On September 22, Professor Kim Dae-Hyung (Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering) was selected as one of the so-called ‘TR35’ by the world renowned academic journal Technology Review, which produces an annual list of 35 scientists under the age of 35 who have opened up new possibilities in technology.

Technology Review was first published in 1899 by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). It focuses on innovative research in the field of science and technology. Every year, the journal organizes a panel of experts for advice and then decides on the winning 35 scientists who yielded the most innovative research results. These scientists may have developed a new technology to tackle important problems in creative ways or may have used existing technology in unconventional ways.

Professor Kim was chosen as one of the ‘TR35’ because of his breakthrough discovery of the so-called “electronic skin”. Professor Kim developed a tattoo-like “electronic skin” that can monitor vital signs such as heart rate, body temperature, muscle contractions and brain activity on a real-time basis. Professor Kim's “electronic skin” is more accurate than the current health monitoring devices. It is also very flexible so that it can be attached to bending parts of the body. His team’s research was published in the international weekly journal, Science (2011 August 12, volume 333). Professor Kim’s research is also receiving attention from the medical sector, internationally as well as domestically, because it has the potential to be used to store a patient's data and wirelessly transmit the data to the nearest hospital.

Some famous recipients of the same award include Google co-founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin, Linux developer Linus Torvalds, BitTorrent developer Bram Cohen, and Netscape co-founder Marc Andreessen. Some of the other scientists selected alongside Professor Kim this year developed robots that can learn from people, found ways to convert paper records to digital ones in real time, and created software that cannot crash. Almost a third of the winners were selected for their research related to computer software or Internet technology.

Written by JANG Hyo Jeong, SNU English Editor, fatalbonds@snu.ac.kr   ?
Reviewed by Eli Park Sorensen, SNU Professor of Liberal Studies, eps7257@snu.ac.kr
Proofread by Brett Johnson, SNU English Editor, morningcalm2@gmail.com