Research team of Professor Sung-in Cho at Dongguk University dev...

Research team of Professor Sung-in Cho at Dongguk University develops video aspect ratio adjustment technology using video extrapolation A research team led by Multimedia Engineering Professor Sung-in Cho at Dongguk University has developed innovative technology for adjusting the aspect ratio of video contents using video area expansion. The multimedia engineering technology was published in IEEE Transactions on Image Processing (Impact Factor: 9.340, top 3.947% JCR), the most prestigious journal in the field of image processing. The research led by Professor Cho significantly improved user satisfaction by expressing the aspect ratio of a video content display without distortion. It was necessary for the research team to ensure that the aspect ratio adjustment algorithm could be used in actual display products. They successfully verified their work, by proposing a method that creates a region that does not exist in the input image, and an algorithm that can block visual distortion that users can feel in advance. Summarizing his work, Professor Cho stated the following: "This research has developed a new approach that can express existing content without distortion in the recently diversified display aspect ratios”. He added that “Through an experiment, we verified that the algorithm proposed by displays with various aspect ratios shows overwhelmingly outstanding customer satisfaction to the existing aspect ratio adjustment technology”. This research was conducted in collaboration with Sogang University and was supported by Samsung Electronics, alongside the National Research Foundation of Korea.

Dongguk University’s Department of Mechanical, Robotics, and Ene...

Dongguk University’s Department of Mechanical, Robotics, and Energy Engineering selected for the BK21 FOUR project Selected as the Autonomous Intelligent Machines and Systems team The Department of Mechanical, Robotics, and Energy Engineering at Dongguk University has been selected as the autonomous intelligent machines and systems (AIMS) team for the BK21 FOUR project, devised by the Ministry of Education. The BK21 FOUR project aims to reinforce and strengthen the educational and research capacity of prestigious graduate schools, further educating professionals holding masters’ and doctoral qualifications, to foster national competitiveness. BK21 FOUR is a 7-year-long project (September 1, 2020–August 31, 2027), with a total research fund of up to KRW 3 billion. The team is to be led by Prof. Heung-Soo Kim, with Professors Joong-Yeon Lim, Seung-Jun Lee, Soo-Chul Lim, Jae-Hun Lee, and Min-Woo Han from the Department of Mechanical, Robotic, and Energy Engineering comprising the remainder of the research team.The term ‘autonomous intelligent machine’ refers to an artificial intelligence-based machine that voluntarily recognizes the external environment under automated command systems, performing specific tasks based on autonomous decision-making criteria. Such machines could include robots, autonomous vehicles, and autonomous drones. AIMS is a field of integrated science that combines traditional mechanical engineering with artificial intelligence, a core part of the 4th industrial revolution. The AIMS education research team intends to educate world-class professional academics in the field of autonomous intelligent machines by designating intelligent robots, intelligent materials, and smart machine systems as core research fields. As a result of systematic education for graduates and active academics alike, the team intends to produce outstanding research results that lead the world's drive for AIMS.

Professor Soo-Hong Lee of Dongguk University has successfully de...

Professor Soo-Hong Lee of Dongguk University has successfully developed a technique enabling the mass production of mesenchymal stem cells derived from pluripotent stem cells. Professor Lee’s article has been published in Advanced Science, a renowned scientific journal in the field of biotechnology.▲ Stem Cell Engineering Laboratory, Department of Medical Biotechnology, College of Life Science and Biotechnology, Group Photo with Professor Lee in the front centerThe Stem Cell Engineering Laboratory of the Department of Medical Biotechnology, College of Life Science and Biotechnology of Dongguk University, has successfully developed a technique for the efficient isolation and enrichment of mesenchymal stem cells with potent therapeutic effects from random differentiation-induced human embryonic stem cells by utilizing the interaction between integrin α5β1 and fibronectin (Sole Corresponding author, Soo-Hong Lee). Professor Lee’s research findings have been published in the renowned scientific journal Advanced Science (IF = 15.84, ranked upper 5% by Journal Citation Reports). Pluripotent stem cells can differentiate into any cell that makes up a living body and exhibit unlimited proliferation, enabling them to be a source for the mass production of mesenchymal stem cells, which exert favorable effects in tissue regeneration and cell therapy. However, a significant technical barrier that hindered this process was the separation of mesenchymal stem cells en masse from random differentiation-induced pluripotent stem cells. Professor Soo-Hong Lee’s research group has successfully developed an efficient separation technique for mesenchymal stem cells that exert favorable effects in tissue regeneration and cell therapy. This success is attributed to the utilization of the interaction between integrin α5β1 (a specific cell surface receptor on mesenchymal stem cells) and fibronectin (a biomaterial). In particular, the mesenchymal stem cells separated using fibronectin showed an anti-senescence effect and a higher cell proliferation rate than other mesenchymal stem cells derived from the bone marrow and adipose tissue. Professor Soo-Hong Lee stated, “The innovative technique developed by Stem Cell Engineering Laboratory at the Department of Medical Biotechnology, Dongguk University most certainly will become a source technology in the field of cell therapy products and regenerative medicine for the mass production of clinically proven mesenchymal stem cells and the enhancement of therapeutic effects.”Professor Lee’s research was jointly funded by Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency for Construction of Korea National Hygiene and Medical Infrastructure and Korea Ministry of Information and ICT for Individual Basic R&D Program and Bio•Medical Technology Development Program.

2020 Dongguk International Virtual Winter School newly launched

2020 Dongguk International Virtual Winter School newly launchedDongguk University will be hosting its first Dongguk International Virtual Winter School.The COVID-19 pandemic has brought about a recession in global interaction and global education market growth. This has led to a significant decrease in the actual number of exchange students and has resulted in Dongguk International Summer School being cancelled, despite having been organized without fail for the past 13 years consecutively. Dongguk University will launch the "2020 Dongguk International Virtual Winter School," an online-based short-term special program, to overcome these limitations of physical mobility constraints. This virtual school intends to set forth a direction for international education programs in the COVID-19 era and seek a way to advance in the global education market, which has shrunk due to COVID-19.The Virtual Winter School will be held for about two weeks from December 23 to January 8 via the Webex tool, a remote video education system, with two English courses focusing on film and media, the representative academic fields of our university.The course of ‘Introduction to Korean Film’ will introduce the creative and commercial rebirth of 101 years of Korean cinema from the 1960’s until Director Bong Joon Ho’s Parasite winning the 2020 Oscar for Best Picture by which time the most transformative changes in Korean society had already taken shape. Through screening various Korean films of this era and discussing their representations of Korean culture, students will explore the tumultuous transformations of Korean society from the Korean War and military dictatorship to rapid capitalization and democratization. The course consists of lectures, film screenings, and discussions. ‘Korean Pop Culture ; Society & Media’ aims to introduce students to cultivate an appreciation of Korean film, TV drama and music as a complex form of popular culture. The class will also look more deeply at Korean society and the nature of popular culture itself, and the intertextual relationship of individual text & cultural industries with the audience.The 2020 Dongguk International Virtual Winter School will be open for students enrolled in our school as well as students from overseas universities interested in Korean pop culture and the latest media trends such as K-POP and K-movies. The participants will be offered a valuable opportunity to share their knowledge and thoughts with each other in the era of COVID-19.For more information about the Virtual Winter School, please refer to the link below.http://diss.dongguk.edu/bbs/board.php?bo_table=diss7_1

First Seoul International Meditation Festival to Be Organized by...

First Seoul International Meditation Festival to Be Organized by Dongguk University.The Main Venue for the October 10 Event is the “Paljeongdo” Plaza at the CampusDongguk University will host its first annual Seoul International Meditation Festival to overcome the COVID-19 crisis. Sponsored by the Seoul metropolitan government, the event’s theme will be “Meditation, Seoul On.” The event focuses on introducing various meditation techniques to overcome COVID-19 for those working tirelessly, such as medical staff, and those who are suffering from the disease, which would be accessible on websites such as YouTube.On October 10, the main event of the festival, “Meditation Concert,” will be held at “Paljeongdo,” the central plaza of Dongguk University in Seoul. In the first part, a meditation talk concert on the theme “Us in the Coronavirus era” will be held from 2 pm. In the second part, which begins at 7 pm, a meditation music concert titled “The Coronavirus era, the time of warm melodies” will be held.At the talk concert, Joan Halifax Roshi, head of the US-based Upaya Zen Center, Dr. Lee Dong-hwan, head of the Job Stress Institute, and Registered Nurses Park Wan-im and Lee Jung-hwa from Dongguk University’s Ilsan Hospital will introduce the practice of meditation for those who are committed to overcoming COVID-19. Dr. Alan Wallace of Crestone Mountain Zen Center in Colorado, Professor Kim Hyun-soo, head of Seoul’s COVID-19 Psychology Support Group, and Son Eun-ju, Konkuk Middle School in Busan, will deliver lectures on the topic “How to greet the new normal and meditate in the post-Corona era.” This will be followed with speeches delivered by Venerable Seo Kwang, Professor at Dongguk University, Cho Duk-sang, the head of academic affairs of Won Buddhism, and Bishop Yoon Jong-mo of the Anglican Church on the theme “Meditation to overcome the psychological pain of the Corona era.”The event will aid in alleviating the stress and frustration experienced by several people because of the pandemic through meditation lectures and demonstrations, conducted by those active in the field, including meditation practitioners from overseas and religious figures. In the second part of the meditation music concert, “Damsone Craftshop” will play healing music, and Kim Na-Rae will play meditation music based on Zen and Korean traditional tune. A musical ensemble, “Sori-Gonggam,” will play music of consolation and hope.Furthermore, the meditation lectures, which will be pre-released on YouTube, include a series of eight videos, such as the following: “The Corona era, the one-point meditation focusing the mind on one” by Venerable Subul, head of Ahnkook Zen Center, “The Corona era, the meditation of awakening the helpless body” by Venerable Seo Kwang, “When I am heartbroken from others’ and my pain” by Dr. Christopher Germer (clinical psychologist at Harvard Medical School), and “When I want to feel better” by Venerable Jae-Ma. Additionally, six meditation techniques that can be practiced in ordinary life, such as “Walking meditation” by Dongguk University students under the guidance of Venerable Hye-joo, and “Music meditation” by Lee Jeong-eun, director of the Music Meditation Institute, will be introduced.“We have designed the meditation techniques to help overcome the frustration, and we have focused on conducting non-face-to-face online programs so that anyone can easily and safely access anytime, anywhere, especially nowadays when everyone talks about feeling ‘Corona blues’ and even ‘Corona anger’,” said the chairman of the Seoul International Meditation Festival, Venerable Jong-Ho, who is also the vice president of planning. He further added, “I hope that the meditation techniques will be beneficial so that anyone can use it to cope with the difficulties.” “2020 Meditation, Seoul On” can be viewed online through the official YouTube channel of “2020 Meditation, Seoul On” or accessed in real-time through Zoom in accordance with the government’s social distancing guidelines. The details are available on the website “mind.dongguk.edu.”

Dongguk University Launches the “Dongguk Future Education Forum”

Dongguk University Launches the “Dongguk Future Education Forum”Under the Theme of “University Education in the Post-COVID-19 Era”Dongguk University (President Yoon Sung-yee) has launched the Dongguk Future Education Forum to lead changes in university education in the post-COVID-19 era.The inauguration ceremony and the First Dongguk Future Education Forum were held both online and offline at i.SPACE, on the third floor of Wonheung Hall, Dongguk University, on September 11 at 3pm.To comply with social distancing guidelines, only a small number of select people (including the keynote speaker, topic presenters, and debaters) attended the forum in person."I believe that the Dongguk Future Education Forum will play a pivotal role in preparing for an unpredictable and rapidly changing future," said Yoon Sung-yee, President of Dongguk University, who delivered congratulatory remarks at the forum. “I hope that all professors and representatives of our university will share a wide range of knowledge and information, and develop ways to accurately predict the future through this forum,” he said. The keynote speech was given by Professor Choi Jae-cheon from Ewha Womans University, and covered “The Post-COVID-19 Era: Changes in Society and Education.” “In situations such as the one we are facing during the coronavirus pandemic, where our existence itself is threatened, we need an ecological transformation,” he said. “Although it is important to reflect on how we teach at the university, we really need to think about what we should teach.” He emphasized that “one of the most important topics that needs to be taught and studied is how we can live with nature.”The first topic presented during the forum, “Response to the COVID-19 Era: Dongguk University's EdTech Spread Strategy” was presented by Kim Hyeon-seok, Director of the Teaching and Learning Development Center at Dongguk University. "In the era of the fourth industrial revolution, a preemptive response to future environmental changes is required due to technological advancements and a decrease in the school-age population," said Director Kim. “Dongguk University plans to upgrade the full-cycle student competency support system, Dream PATH+, to disseminate EdTech and establish a data-based decision-making system to upgrade the consumer-centered teaching and learning-support system.”Professor Bae Sang-hoon from Sungkyunkwan University presented the second topic of the forum, “The Crisis Faced and Opportunities Developed in University Education Due to COVID-19.” Professor Bae shared a university education strategy for the post-corona era, focusing on the case of Sungkyunkwan University. “In terms of higher education, the post-COVID-19 era will be an era in which each student is valued and must attend smart universities, and an era in which society will need to develop cooperation and co-prosperity, rather than competition,” he said. “The steps we must take now include changing the paradigm focus on ‘student success,’ giving up our vested rights, trusting and encouraging one another, narrowing our focus, and doing our share in our own institutions.”Lee Kang-woo, Director of the Convergence Education Center at Dongguk University; Kim Jong-pil, Director of Naeil Shinmoon; Lee Je-jun, President of the student body at Dongguk University; and Kim Jeong-do, President of the student body at Dongguk University Graduate School joined the presenters for a discussion, following the presentation of topics. The forum was broadcast live on YouTube, and members of the public as well as the university were invited to watch it in real time. Later, the forum video was posted on Dongguk University’s official YouTube channel (https://www.youtube.com/user/MYDGUTV), where it can be viewed at any time.“We created this forum to set a direction and define tasks related to educational innovation in the post-COVID-19 era, as well as to share and disseminate these,” said the forum organizer, Jeon Mi-kyeong, Dean of Educational Innovation at Dongguk University. “Dongguk University will continue to seek ways to innovate and improve the quality of education (the original mission of the ‘ivory tower’) through the Future Education Forum.”

A research team at Dongguk University, led by Professor Lim Hyeo...

A research team at Dongguk University, led by Professor Lim Hyeon-sik, develops a new radiation scintillatorPublished in Light: Science & Applications, a sister journal of NatureA research team led by Professor Lim Hyeon-sik (director of the Research Department at Dongguk University) of Dongguk University's Department of Physical Semiconductor Science have published the latest results from their research on liquid-type X-ray imaging scintillators using a new mechanism, in "Light: Science & Applications” (Impact Factor: 15, JCR Top 1.5%), a world famous academic journal published by Nature-Springer. Cho Sang-eun (first author, obtained a Ph.D. from Dongguk University in August 2020 under the supervision of professor Lim Hyeon-sik) and Professors Lim Hyeon-sik and Kim Hyung-sang (corresponding authors) have successfully developed a scintillator technology that can replace existing commercially available materials with organic–inorganic hybrid materials.Recently, there has been a rapid increase in the necessity and demand for radiation and X-ray devices. Commercially available scintillator materials are in desperate need of independent, original, and domestic technologies, as they have domestic development limitations and high foreign dependence due to difficulties in manufacturing and processing.In response, the research team at Dongguk University devised a low-cost and high-efficiency radiation scintillator material. They proposed an X-ray emission mechanism based on a novel electron transfer method. It showed excellent results for replacing commercially available scintillators and can widely use low-energy (~keV, for examination) to high-energy (~MeV, for treatment) radiation.Professor Kim Hyung-sang said, “This technology not only shows high-efficiency characteristics of X-rays and radioactivity but also can be applied in various forms to measure curved images, which is difficult with existing scintillators. I hope that our results can contribute toward the domestic development of scintillators.”This study was conducted in collaboration with Asan Medical Center and supported by a funding program from the Korea Research Foundation and the Korea Radiation Promotion Association.

A research team at Dongguk University, led by Professor Kim Gyo-...

A research team at Dongguk University, led by Professor Kim Gyo-beom, de-velops tissue engineering platform technology for joint tissue regeneration Published in the Journal of Controlled Release, a world-class biotechnology journal A research team led by Professor Kim Gyo-beom of Dongguk University's Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering has developed the latest technology for joint tissue regeneration via simultaneous delivery of therapeutic growth factors and adi-pose derived stem cells into the body.The work was published in the Journal of Controlled Release (Impact Factor: 7.727, JCR Ranking Top 5%), an international journal in the field of biomaterials and biotechnolo-gy.The research led by Professor Kim increased the stability of a growth factor that in-duced cell activity in knee joint tissue by enclosing it within a polymer structure. Its effectiveness was demonstrated in a subsequent animal experiment in which the en-closed growth factor and stem cells were transplanted into damaged joint tissue in rabbits.Professor Kim said, “Results from this research show the technological value of the composite tissue engineering platform material developed in the Cellular Tissue Engi-neering and Functional Materials Laboratory of the Department of Chemical and Bio-medical Engineering, which combines an implantable hydrogel that was developed and a polymer-based drug delivery structure for the delivery of therapeutic growth fac-tors. We demonstrated that it can effectively induce regeneration in damaged joint tis-sues in knee osteoarthritis patients in preclinical experiments.”The research was conducted as an international joint research program between re-searchers from Cornell University (USA) and Seoul National University, and was sup-ported by funding from the National Research Foundation of Korea.

DU Wins Their First Championship Cup in Nine Years

DU Wins Their First Championship Cup in Nine Years Defeats Soongsil University 2-1 at the National University Soccer Confederation Fall Game The Dongguk University’s (DU) soccer team won their first championship cup in the 56th National University Soccer Confederation Fall Game in nine years. On August 28, 2020, DU defeated Soongsil University 2-1 in the final match that took place at Taebaek Stadium in Taebaek, Gangwon Province.In the quarterfinals, DU beat Honam University 2-0, and initially tied 2-2 with Cyber Hankuk University (Foreign Studies) in the semifinals, but then took the lead in a 5-3 penalty shootout to move up to the finals. In the finals, Soongsil was in the lead by 0-1 at the end of the first half, but 17 minutes into the second half, Hwang Myung-hyun (freshman) scored a goal for DU to even the score. Later, 30 minutes into the second half, Lee Kyu-bin (sophomore) scored the winning goal to clinch a dramatic victory for DU.DU was the champion of the National University Soccer Confederation Fall Game for two consecutive years in 2010 and 2011, the winner of Jungbu Region 2 in the University League in 2013, and had also won the 11th Freshman–Sophomore University Soccer Autumn Championship in 2014. Under the leadership of Manager Ahn Hyo-yeon, who was appointed to take over the team of his alma mater in 2017, the DU team finally succeeded in winning the championship cup at the National University Soccer Confederation Fall Games after a 9-year drought.Yoon Sung-yee, President of Dongguk University, was at Taebaek Stadium to cheer on the school’s team during the final match. He said "it was a game where DU’s soccer team showed its brave and pure spirit without holding back,” and added, “(I am) very happy and grateful that all the players’ hard work under the leadership of Manager Ahn Hyo-yeon has paid off, and hope that they will continue to uphold DU’s soccer reputation.”

Five Winners Selected for the 24th Manhae Prize

Five Winners Selected for the 24th Manhae PrizeMonk Phra Bodhirak, the founder of Thailand’s Santi Asoke, and others selected: Awards ceremony to be held on Wednesday, August 12The Manhae Festival Promotion Committee (chaired by Kwak Chae-gi, Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs at Dongguk University) announced the five winners of the 24th Manhae Prize on Wednesday, July 15. This year’s Peace Prize goes to monk Phra Bodhirak, the founder of Thailand’s Santi Asoke. The Practice Prize is awarded to mountaineer Um Hong-gil and the Keimyung University Daegu Dongsan Hospital (Director Suh Young-sung). The Literature Prize is jointly awarded to writer Kim Joo-young and poet Shin Dal-ja. The highlight of the 2020 Manhae Festival—the Manhae Awards Ceremony—will take place next month, on Wednesday, August 12, at the Hanuelnaerin Center in Inje-gun, Gangwon-do. The Manhae Festival, which celebrates the spirit of Reverend Manhae (Han Yong-woon, 1879–1944), is co-hosted by Dongguk University, Gangwon-do, Inje-gun, Chosun Ilbo, and the Society for the Promotion and Practice of Manhae’s Thoughts. Various programs will be conducted, such as the Yusim Literature Prize ceremony, academic seminars, culture and art events, contests, and local college events.The Manhae Prizes are awarded to individuals who have made a significant impact worldwide in one of the following three areas: Peace, Practice, and Literature. Previous winners include former South African President Nelson Mandela, the Dalai Lama, former Chairman of the Hyundai Group Chung Ju-yung, former Korean President Kim Dae-jung, Catholic priest Ham Sei-ung, former Sorokdo nurse Marianne Stoeger, novelist Jo Jung-Rae, and Nobel Prize in Literature laureate Mo Yan.Monk Bodhirak, this year’s Manhae Peace Prize winner, is a figure who realized the life of non-violence and peace as found in scriptures. Once a composer and television programmer with wealth and fame in Thailand, he was ordained a monk with the resonating idea: “I, like the Lord Buddha, did not succumb to wealth, fame, and comfort.” He criticized the ineffectiveness of the orthodox ecclesiastical order and formed Santi Asoke, a community that practices simplicity and self-sacrifice; the followers live Buddha’s life and the community currently comprises five different villages, nine schools, six vegetarian restaurants, four organic fertilizer factories, three rice mills, two herbal medicine factories, one hospital, and a 160-hectare farm. In the community, monks eat once a day and reside in huts (kuti) to renounce their worldly possessions. Other followers, consisting of couples and children, while enjoying freer and more active lives than the monks, also find happiness in their communal livelihoods in the absence of greed.The Manhae Practice Prize winner, Um Hong-gil, is widely known for scaling the summits of all 14 Himalayan peaks (eight-thousanders) higher than 8,000 meters in 2000. With deep affection toward adolescents and those with disabilities, he established the Um Hong Gil Human Foundation in 2008, which has since been devoted to education work in the Nepalese Himalayas and remote villages. In addition, the Um Hong Gil Foundation Hospital opened and has been in operation at the entrance of the Himalayas Everest in Kumbu Namche (3,440 meters) since May 2017. He has also conducted activities for supporting Korean mountaineers’ surviving families since 2011, providing KRW 373 million in total as of June 2020. The co-winner of the Practice Prize, Keimyung University Daegu Dongsan Medical Center, was the last bastion of quarantine situated at the frontline in the battle against COVID-19. On February 21, three days after the first COVID-19 case was reported on February 18, the Daegu Dongsan Medical Center rapidly evacuated all hospital rooms to focus exclusively on the treatment of COVID-19 patients; the hospital managed to host a total of 1,022 COVID-19 patients. This was 13% of the infected patients in Daegu and 9% of the total COVID-19 patients in the country—a number that no other hospital in the country has managed to surpass. The Manhae Literature Prize winner Kim Joo-young is a writer who avidly explores the lives of ordinary folks that are not heroes and casts them as main characters of historical fiction. He made his literary debut with A Period of Dormancy in 1971, which won the New Writer’s Award in Literature Monthly; he then rose to fame through his 1979 saga, The Innkeeper. Kim produced multi-volume historical novels such as Righteous Band of Brigands, Yajeong, and The Wanderers, and continues to publish works at the age of 80. Through his publications that eloquently depict the lives and customs of laypeople from the past, Kim has demonstrated outstanding achievements that will remain in the history of Korean literature and its international exchange. Another co-winner of the Literature Prize, poet Shin Dal-ja, has published a total of 15 poetry collections. With Bongheonmunja as her debut into the literary circle, her works include The Water of Home, The Light of the Father, Mother, That Crooked Writing, Passionate Love, Paper, and The Northern Village, which was written during her two years of living in Bukchon Hanok Village and aimed to promote its beauty and history. She explores love from meeting and departing, life from birth to death, and these phenomena and nature as creatures that create and extinguish, based on her quest for human existence from an ontological perspective. Along with the title as the “poet of reconciliation and healing,” Shin is regarded as an author who boldly pioneered and represented the field of female poetry in Korean literature.