthermore, Caltech had noted the considerable research results of GIST, and showed a great interest in conducting joint research projects. In fact, Professor Kornfield officially requested specific data, including the curriculum vitae and research backgrounds of GIST professors and said that she would review possible joint research programs upon her return.

 

On (May) 15, GIST Dean Gwan-Haeng Lee and a number of main professors will attend the meeting with Caltech where details of cooperation will be discussed. On 16, Professor Kornfield will meet with the professors and students of Materials and Engineering, and introduce the curriculum and education system at Caltech.

 

Dean Lee says “We are finally seeing our cooperation discussions with Caltech bearing fruit” and that “once the undergraduate program is fully established, we will continue to work closely with Caltech and become Korea’s Caltech”.