BK21 Selects 12 Teams from the University of Seoul

Twelve project teams from the University of Seoul (UOS) were selected for BK21 (Brain Korea 21) by the Ministry of Education. BK21 is short for Brain Korea 21. The essence of BK21 is to nurture high-quality graduate schools, reinforce educational-industrial ties and reform of the university system for stabilization of elementary and middle school education systems.

Nineteen project teams applied to BK21 these were made up of the group of scientific engineering education systems, the group of human knowledge/society and so on. As a result the entire science engineering part and two teams from the human knowledge/society were selected.

So BK21 teams will be supported with almost 2 billion won every year until 2012. The BK21 will be providing the cost of research, participation in scientific lectures overseas, etc. So it will produce high quality researchers.

The University of Seoul Cele-brates 88th Anniversary

On April 28, the University of Seoul celebrated the 88th anniversary of its founding in the main conference room at the Natural Science Building. The UOS was founded in 1918 as Kyung Sung Public Agricultural College. It was then promoted to a four-year college and renamed Seoul Agricultural College. Finally it was renamed the University of Seoul in 1997. The commemoration was started by declaring the ceremony open and continued with a commemorative speech by the president.

Scholarship Exchange with Istanbul Universities

Lee Sang Bum, the president of the University of Seoul, visited Turkey from May 2 to 6. He went Istanbul University and Istanbul University of Technology to establish a student (professor, researcher) exchange program. The university will also exchange information, publish books and study together; particularly in the areas of human knowledge and construction.

The exchange program is soon to come into operation. The university pursued an exchange agreement with the University of Calgary (U of C) in Canada last June. If an exchange agreement is formed with this university, we would actively exchange activities such as holding regular seminars between our university and U of C.

Communication with President Lee Sang Bum

On March 2, to commemorate Lee Sang Bum being president of the University of Seoul (UOS), he was interviewed by three UOS press groups; The UOS Press, News@UOS and Joennong Broadcasting Station. This also happened in the previous two years. President Lee wanted to communicate with the UOS students through the press centers.

They discussed several hot issues; BK21 (Brain Korea 21)-twelve project teams from the university were selected for the BK21 by the Ministry of Education, law school plan, urban sciences development and so on.

President Lee says that not only the professors but all UOS members will place an emphasis on cooperation during the remainder of his term in office;he will work to upgrade the quality of all majors. About the last 3 years work he says, “I think throughout the 3 years I have worked of the UOS, there have been a lot of changes to develop ourselves and have a positive attitude. I hope to succeed in the business of the day.” President Lee presents his wish to communicate with the UOS students strongly.

Palbong Literary Award Won by a UOS Professor

Han Hyoung-gu, a professor of Korean literature in the UOS, was awarded a prize at the 17th “Pal-bong literary criticism on May 6. the prizewinning work was “Gutenberg’s Monks” published last year (Published by Yeouk-rak publishing house). This prize is presented to praise Kim Ki-jin, a pioneer of modern criticism.

This is the first time a UOS professor has won a prize in this competition. Professor Han said, “I always think that these days there is nobody who reads literature anymore.” In this book I want to show the right path to the quintessential writing style of our times.

The First Dormitory to be Open Next Semester

A first dormitory of the University of Seoul (UOS) is almost completed. Students may move in at the start of the second semester. The UOS posted notice of selection criteria. These are; grades from the previous semester and officially recognized English test scores, such as TOEIC.

Each accounts for 50%. Distance from the students` hometown is not taken into consideration because the UOS is mostly managed by Seoul City finance, so the UOS has been centered around Seoul citizens. To select better quality furniture, the UOS held a competitive furniture show for the new dormitory on April 19 in the students` hall.

Some professors, two students from each college and persons involved in the UOS took part in the show. Participants asked furniture stores for beds, mattresses, clothes chests, desks, bookshelves, chairs and draining boards.

Inaddition, the university informed furniture stores about the application form, how to arrange furniture and so on.

Dept. of Environmental Engine-ering and Science Held Symposium

The Dept. of Environmental Engineering and Science Symposium was held. This symposium is run from May 9 to May 30. The purpose of this symposium is to protect the environment from harmful waste materials. The supervisor of the symposium is Kim Han-jun (the Dept. of Electrical & Computer Engineering) and Lee Jong-jae (the Dept. of Landscape Architecture).

The symposium schedule is: May 9, roadmap workshop for the atmosphere of Seoul; May 12, the first Korea/Japan symposium for the Asia Research Union of Urban Waste Material; May 15~16, international symposium for earth, subterranean water environment and management of waste; and finally May 29~30, counter movement against atmospheric pollution and health damage for East Asian countries.

Seoul Institute for Transparency Symposium was held.

On May 18 at 10a.m. the Seoul Institute for Transparency Symposium was held. During the past four years, Seoul Institute for Transparency researched big cities of Korea, Japan and China and their development processes during modern times. This year the first project was held about urban planning and structural changes of urban spaces in Seoul, Beijing, Shanghai and Tokyo. If you need any other information visit: http://campus.uos.ac.kr/iss/

International Symposium on Urban Curating 2006

An international symposium on urban curating, which means better city planning, was held on the second floor of the Natural Science Building on April 28. Scholars, urban specialists and participants from Northeastern Asian cities participated in this symposium. The symposium was opened to improve urban life and to restore the role of urban cultural dimension.

The symposium emphasized that this University was dedicated to the improvement of urban life, urban culture, and the urban amenity of Seoul and other Asian mega-cities. Lee Sang Bum , president of the University of Seoul (UOS), said, “I hope to enjoy the intellectual dialogue among academics and specialists from China, Japan and Korea.” The symposium consisted of presentations and conferences on urban culture and city marketing.

Annual Campus Festival, Dae-dongje, Finished Successfully

For three days, from May 17 to 19, the University of Seoul (UOS) students experienced many events. Daedongje (roughly meaning campus festival) is a university campus festival held by the students’ association. The title was Yeol Hwa Bal Ral, which means students’ dynamism.

There are lots of events; Jang San Got Mae (A Song Festival), Golden Bell (A Quiz Program), a marathon, a film festival, etc. Each department opened a temporary bar and many clubs held exciting programs. Local residents took part in this festival and enjoyed the last day together.

Thank You, Professor!

May 15 is Teacher’s Day. The University of Seoul (UOS) hosted a number of events for their professors. Most of the UOS students gave carnations and thanked all their professors. A carnation is a symbol to express their feelings. There is no formal event but every student`s thanks is full of appreciation. The day is to remind us of our teachers care and interest in us.

Dept. of Philosophy held Semi-nar on Spinoza’s Potentia

A seminar called ‘Comprehension of Philosophy’ was held in the Liberal Arts Building on May 11. Many students of the Dept. of Philosophy took part in the seminar. Professor Park Gi-sun presided. The theme of the seminar was the philosophy of Spinoza, especially potentia, potential in English, spoken by him.

Professor Park explained the concept of potentia and said “We understand our history, formation and identity before growing.” Because of many questions about Spinoza, the seminar exceeded the allotted time of 2 hours. It was the concept of potentia that the audiences asked the professor about because it was such a complicated concept. After many questions, the seminar successfully wrapped up.

Department of Music Concert, Ye Gyeong Jeong

On April 27 and 28, a concert, Ye Gyeong Jeong, was held by the Department of Music. ‘Ye Gyeong Jeong’ means the garden that cultivates art. This is held anually in April to inform people about the Department of Music and break the prejudice that they specialize only in classical music. They held the concert at 6 p.m. in the concert hall at the Music Building.

There were 18 performances in two days. They could make teams without limits or standards. And audiences chose the first, second, third placed teams. Later the three winning teams got a prize. The students of the Department of Music performed a variety of genres; Classical, New Age and Ethnic Fusion. That day, a full house applauded students who gave energetic performances.

Original Paintings of Traditional Culture Exhibition

From April 17 to 21, The Original Paintings of Traditional Culture Exhibition was held at Gyeong-Nong Hall. One of the painters, Jeon Gap-bae is the Dept. of Visual & Industrial Design professor who graduated from Seoul National University College of Fine Arts and worked with Cheil Communications and Sammi Group as a graphic designer.

After 1984 he opened a research institute of illustration at Chungmuro. He has shown traditional images through his publishing, advertisement, events and so on. Now he shows Korean traditional funeral services and depths of consciousness through this exhibition. He claims to find our own culture and create new images through a variety of media.

But his paintings do not only have traditional Korean elements but also ubiquitous sensibility. So this exhibition impressed everyone. If you need any other information call (02) 2210-2259

Winner of the Korea Art Assembly

Lee Gyeu-jung, a sculptor and graduate of the Department of Environmental Horticulture in the University of Seoul (‘93), received a prize from the Korean Art Assembly. This contest has been held as a way to find new talented artists since 1982. Lee made a stone carving almost 250cm high. Horizon and perpendicularity are inspiration for this art work which describes a great land, sea and the time human beings were created.

Trees and Angels, a Beautiful Exhibition

From April 21 to March 07, an exhibition was held in front of Kyoung-Nong Hall at the UOS. It showed us trees and angels. From a dialogue with the artist, Pack Heon-youl, “I assume this show has been done naturally without specific plans for how it should be, lest my hand execute the whole working process.” The title of the exhibition is Tree and Angel. He explains what the title has shown us, which is to overcome the problems we have been faced with.

Urban Form and Landscape 2004/2005 Photographic Exhibi-tion

The Urban Form and Landscape 2004/2005 Photographic Exhibition was held from April 26, 10a.m., to May 2, 7p.m., at the art gallery on the second floor of the Sejong Center for the Performing Arts. The purpose of this exhibition is to show the Urban Form and Landscape Plan, which is prepared every five years.

The host of this exhibition is the Institute of Urban Sciences. Through this exhibition, you can see a lot of pictures of Seoul which show the change and restoration of Seouls beauty spots, four seasons and unnoticed places. If you need any other information call (02) 2210-2988

Nam Joong Soo visited UOS

Nam Joong Soo (CEO of KT) presented ‘IT; Surprising Future, Ubiquitous World’ on May 3. This talk, sponsored by the UOS Jobs & Career Development Center, was held in the main conference room at the Natural Science Building.

He lectured on the progressive mind and ability that enterprises and society want, and the destination of the IT industry. The sponsor planned the program to inspire students to have an enterprising mind and shows a vision of successful entry into public affairs through the individual experiences of executives from all walks of life.

The lectures are planned three times a term. The last Discovery Course for Your Future (DCF) lecture is Alexander Vershbow (the U.S. Ambassador to Korea) on June 8 at the same location. There will be Q&A time and all are welcome to attend.

Sex Education Offered

In spring, the Sexual Violence Counseling Center in the University of Seoul (UOS) held two lectures which were on sexual offences. One was “Sexual Harassment and the Law.” Lawyer Jo Min-young, a specialist gave a speech on April 17. She explained leading cases involving sexual crime and the correct view point on sexual problems. Another one was “Men are from Mars, Women are from Venus” from May 17 to 18. Kim Deok-il, chief of the Marriage Relationship Advice Center lectured on the mental state of people in the first flush of romance.

Beautiful Store sales in the University of Seoul

Every other week we can go to Beautiful Store in the University of Seoul (UOS). The ideology of Beautiful Store is that goods which people have some bias against should be circulated. So, during the past four years, Beautiful Store has been involved in various activities, such as the recycling movement, expansion of a sharing culture and alternative trade, etc.

Beautiful Foundation has contributed to support for the equal affluence society. In front of the 21st Century Building people bring donated goods for sale in the UOS such as clothing, small electronic home appliances, books and shoes, etc.

So, they provide an efficient support to helpless people through this movement. Simply buying in Beautiful Store is a donation to society. If you need any other information, you can find it at www.beautifulstore.org

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