Kaist

Promoting metaverse initiatives with an active age..

Hong Kong-based professionals were provided a metaverse course by Professor Lik-Hang Lee in collaboration with the Hong Kong Productivity Council(HKPC) during the Spring 2022 semester. Inresponse to the growing need for virtual worlds and virtual-physical hybrid settings, "The Metaverse Course for Professionals" intends to cultivate world-class metaverse talent. The traing covered the parallel virtual world and how to exploit digitalization and industry in the metaverse era. The training was attended by R&D scientists, consultants, software engineers, and associated professionals from the HKPC. The students completed extensive courses on topics such as creating and executing virtual-physical blended environments, metaverse technologies and ecosystems, immersive smart cities, token economies, and intelligent industrialization in the metaverse age. < Figure 1. Media Coverage by HKPC regarding the KAIST's Metaverse course > Moreover, Professor Lee and his collaborators worldwide have conducted research stucies on building user0centric urban areas featuring virtual-physical blended experiences, also known as metaverse cities. His recent studies aim to strike a balance between user interactivity bandwidth and user mobilit in the metaverse cities. Some AR/VR-based gadgets and system solutions include EMG-based text entry with occupied hands [Ref.4] (Figure 2A), freehand interaction of content editing on mobile immersive experience [Ref.3] (Figure 2C), VR-driven design of human-drone interfaces [Ref.5] (Figure 2D), user authentication on mobile geadsets with gaze and footsteps [Ref.2] (Figure 2E), multi-modal metaverse between Earth and Mars [Ref.6], and to name but a few. When the metaverse services appear ubiquitously in our cities, the studies mentioned above enable users to convert their intentions into actions seamlessly in such immersive environments. < Figure 2. Smapshots of recent research on Augmented Reality(AR) and Virtual Reality(VR) >

KAIST and Google Jointly Develop AI Curricula

KAIST selected the two professors who will develop AI curriculum under the auspices of the KAIST-Google Partnership for AI Education and Research. The Graduate School of AI announced the two authors among the 20 applicants who will develop the curriculum next year. They will be provided 7,500 USD per subject. Professor Changho Suh from the School of Electrical Engineering and Professor Yong-Jin Yoon from the Department of Mechanical Engineering will use Google technology such as TensorFlow, Google Cloud, and Android to create the curriculum. Professor Suh’s “TensorFlow for Information Theory and Convex Optimization “will be used for curriculum in the graduate courses and Professor Yoon’s “AI Convergence Project Based Learning (PBL)” will be used for online courses. Professor Yoon’s course will explore and define problems by utilizing AI and experiencing the process of developing products that use AI through design thinking, which involves product design, production, and verification. Professor Suh’s course will discus“information theory and convergence,” which uses basic sciences and engineering as well as AI, machine learning, and deep learning.

Do Not Erect a Wall, Build a Bridge

(Mr. Ban gave a lecture on UN and Global Citizenship at KAIST)  “People are saying that multilateralism is under threat, but I believe that it has helped others keep away from wars. There are currently invisible walls among countries. But do not erect the wall, build the bridge！” On December 7, KAIST invited one of the most admired people by Korea’s younger generation to give a lecture on UN and Global Citizenship, as the final session of the Global Leaders Lecture Series 2018. He is the 33th Minister of Foreign Affairs and the 8th Secretary-General of the United Nations, Ban Ki-Moon. Mr. Ban is recognized for making significant contributions to world peace and environmental preservation during his term at the UN. Mr. Ban first opened his lecture by explaining his great expectations for KAIST students. “KAIST is one of the outstanding universities that fosters the world’s best scientists and for that I have a great expectations for your role in the era of the Fourth Industrial Revolution. In this rapidly changing society, acquiring global citizenship is most important,” he said. Who are global citizens? According to UNESCO, they are ‘active promoters of more peaceful, tolerant, inclusive, secure and sustainable societies’. He stated that global leaders lacking global citizenship has resulted in so many disputes among countries and concerns for themselves. This concept of global citizenship came to him when he studied abroad in the U.S as a young man and met John F. Kennedy. He said, “It touched my heart although I was young. He (John F. Kennedy) told me that the world leaders were not getting along well. During the hype of the Cold War, national boundaries were meaningless. The question was whether I could help others. He then encouraged me, telling me that I could change it because I was young.” Mr. Ban proposed four required mindsets for global citizenship. The first is to have respect, empathy, and trustworthiness for others. He believes that speaking is the foundation of knowledge, while listening is the foundation of wisdom. Although the concept of philosophy might vary between the East and West, listening to others is very important for gaining respect, empathy, and trustworthiness. The second is to be future-oriented, particularly for scientists who have the potential to change civilization. He encouraged the audience to look to the future by sharing his story about climate change. “During my term, I received strong advice from scientists that led me to prioritize the issue of climate change. I focused on climate change for better living conditions around the world.” He also added, “This cannot be done by one country. We need to all work together to live harmoniously with nature.” Third, having a critical mindset is important, especially for scientists because it helps with solving problems by taking a scientific approach, without missing any of the small things. It is essential for scientists to find out new things, particularly in the era of the Fourth Industrial Revolution and informatization; however, they need to keep in mind how their findings will affect us. For instance, they need to question how robotics will change humans’ living patterns, as well as their role and how it links to humanity. Last but not least, passion, which goes along with compassion, is required for helping others. Ban thinks people without passion are like the walking dead. When pursuing policies, they need to have the passion to drive it. At the same time, they need to have compassion for creating a happier life for everyone. Mr. Ban ended by saying to the students, “You did not lead the era of informatization, but you are the beneficiaries of it. Acquiring global citizenship, you need to think how you can help even out the growth across the globe through the development of science during this era.”