The first TEDxPostech was held at the POSCO International Center on Nov. 5. Five speakers were invited and the expenses for the event were sponsored by two institutes of POSTECH (refer to the Campus News).For readers who are not aware of TED, TED is a non-profit organization which is founded based on the objective of sharing and spreading valuable ideas. It holds annual TED Global with some of the world’s most influential people as speakers. Al Gore was one of the speakers with the famous Inconvenient Truth. TEDx is an independent event in which licensed groups can open small TED events in the

Even after the long, agonizing midterm week was over, some groups of students still continued to stay up late at night. Starting in mid-November, a series of concerts, performances, and exhibits is hosted by various student clubs. These clubs boast their skills across different genres with high-quality performances. Despite the lack of sleep, they work hard with sweat running down in beads every night for several hours out of sheer passion and love for what they do. Perhaps this is what people would call the pinnacle of the college life. How would the chemistry change if another factor is thro

HotThe rage gauge of the student body is rapidly reaching its limit. There have been outcries of dissatisfaction in the lack of communication and coercive execution of policies for the past few months. The issue about the abolition of student medical expense reimbursement has refueled the situation. Communication between the student body and the administration is needed more than ever, and the point of compromise needs to be sought by both parties. ColdHas there been a case in which a congressman files charges against a comedian who satirized him? Well, that is exactly what happened a few days

HotAs though the weather reflects Postechians’ moods, it was bitterly cold during the never-ending midterm period. When the exams were over, the warmth of the sunshine returned like magic. The trees are boasting their colorful foliage before cold wind will blow from the north. ColdThe registration period for the candidacy of the student union, female student union, and dormitory council presidencies has recently been closed. However, no candidate registered to run for the office during the regular registration period. Only during the extended period, did a sole candidate for each office come f

The strategic graduate admission for overseas students began in 2009 when POSTECH allocated large budget into the three-year campus globalization plan. The primary purpose of its establishment is to offer a unique opportunity for its students to develop international scope. At the same time, it would provide an appealing option for outstanding overseas students to study at a respectable institution outside of their country.Anyone would naturally guess that an institution needs a substantial amount of international mix in its student body to be considered as a world class university. Back in Ap

More than a year ago, the campus became noisy with a feeling of expectancy when ‘POSTECH Mobile Campus Agreement’ with SK Telecom was made public. (Refer to The Postech Times No. 15 published on Oct. 22 in 2009)The agreement included the funding for smartphones to university members, the production of a mobile groupware for users, and the installation of Wi-Fi zones across the campus. University members were sensitive to direct changes on their life (especially the grant of smartphones) as well, and that’s why one of the common business agreements of the university became so famous. It looked

Wherever there are human interactions, there will be unexpected or unintended troubles. POSTECH is not an exception. As an educational institute, POSTECH envelops thousands of scientists and engineers who construct a little society of POSTECH. Each of them is from each different stratified world. The hometowns of the constituents vary from Seoul to Iran to the United States. Cultural conflicts, which count not only for foreign-to-foreign or foreign-to-national relationships but also for national-to-national relationships, might occur. The Postech Times randomly picked several professors and as

Most students at POSTECH are living in dormitories and have roommates. Therefore, the roommate could be the most significant friend in the university. However if we have conflicts with a roommate, we will face lots of difficulties every day. There are some examples and solutions advised by a counselor working in the POSTECH counseling office in order to help those who have conflicts with their roommates. Situation1. A student is a morning person while another is a night owl. Both of them are sensitive. The morning person likes the light to be on before he is sleeping and the night owl person i

HotThe Postech Times has changed its format starting with the 29th issue. The most noticeable change is the font. The words are printed smaller and are in Times New Roman, giving the newspaper a more professional look. Also, this issue had two additional pages in English. We were able to deliver more news with less space constraints. The outcome was a huge success. All newspapers were sold out in all of the racks. It really encouraged the staff of The Postech Times. Thank you, and we look forward to your continued interest and support for the newspaper.ColdIt’s the change of the seasons from s

About this time last year, I personally wrote a piece criticizing how our library books were not being well-managed. Now a year later, some changes were made and some were not. In addition to the update, The Postech Times prepared suggestions for the library’s improvement. Books ManagementThe library’s classification system of Library of Congress Classification (LCC) offers a highly well-organized and solid system. If there is a problem of the book setting, it is the person’s problem. The writing I mentioned also handled the issue of manmade disaster of books management.One of the points I mad

It is not uncommon to see a blonde Caucasian walking around campus or a European student taking a lecture taught by an English-speaking Korean professor. Due to the years of effort to diversify the ethnicity of the campus for the long-term goal of globalization, the number of foreign students and professors has increased. But are we really ready for the change?There are only nine non-academic periodicals written in English among 151 non-academic periodicals in total in Postech’s Digital Library. According to a report from the library, the library bought twice as more Korean books as English bo

83.45 out of 100. POSETCH students are the most satisfied in Korea when it comes to the student welfare and scholarships, according to a survey of JoongAng Daily in 2011. Without a doubt, the figure is a reflection of the satisfaction of college life at POSTECH. However, the numbers do not reflect the whole picture. There are students who are easily marginalized and sometimes even thought as passive recipients of welfare : those with disability.According to the office of Student Affairs, as of Sep. 1, there are 3367 campus students. Of that number, five are disabled. Some of these disabled stu

Cats, Not So Cute AnymoreMeow. Cats are widely loved and often adopted as pets. They are adorable and cuddly. Would they still look so cute when their population multiplies uncontrollably, though? Recently a discussion about the proliferating population of cats in the dormitory area heated the student community board PosB. Many people expressed their unpleasant feelings that the number of cats seems to have increased in a short period of time. One group strongly resents people who, out of pity, provide food for the cats in the wild. The argument is that such acts only help the cat population t

Before the details are laid out, the relevant terms must be defined. The cats found in the wild can be categorized into two groups: abandoned and wild. Abandoned cats are not afraid of people for these cats were once cared for by owners. The wild cats, on the other hand, stay on their guard when people are near, and even become hostile when people try to come closer. The city of Pohang allocates part of its budget into poaching and treating abandoned animals. There is an abandoned animal shelter and a designated animal hospital to carry out the job. The abandoned animal shelter originally capt

It’s not all watching TV and eating Pot Noodles - there’s an art to spending better time.A concert at Burger King, not impressive. However, what if it’s a student-run solo concert? A reporter of The Postech Times went to the Burger King concert and had an exclusive interview with Jung Doo-yup (CE, ?6), who is brave to have a solo concert, which as far as we know hasn’t been done before at Burger King, let alone on campus.How Jung decided to have a solo concert“I want to stand out,” said Jung. “When I sing at student group Chorus, I’m supposed to harmonize with other members, most of which kill

HotPOSTECH members do not have to pay to enjoy futsal anymore. The futsal court has opened on Jul. 19, replacing one of the tennis courts. The place is so popular that one must reserve weeks in advance. It is also popular among sports clubs as well. Tachyons, baseball club, Kaiser and Eleven, and soccer clubs reserve the court to practice for the upcoming Science War in September. It even has several lighting posts because most Postechians can only play at night. ColdThe new fitness complex POSPLEX looks nice from outside. However, the pricing and service terms have provoked controversy well b

Going overseas is like a starting life based on whole new different rules. Every little thing, such as driving direction, is different and sometimes it makes foreign students get tired before starting a new thing. Tempting as it is to steer clear from all difficult trivial laws and confining your daily life, this is not the best way of getting that genuine insight into Korean life you have travelled so far find. This section is focused on the problems that foreign students might undergo in Korea. We tried to put as much information as possible but for more detail, go to the website (http://one

While the following might not apply to exchange students, for overseas graduate students who have a long-term study plan in South Korea or for foreign faculty members who have signed long-term contracts, there are some thirty financial services available to cultivate their wealth or hedge their lives through insurance.Of such foreign students, researchers or professors, many probably give up because they simply thought foreigners werelimited from certain financial activities or there were thousands of documents to prepare. Such worries are now baseless. As long as one has a certificate of resi

HotThe 26th POSTECH Math Competition was held on May 28. Only high school students with their principal’s recommendation could participate in the competition. This year, 1494 students came to test their math skills at one of the most prestigious math competitions in Korea. Prize winners will be announced on Jun. 13.The famous ex-Chair Professor Cheolsoo Ahn (KAIST) became a member of POSTECH’s board of directors on May 19. He had been an outside member of POSCO’s board of directors for six years prior to the latest appointment. ColdThere have been a number of delivered parcel thefts in dormito

The POSTECH Sports Multiplex (POSPLEX) is at the peak of construction. In July, finishing construction after one year, the new gymnasium next to the old one is going to have its opening.Once there was an indoor tennis court at the sight, but due to the low rate of use and necessity of a swimming pool, reconstruction was decided.POSPLEX, which cost 16 billion KRW, is being built by Seohee Construction. In the three-story building, with a basement floor, there will be a swimming pool composed of six 25m lanes with baths, a fitness club which supports ground for yoga and aerobics, 13 booths for a