Korea trip benefits programs, students

The University has signed an agreement to support a collaborative research project between the Korean Advanced Institute of Science and Technology's (KAIST) Center for Concurrent Engineering Design and the University's Center for Computer-Aided Design (CCAD). The project is supported by an initial $1.2 million research grant from Samsung.

The research collaboration will benefit both centers by enhancing their research capabilities and creating an initial commercialization mechanism for CCAD products.

"This is a region of increasing importance in the global economy, caught up in rapid social change," President Mary Sue Coleman says. "It's a good time for us to strengthen our academic linkages with Korean institutions and to explore further collaborative opportunities."

Also as a result of the eight-day trip to South Korea in June, Coleman signed agreements with several of South Korea's leading institutions to promote exchanges of University of Iowa and Korean students and scholars.

According to Michael L. McNulty, associate provost for international programs, relatively few University of Iowa students study in Korea.

"We would like to identify opportunities for longer-term and shorter-term programs," he says. "Many students simply haven't been able to invest the time in the study of Korean literature that would be required to spend a long-term study period. We've been successful in other areas of study, and I think we can be successful in developing shorter-term programs that will hook students and get them really interested."

Also, a partnership with the Korea Foundation will help support a new endowed chair in Korean studies. A Korea Foundation grant of $500,000, matched with funds from an endowment established by the Max and Betty Stanley family of Muscatine, will significantly strengthen the University research and instructional programs in Korean studies, Coleman says.

Other University officials participating in the trip were McNulty; Michael New, UI Foundation vice president for development programs; and Jae-On Kim, professor of sociology and director of the Center for Asian and Pacific Studies.

University officials also met with University alumni in the country and a number of Korean dignitaries, scholars, business leaders, foundation officials, and members of the news media. It was Coleman's first official foreign visit since assuming the University presidency.

by University News Services