Activities

The 4th ASPIRE Undergraduate Research Academy (UGRA)

Date:: July 17th (Mon.) - 21st (Fri.), 2017

Hosted by:: Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST) International Relations Team (IRT)

Venue:: KAIST Daejeon Main Campus

Theme:: Smart Solutions for Renewable Energy and Sustainable Environment

Overview

Following the first three consecutive ASPIRE UGRA programs hosted by Nanyang Technological University (NTU, Singapore) from 2014 through 2016, KAIST IRT held the 4th program from July 17th (Mon.) to 21st (Fri.) 2017 on its main campus in Daejeon on the theme “Smart Solutions for Renewable Energy and Sustainable Environment”.

Twenty undergraduate students from all five ASPIRE League member universities collaborated on an individual research project related to the program theme and elaborated on how the project relates to various aspects of science, technology, environment, business, economy, social impacts, etc. During the course of the program, all participating students were not only advised on their research projects, but also had an opportunity to attend the special lectures delivered by three expert KAIST faculty members including Professor Hyungjun KIM, Professor Siyoung CHOI, and Professor Jongin HAN. By the end of the program, each student had presented and shared his/her own research outcomes developed throughout the program, and these presentations were discussed, commented on and evaluated by the panel of professors and peer students. The program enabled participants to learn about the latest developments in renewable energy and environment sustainability research and to improve communication, presentation, creative-thinking and problem-solving skills, and learn from case studies by visiting major research laboratories and industries on an excursion.

Schedule

Participants

Number of Participants

KAIST: 3
Tokyo Tech: 3
Tsinghua: 4
NTU: 5
HKUST: 5
Total: 20

Award Recipients

Name of the Award: (Affiliated University) Name of the Recipient
“Presentation Title”
1st Place: (HKUST) Jordy Evan SULAIMAN
“Pt-Ni Octahedra as Electrocatalysts for Ethanol Electro-Oxidation Reaction”
2nd Place: (NTU) Yu Wen SWEE
“Experimental and Theoretical Investigations into the Solar Power Concept”
3rd Place: (HKUST) Kei Ching CHUI
“The Current Situation of Algae Fuel in the United States”