Seoul National University is on the move. Through the World Class University (WCU) Project, the University is continuously seeking ways to support the convergence of the sciences by setting up new majors and improving its academic environment.

The World Class University Project is a higher education subsidy program of the Korean government, which focuses on greater collaboration among academic fields by establishing new academic programs in growth-generating fields. Its goals include enhancing national, higher educational and industrial competitiveness in inter-disciplinary fields and transforming Korean universities into world-class institutions.

Supported by this government-funded project, Seoul National University has prepared 7 new majors and is expecting to have 193 students in the master’s programs and 99 students in the doctoral programs, starting from fall 2009. These new majors will all focus on inter-disciplinary studies, one of the objectives of the WCU Project, and all classes are to be conducted in English.

Biophysics and Chemical Biology
These two fields, biophysics and chemical biology, have been studied through separate methods for the last decade. However, through this inter-disciplinary course, Seoul National University aims to expand the scope of studies in these fields by analyzing the signaling system at the molecular level, brain energy metabolism, bio-sensors and cellular technology to gear up the nation’s bio-industry.

Brain and Cognitive Sciences
The Brain and Cognitive Sciences major concentrates on examining the brain in the context of understanding overall human activities. Scientific studies in the field will contribute to further studies on brain disorders and their cures by combining bio-technology (BT) with information technology (IT) and nano-technology (NT) in the development of cutting-edge technologies.

Hybrid Materials
The issue of “sustainable development” has brought to life the interest in environmentally-friendly materials and parts. This led to the establishment of the Department of Material Sciences & Engineering in 1991. And now, in 2009, Seoul National University endeavors to pursue the goal of a “sustainable globe” by developing hybrid materials for energy renewal.

Chemical Convergence for Energy and Environment
The need for renewable energy sources to reduce the amount of carbon dioxide (CO2) in the environment has become a global issue. The expected government expenditure for energy use reduction alone for the next 5 years, close to $1,600,000,000, illustrates the graveness of the issue. Developing highly-educated human resources and increasing the amount of renewable energy to nearly 11% of total energy use is the main goal of this program.

Molecular Medicine and Biopharmaceutical Sciences
Finding a target molecule for a disease, confirming its significance and conducting research on finding the right substance for a certain target molecule is what molecular medicine and pharmaceutical sciences can do in cooperation, with the help of biopharmaceutical sciences serving as a field that connects the two disciplines. Working together, these three fields can accelerate the speed and accuracy of the flow of information. The field of molecular medicine and biopharmaceutical sciences is intended to advance as one of the best translational sciences with the efforts of world-class scholars.

Multiscale Mechanical Design
Multiscale mechanical design is a discipline involving studies on both the macro-scale and nano-scale, connecting the latest scientific knowledge of the two fields with advanced technology. Various technologies in the field of multiscale mechanical design can be adopted for use in future vehicles and pollution-free renewable energy development. Courses in this major will be designed based on the standardized curriculum of analysis-design-production.

Biomodulation
Biomodulation, meaning “the manipulation of bio-information,” focuses on finding correlations among genes, cells and living organs for developing future life sources and inventing bio-engineering technologies. This field of study has already been developed however combined with agricultural sciences, medicine, veterinary medicine, biophysics and food engineering, it is expected to enlarge the scope of studies in various related fields by building a global network with other world-class universities.

July 28, 2009
HWANG Seyeon, SNU English Editor
SNU PR Office