□ DGIST (President Lee Kunwoo) announced the successful completion of the "Open Selection and Evaluation of Research Projects" held at the DGIST Academic Information Center on Tuesday, July 23. Two projects were selected through the evaluation by the Open Evaluation Panel composed of external experts, DGIST students, and faculty.
□ This open selection and evaluation was a new method of selecting research projects that DGIST had never tried before. Unlike previous years, researchers prepared research presentations that consider the public perspective to attract attention. The researchers explained the social contribution and effectiveness of their research achievements in a way that was easy to understand to elicit responses from the Open Evaluation Panel. The external experts and the Open Evaluation Panel listened to the research project presentations on the spot and reviewed them immediately, and in the end, Professor In su-il's and Professor Song Chul's research teams were selected from among seven teams.
□ Prof. In's team from the Department of Energy Science and Engineering presented a research plan to fabricate a beta-voltaic battery for independent power source technology, “a dream battery that does not need to be charged.” Using a quote from Einstein, his team emphasized the need to overcome the climate crisis and effectively explained the superiority and effectiveness of beta-voltaic batteries, a clean energy source that does not require charging. The team received high praise from experts and from the evaluation panel.
□ Prof. Song of the Department of Robotics and Mechatronics drew the consensus of the Open Evaluation Panel on the need for research to develop a medical system that can diagnose pancreatic cancer in its early stages. Pancreatic cancer is often called the "silent killer" because it is difficult to detect in its early stages. Most of all, his team was praised for explaining the feasibility of a technology that can diagnose diseases in real-time in the field using laser and mechatronics technology, which was explained in conjunction with existing R&D achievements.
□ The two selected projects will each receive a research grant of KRW 50 million. "Thanks to the evaluators who evaluated the research project on their own from various points of view, I was more convinced that the research is necessary for many people," said Prof. Song from the Department of Robotics and Mechatronics at DGIST. "We will do our best to make progress in the research with a sense of responsibility to produce high-quality research results."
□ Based on the success of this open selection and evaluation, DGIST will hold another in the second half of 2024. The next Open Evaluation Panel will be expanded to include external elementary, middle, and high school students, as well as members of the general public, to reflect more diverse perspectives. This expansion is expected to help researchers discover more innovative research topics that will contribute to society.
