A new leaf-mustard kimchi season is here, stimulating appetites with the unique flavor and aroma of leaf mustard and ground red chili, plus the promise of enriched calcium.The joint research by Professor Youngsook Lee of the Department of Life Science. and Dr. Won-Yong Song and Prof. Martinoia of University of Zurich have created a way for producing the calcium-rich product.The research team found that the protein, BjPCR1, facilitates transportation to calcium absorbed from root hair of plants to inner cells. Prof. Lee’s research team demon-strated the fact that BjPCR controls the transp..

Professor Nam -Ki Lee (i-Bio and Physics) su- cceeded in find- ing the step-by-step processes of neurotransmitt- ers in the brain cells through the single molecule technique, which had previously been unknown. This principle allows for possibilities to understand the causes of brain cell damage when patients suffer from intractable cerebropathy such as dementia.Prof. Lee’s research team jointed with Prof. Yeon-kyun Shin (KIST) to discover the fact that synaptotagmin-1, which is protein in biological membrane, controlled fusion of cell membrane in process of releasing chemicals by gradati..

The HangulBot, developed by the research team of Professor Sonya S. Kwak (HSS), won the Delegate’s Choice prize on Dec. 8 at the International Conference on Social Robotics 2011 held in the Netherlands.The robot, developed by Prof. Kwak, Song Young-bin (CSE 08), Park Joon-sin (ME 09), Eun Ho Kim (KAIST), and Ji Myung Kim (KAIST), was designed for children and non-Koreans. By rotating and rearranging a consonant block and a vowel block, learners can understand the concept of the phonetic aspect of the Korean language in a short time.The robot was designed to perceive the arrangement of th..

It is not uncommon for diseases such as diabetes, hypertension and cancer to develop complications. Recently, a research team led by Professor Sanguk Kim of Department of Life Science successfully devised a method for predicting disease complications based on comorbid disease pairs by employing a network medicine approach. Jointly with Professor Sung Ki Jang of Life Science, PhD candidate Solip Park, and Professor Juyong Park of Kyung Hee University, Professor Kim published a paper, ‘Protein localization as a principal feature of the etiology and comorbidity of genetic diseases’ in..

Atransparent and flexible organic transistor was recently developed by a POSTECH-SKKU joint research team. Professors Kilwon Cho and Kwang Soo Kim teamed up with Professor Byung Hee Hong at Sungkyunkwan University and worked on graphene, the ‘dream material,’ stepping into the market of next generation displays such as transparent monitors, windows, and flexible displays that can function like GPS navigation systems on automobiles and wearable electronic devices. The research team used graphene as electrodes for Organic Thin-Film Transistors (OTFTs) and successfully produced a flex..

When we pour a carbonated drink into a cup, we see small droplets popping over the surface. This happens because air bubbles float up in water and burst on the water surface, ejecting water particles into the air. These water particles are called ‘aerosols.’ In general, aerosols are tiny particles whose size ranges from a few nanometers to several micrometers that freely float in the atmosphere. Water droplets, dust, smoke, and water haze are typical examples of aerosols. They may either act as cloud condensation nuclei stimulating cloud formation, or scatter and absorb solar light..

Asmart nanomedicine customized for liver diseases has been developed by Professor Sei Kwang Hahn’s research team in the Department of Materials Science and Engineering. Hyaluronic acid is a bio-polymer of high biocompatibility and stability, and can be target-specifically delivered to liver tissues. Capitalizing on this characteristic of hyaluronic acid, Prof. Hahn built a liver-targeted drug delivery system, which is expected not only to reduce serious side-effects of the conventional uncustomized medications, but also to advance the effectiveness of the drug for hepatitis, liver cirrho..

Water probably is the greatest enemy for most electrical devices; water short-circuits electric devices. Therefore the demand is high for developing water-resistant components, and in particular, those to be used for expensive, high-performance electronic devices. Professor Kijung Yong of Department of Chemical Engineering and PhD candidate Seunghyup Lee have utilized the ‘lotus leaf effect’ with nano materials and manufactured an electronic device that shows stable performance even when soaked in water. The result was published online in Advanced Materials, a renowned journal in m..

Solar cells are converters that make electricity out of light energy by the photovoltaic effect. Made with organic semiconductors, organic solar cells are light and flexible, can produce electricity with a small amount of sunlight, and can be manufactured at a low cost. As a result, they are suitable for products that need self-generated electricity such as solar windows or certain military products rather than for solar power plants. In Angewandte Chemie, a renowned journal for the field of chemistry, a POSTECH master’s student published a paper on a new manufacturing technology for org..

A new drug delivery system, whose nanopores open or close depending on electrical stimulus, has been established by Professor Jin Kon Kim, Director of National Creativity Research Initiative Program for Block Copolymer Self-Assembly. The device can also be manipulated by a remote controller while being planted inside a human body. Published on Nano Letters (11(3), 1284-1288 (2011)), an authoritative journal on nanoscience, the article, ‘Electrically Actuatable Smart Nanoporous Membrane for Pulsatile Drug Release,’ discusses how the new device can freely control the release of drugs..