Tag: Inha University

▲MOU Signing Ceremony between the Inha University Climate Crisis Response Project Group and the Korea–Tajikistan Economic Exchange Association

The Inha University Climate Crisis Response Project Group has recently drawn attention by actively engaging in cooperation with regional institutions to promote internationalization projects and strengthen the linkage between high schools and universities.

The group recently held separate MOU signing ceremonies with the Korea–Tajikistan Economic Exchange Association, Ewon Medical Foundation, and Incheon Daegun High School.

Through these partnerships, it plans to promote international collaboration with the Korea–Tajikistan Economic Exchange Association and Ewon Medical Foundation, while working with Incheon Daegun High School to implement high school–university linked educational programs. These efforts aim to strengthen cooperation with the local community and invigorate the second phase of the project.

Since its establishment in 2019, the Korea–Tajikistan Economic Exchange Association has contributed significantly to economic exchanges between Korea and Tajikistan. Ewon Medical Foundation is the largest clinical testing and research institution in Korea. Together with the Inha University Climate Crisis Response Project Group, they will carry out various collaborative initiatives, including the development of international cooperation projects and programs supporting students’ overseas advancement and local education opportunities.

With Incheon Daegun High School, which celebrates its 80th anniversary this year, the group will implement an advanced program targeting 15 selected first-year students. Over the next three years, the program will include auditing courses in the climate crisis response convergence major and participating in joint club activities, thereby elevating existing high school–university linkage programs to a new level.

Since being selected in July 2023 as a participating university in the HUSS (Humanities Utmost Sharing System) Convergence Talent Development Project (Environment Consortium), supported by the Ministry of Education and the National Research Foundation of Korea, the group has focused on building a foundation for cultivating convergent talent in climate crisis response.

Key achievements include the establishment of advanced classrooms to support both curricular and extracurricular activities, the operation of a convergence major involving students from diverse departments, the development and implementation of specialized international field training programs, and the execution of various international collaboration projects with regions and countries worldwide, including GGC.

As it enters the second phase this year, the Inha University Climate Crisis Response Project Group is accelerating preparations for a new leap forward.

Plans include introducing new AI-related courses such as “AI and Social Change” and “AI in Climate Crisis Response,” expanding career pathways and global opportunities for undergraduate students in the convergence major, and establishing a new graduate-level Department of Climate Change Response. Additionally, a combined bachelor’s–master’s program will be introduced to foster professional researchers in the field.

Kim Jeong-ho, head of the Inha University Climate Crisis Response Project Group, stated, “Based on the achievements of the first phase, we will strive to cultivate outstanding convergent talent who will lead the future by enhancing the quality of the curriculum and strengthening collaboration with local and international communities during the second phase.”

▲Group Photo of the Climate Crisis Response Project Group and Ewon Medical Foundation

▲MOU Signing Ceremony between the Climate Crisis Response Project Group and Incheon Daegun High School

Original Article

Inha University’s Jungseok Library recently successfully held the opening ceremony of ‘AI CUBE (AI Convergence Bookshelf),’ which will serve as a hub for integrated academic services in the age of artificial intelligence, along with an AI roundtable discussion linked to the event.

AI CUBE is an AI-specialized convergence knowledge space designed to maximize the convenience of information exploration through one-stop curation of AI-related knowledge, and to contribute to the cultivation of creative, interdisciplinary talent by providing users with insights that transcend academic boundaries.

The event was attended by key Inha university officials, including Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs Baek Seong-hyun, Acting Student Council President Choi Su-han, and professors participating in the AI roundtable.

In the AI roundtable that followed, professors from various academic disciplines participated as panelists and engaged in multifaceted discussions on AI application cases and the resulting societal changes. In particular, 32 undergraduate and graduate students participated in the session, continuing an active Q&A discussion.

Acting Student Council President Choi Su-han stated, “As the role of AI continues to grow across all fields of study, it is important to learn how to use it properly and efficiently,” adding, “I expect this opportunity will help us better understand how to use AI effectively.”

Director of Jungseok Library Kim Young-soon remarked in her opening speech, “We organized this roundtable with the hope that students will become individuals who can cross the boundaries of academic disciplines.”

Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs Baek Seong-hyun encouraged students by saying, “The pace at which AI is transforming our lives is accelerating, and in this era of change, some students may feel lost or even fearful,” adding, “Through this roundtable, I hope students will gain insights from experts and find direction for their future lives.”

Starting with the opening of AI CUBE and this roundtable, Jungseok Library plans to continue providing platforms for interdisciplinary exchange and to expand its role as a hub for convergence knowledge.

▲Officials are cutting the ribbon at the AI CUBE opening ceremony.

Original Article

Students from INHA College of Medicine became the first from a Korean medical school to participate in the ‘Silent Mentor’ program at Tzu Chi University College of Medicine in Hualien, Taiwan.

The training delegation, consisting of Vice Dean Choi Jeong-seok, Department Chair of Pre-medicine Kim Geun-ho, Professor Kim Il-doo, and four senior medical students, visited Tzu Chi University—world-renowned for its unique anatomy curriculum—for a six-day session from the 15th to the 20th.

The ‘Silent Mentor’ program is characterized by treating the cadaver not as a mere anatomical object, but as a ‘mentor,’ fostering deep reflection on respect for life and human dignity. Students engaged in a humanities-based educational process that included studying the donor’s life in advance, meeting with bereaved families, performing gratitude rituals, and attending memorial ceremonies to honor the donor’s legacy.

Notably, this practice utilized fresh(unembalmed) cadavers, which allow students to experience tissue textures similar to actual clinical settings without chemical preservation treatments. Students enhanced their practical capabilities by performing basic clinical skills, such as skin incision and suturing, vascular access, and arthrocentesis. Beyond technical acquisition, the experience provided an integrated education in empathy, ethics, and professionalism.

Tzu Chi University College of Medicine has practiced education that respects cadavers as ‘Silent Mentors’ since 1996 and has been operating this program in earnest since 2002. These efforts have spread bioethical awareness throughout Taiwanese society, resulting in approximately 43,000 organ and cadaver donation pledges to date, making it a global model for anatomical education.

This training is also part of the ‘Community-Based Medical Education’ program currently being promoted by the College of Medicine. Since last year, it has been adopted as specialized education under the ‘Regional Innovation Strategy and Capacity Building (RISE)’ project, conducted by the Ministry of Education and 17 metropolitan governments, including Incheon Metropolitan City, to strengthen educational capabilities.

Based on the achievements of this training, the College of Medicine plans to strengthen its clinical surgical anatomy curriculum—integrating medical humanities, basic anatomy, and clinical medicine—and systematize mutual cooperation with Tzu Chi University to transform into a medical school that fulfills its social responsibilities.

Lee Hoon-jae, Dean of the College of Medicine, stated, “This training at Tzu Chi University served as an important opportunity to confirm the direction of the community-based and integrated medical curriculum that Inha University College of Medicine pursues.” He added, “Based on the ‘Silent Mentor’ program model, we plan to fully implement a surgical anatomy curriculum in connection with our newly developed educational and practice facilities.”

▲ Medical students pay their respects while viewing photos and descriptions of the ‘Silent Mentor’s’ life displayed on a monitor before the practice session.

▲ Participating students honor the ‘Silent Mentors’ by singing a memorial song during a gratitude ceremony.

Original Article

INHA university announced on the 30th that the Graduate School of Education recently held a meeting program for communication with students titled ‘Evening with Coffee’.

This event was organized to further develop the curriculum and support system by actively reflecting the experiences and opinions of graduate students, who are the practical subjects of education.

The Graduate School of Education held the event in the lobby on the 1st floor of the 60th Anniversary Memorial Hall, where President Cho Myeong-woo, key university officials, and graduate students participated in a time of communication in a free-flowing atmosphere. In particular, President Cho Myeong-woo and Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs Baek Seong-hyeon encouraged the students by personally sharing coffee and refreshments.

Participants shared their experiences in their studies and research processes in a relaxed setting and presented various opinions regarding curriculum operation, learning support, and improvements to facility environments.

Specifically, this event was prepared as a venue to sophisticatedly refine the curriculum and support systems based on student feedback and to carry forward the achievements of the Teacher Training Institution Competency Assessment. It functioned as a communication channel to reflect voices from the field into policy, going beyond mere listening.

Previously, the university achieved significant results in the 6th Cycle of the Teacher Training Institution Competency Assessment, receiving the highest grade for the College of Education and an excellent grade for the Graduate School of Education. This event was promoted as an extension of these achievements to further refine educational quality and continuously develop a teacher training system that reflects field opinions.

The Graduate School of Education has continued to innovate in response to the changing educational environment, such as establishing an IB(International Baccalaureate)-based teacher training system and strengthening AI convergence and STEAM education. With this event as a turning point, the school plans to further strengthen the student participation-based feedback system and increase the execution power for improving educational quality.

President Cho Myeong-woo stated, “The experiences and opinions of our students are the most important starting point for improving the quality of education. By actively reflecting voices from the field, we will solidify the achievements we have made in the competency assessment and leap forward as a teacher training institution that leads future education.”

Meanwhile, the Graduate School of Education plans to continue developing curriculum specialization and student support systems through ongoing communication with students, and to steadily expand education innovation models linked with the local community.

▲President Cho Myeong-woo hands coffee to a graduate student during the ‘Evening with Coffee’ event.

Original Article

The College of Medicine at Inha University is accelerating ‘Community-Based Medical Education,’ which expands the educational scope beyond the confines of classrooms and university hospitals into the community.

The College of Medicine is conducting specialized training for 3-week clinical clerkships this month and in coming June at a hospital ship (Geongang Ongjin-ho) and Baekryeong Hospital for 4th-year medical students.

From March 4 to 6, students boarded the Ongjin-gun hospital ship to conduct their first clinical clerkship under the guidance of public health doctors and personnel, and a second clinical clerkship is also scheduled for June. Additionally, they are conducting a clinical clerkship at Baekryeong Hospital on Baekryeong Island for nine days from March 9 to 17.

Students will experience the specificity and importance of public healthcare through regional status lectures and seminars, participation in island tour medical treatments, and involvement in Doctor-Heli patient evacuations.

The College of Medicine has been preparing community-based medical education since 2022 to cultivate medical personnel suited for the local community. Since last year, as the Ministry of Education implemented the ‘Regional Innovation Strategy and Education (RISE)’ project, which considers the regional characteristics and strengths/specializations of local universities in 17 cities and provinces nationwide, this program was adopted as specialized education, leading the innovation of medical education.

To this end, the College of Medicine signed agreements with Ongjin-gun, Baekryeong Hospital, and Incheon Medical Center, and plans to sign agreements with a total of 100 community public and private medical institutions within the year.

Seo Han Yong, a 4th-year medical student who participated in the Baekryeong Hospital clinical clerkship, said, “It taught me much more than university hospital training and made me properly realize the reality of community patients we must look after,” and added, “It was a precious opportunity to think about what to aim for through the dedication shown by our senior doctors on the island.”

The College of Medicine plans to establish a practical community-centered medical education system. In particular, project-based classes will be conducted to analyze the epidemiology of major diseases among residents of specific regions and propose health policies or health promotion programs suitable for those regions. Furthermore, the college plans to significantly expand education on social responsibility to protect the health of the community by strengthening the ability to analyze and solve regional health problems and learning deeply about the roles and responsibilities of public hospitals.

Inha University Hospital, an affiliated university hospital under the university’s medical center, is also positioning itself as a community-based medical institution that meets the specificities of the Incheon region, which is expected to serve as a turning point for regional medical development as a hospital-academia cooperation model.

Inha University Hospital has continued medical support for island areas for 28 years, starting with Baekryeong Island in 1998. It has evolved from simple medical volunteering in the early days to medical service agreements for Ongjin-gun residents, installation of remote consultation systems, and expansion of prevention-oriented public health, gradually developing into a systematic and effective medical system. Notably, through the ‘1 Island 1 Primary Care Hospital’ project, it has been designated in charge of Daecheong-myeon and Baekryeong-myeon, and has achieved results such as specialists participating in real-time intensive care through the establishment of a smart remote video consultation system with Baekryeong Hospital.

Lee Taek, President of Inha University Medical Center, stated, “We plan to further expand our role as a responsible medical and educational institution so that customized talent can be cultivated through regional specialized education from the educational stage to work for the region.”

▲Director Lee Du Ik of Baekryeong Hospital providing emergency room patient education to 4th-year medical students from Inha University College of Medicine.

▲The Dean of the College of Medicine at Inha University, students, and medical staff of Baekryeong Hospital taking a commemorative photo.

Original Article

▲ (From left) Min Kyung-Hoon, first author and integrated master’s/doctoral researcher in the Department of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, and Professor Shim Sang-Eun(Advisor) of the Department of Chemical Engineering.

Professor Shim Sang-Eun’s research team in the Department of Chemical Engineering recently developed a next-generation catalyst technology capable of capturing carbon dioxide and converting it into useful compounds simultaneously.

 

This technology is a new method of directly growing Metal-Organic Frameworks (MOF) inside silica-based aerogels.

 

Professor Shim’s research team designed the aerogel—which has a lightweight and highly porous structure—to act as a confined reaction space, ensuring the catalytic material forms uniformly inside. Through this, they reduced particle aggregation, a common issue in conventional catalysts, and enabled more effective utilization of the active sites required for the reaction.

 

In particular, they developed a new aerogel support by combining silicon-based polymers with hydrophilic polymers and succeeded in evenly dispersing MOF, which is effective for carbon dioxide adsorption and conversion reactions, inside. This structure possesses both a high surface area and a rigid framework, offering the advantage of maintaining its shape even under demanding synthesis conditions.

 

Additionally, they further enhanced reaction efficiency by introducing an ionic liquid that serves to effectively capture carbon dioxide on the catalyst surface. As a result, it showed excellent carbon dioxide adsorption performance even at room temperature, and in catalytic reaction experiments, achieved near-perfect reaction efficiency with only a very small amount of catalyst.

 

This catalyst showed almost no performance degradation even after more than 10 repeated uses and operated stably even in environments where moisture was present. It is evaluated that the hydrophobic characteristics of the siloxane-based structure increased the possibility of application to actual industrial processes. Min Kyung-Hoon, an integrated master’s/doctoral researcher in the Department of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering Fusion, participated as the first author of this study.

 

Professor Shim Sang-Eun said, “By employing a strategy of growing the catalyst directly inside the aerogel, we effectively overcame the limitations of existing metal-organic framework catalysts,” adding, “This technology will serve as a practical alternative that contributes to reducing carbon dioxide and utilizing it as a resource.”

▲Schematic diagram of the research on improving carbon dioxide conversion performance through catalyst growth inside aerogel.

Original Article

Meanwhile, the results of this study were published in the international academic journal Advanced Composites and Hybrid Materials (Impact factor: 21.8).