KIOST Launched Its New Outside Post, KIOST-NOAA Lab Extension, and Hosted the 2nd Korea-U.S. Oceanic & Atmospheric Science Technology Workshop

KIOST, Korea Institute Ocean Science & Technology (KIOST) has just established another foreign office to hold a strong foothold on the global oceanic research field. KIOST has been seeking research posts in overseas advanced research institutions to facilitate researcher exchange and secure world-class research capacity.

KIOST, launched its new outside post, KIOST-NOAA Lab extension (Photo: Business Wire)

On the 10th of this month, at the KUSCO (the Korea-US Science Cooperation Center, Vienna, North Virginia; president Kim Jong-Deok) the president of KIOST, Kang Jung-Keuk, announced that KIOST has established the ‘KIOST-NOAA Lab extension.’

*KIOST: Korea Institute Ocean Science & Technology
KUSCO: Korea-US Science Cooperation Center
NOAA: National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
KIOST-NOAA Lab: an overseas research post that KIOST built in the NOAA in 2009

This newly opened extension office is established to increase cooperation with various US maritime research centers, such as NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration), Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution and Scripps Institution of Oceanography.

The KIOST-NOAA Lab external office will play an important role as a research post for accompanied growth with KIOST and other institutions via international oceanic science technology information sharing, building researcher exchanges and a global R&D network, and joint-workshops and sessions.

Especially, along with the external office, KIOST is planning to start the advanced large-scale oceanic science project and the ‘Global environment change and ocean resource exploitation business.’ The Blue Ocean Project will become an arena where all Korean and American oceanic researchers are linked together, and international cooperation programs or joint research projects are emerged, as well as the current research issues. And the business will deal with the maximum utilization of the icebreaker, ARAON, of Korea Polar Research Institute (KOPRI), a subsidiary research unit of KIOST, and the research vessel that is currently under construction.

The KIOST president, Kang said, “We have got a foothold through this KIOST-NOAA Lab extension to reinforce cooperation with the world's most influential oceanic research organizations,” and added, “Via training programs and close relationships with advanced oceanic research institutions in North America, we will also keep trying to develop our human resources that increase Korea’s status and competitiveness in the oceanic science and technology field.”

In accordance with the opening ceremony, the 2nd Korea-U.S. Oceanic & Atmospheric Science Technology Workshop was held on the next day, at the main conference hall in the KUSCO.

The workshop, which was hosted by KIOST, invited around 70 specialists including Korean American scientists, oceanic & atmospheric specialists and related law makers. Joint research & technology exchange and global agendas for international environmental issues were discussed during the workshop.

In the workshop, the participants shared and discussed the current trend in the international oceanic science technology. There were presentations, such as ‘The role of the ocean in international cooperation’ by Kim Young-Tae from the Embassy of the Republic of Korea in the U.S., who is in charge of Land, Transport and Maritime Affairs, and ‘Blue Ocean Project and KIOST-NOAA Lab Extension’ by Ph.D Heo Sik at KIOST. Also there were project suggestions, such as ‘The role of the ocean in the global climate change’ by Ph.D Lim Yeong-Gwon from NASA, and ‘Cooperation with the US in climate data assimilation and prediction’ by Ph.D Kim Young-Ho at KIOST.

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