POSTECH News
POSTECH Holds Commencement Ceremony for the 2023 Academic Year
[On February, 2nd, POSTECH held the commencement ceremony for the 2023 academic year, with a total of 800 graduates, receiving bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral degrees]
[Every graduate went on the stage to receive their diploma from President Seong Keun Kim.]
Pohang University of Science and Technology (POSTECH) hosted the 2023 graduation ceremony at the Gymnasium February 2, just ahead the Advent of Spring, the first solar term of the year. This year, a total of 800 students graduated, including 268 undergraduates, 245 master’s, and 287 doctoral candidates.
Typical graduation ceremonies have only a small group of representative students from the bachelor’s and master’s programs ascend the stage to receive their diplomas. By contrast, this ceremony saw all attending students stepping onto the stage. Such an inclusive approach aims to encourage and congratulate each and every student personally, without exception. The tradition of all doctoral graduates going on the stage to receive their degree was maintained this year as well. Notably, representatives from both the undergraduate and graduate programs delivered graduation speeches.
The Founding Chairman’s Award, given to the student who achieved top academic performance across all undergraduate programs, was awarded to Jiyong Bae from the Department of Electrical Engineering (GPA: 4.22/4.3). As this award went to an Engineering major, the Chairman’s Award was presented to Jeong-taek Hong from the Department of Mathematics, who achieved the highest GPA in the Sciences disciplines.
The Sung-Kee Chung Award, given to individuals with outstanding research achievements and excellent research contributions, was awarded to Jihoon Oh from the Division of Environmental Science and Engineering (advisor: Professor Jong-Seong Kug), while Jaeseung Yoon from the Department of Mechanical Engineering (advisor: Dong Sung Kim) achieved the Kun Soo Chang Award. Jihoon Oh made significant contributions to the study of irreversibility of climate systems, while Jaeseung Yoon achieved notable outcomes in the engineering reproduction of various scales of microbial systems. These awards were established with funds contributed by former President Sung-Kee Chung and Professor Emeritus Kun Soo Chang.
The Mueunjae Award, which honors the ideals of the inaugural president, Dr. Hogil Kim (pen name: Mueunjae), is bestowed upon graduates who have contributed to the university’s advancement and prestige. This time around it was presented to Sangyun Han from the Department of Life Sciences (advisor: Tae Kyung Kim). Mr. Han served as the student president of the department in 2022, leading knowledge and cultural exchanges. He also represented the university at the 2021 World Knowledge Forum, communicating the university’s excellent research to the world. The POSTECH Alumni Association Chairman Award is given to students who have grown into individuals embodying one of the university’s founding tenets (future global leaders with both knowledge and honorable character). It was awarded to Ik-Jyae Kim from the Department of Materials Science and Engineering (Advisor: Jang-Sik Lee), who made outstanding achievements in the research on next-generation memory and brain-mimicking devices using hafnia-based ferroelectric materials.
The School of EECS and Convergence Award, given to outstanding graduates from School of Electrical Engineering, Computer Science and Convergence, and Graduate School of Artificial Intelligence, was awarded to Joo Hong Min from the Department of Computer Science and Engineering (advisor: Minsu Cho). Mr. Min developed innovative technology for learning visual correspondences and, in 2022, became the only Korean selected as a Google PhD Fellowship recipient in Machine Perception, Speech Technology and Computer Vision.
President Seong Keun Kim stated at the graduation ceremony, “Unaware of their inherent limitations, the bumblebees recklessly flap their tiny wings, experiencing countless failures and setbacks until, eventually, they learn to fly,” emphasizing that stubborn sincerity of the bumblebee that make flying possible. He concluded with words of encouragement to graduates preparing for a new flight: “As your future unfolds with the initial struggles of flapping wings, like the determined bumblebee, I look forward to that day when you will extend your wings and soar into the sky like an eagle.”
