□ Students from the School of Undergraduate Studies, DGIST, have demonstrated their outstanding research achievements by winning consecutive grand prizes in the K-Hackathon and 2024 Chem Frontier: Creative Chemical Engineering Design Contest. The AI-based small business marketing solution and future-type automobile safety sensor the research teams developed are products of DGIST's student-led research Undergraduate Group Research Program (UGRP).
□ Students Jang Hyun-young and Jeon Min-soo of Team Gummy won the grand prize in the K-Hackathon competition with their AI-based small business marketing support solution, Gummy AI. Designed to allow small businesses to automatically create short-form advertisements at a cost of KRW 4,900, the solution is expected to ease the advertising burden on small and medium enterprises and revitalize the small business-oriented restaurant market.
□ Team Gummy members Jang Hyun-young and Jeon Min-soo said, "Developing a socially valuable technology means a lot to us, and we will focus on improving it on schedule to launch a startup early next year.” Both students credited the UGRP for allowing them to experiment with the latest AI technology and gain expertise.
□ Equally notable are Kim Na-yoon, Song Hee-won, and Hwang Su-bin of Team TENG-HURU, who claimed the grand prize in the Chem Frontier Creative Design Contest with their perovskite-based self-powered brake sensor. The team developed the sensor to prevent sudden acceleration accidents, the incidence of which has become problematic in recent years. The sensor uses lead-free ceramics with ferroelectric properties to detect sudden unintended vehicular acceleration in real time. The contest judges recognized the device for its effectiveness and technological advancement.
□ Team TENG-HURU members Kim, Song, and Hwang said, "Thanks to the UGRP, we realized that we can make a social impact by implementing our ideas in the lab."
□ A DGIST official remarked, "The UGRP provides students with creative research opportunities, paving the way for their growth into future science and technology talents. We will continue to support students’ contributions to society through their research achievements."
□ The UGRP is the DGIST's signature program, in which junior and senior students of the School of Undergraduate Studies conduct group-based self-directed research. Over the past five years, UGRP research has resulted in the publication of seven papers and the launch of two startups, as well as three patent applications and 27 competition awards. These most recent grand prize awards are two examples that reaffirm the UGRP’s contribution to the development of students' practical research skills.
