The Full Energy Team of HGU Received the Grand Prize in the LG Global Challenger
writer: 관리자 |
date: 2015.11.11 |
count: 1075
November 5, 2015, students from HGU received the grand and best prize at the 2015 LG Global Challenger which was held at the LG Twin Towers in Seoul. The students from HGU have received the grand prize for three consecutive years. These achievements have given all the members of the team an opportunity to work at LG or to complete an internship at LG.
The grand prize was granted to Jung-whan, Dana Son, Yoon-ha Kang, and Yeahsul Kim. The name of their team was ‘Full Energy’ and the theme was ‘To Obtain Electrical Energy from Living Plants.’ The team suggested social contribution activities to deal with future energy depletion and climate change by utilizing eco-friendly energy from living plants.
The team created a technology to obtain energy from living plants; a ‘Plant-MFC, Microbial fuel cell’. The technology supplies energy for 24 hours by using organic matter produced by photosynthesis. This is a new energy technology that does not hamper nature and is promoted in every European country. The team confirmed the possibility of its application in various environments by visiting European countries that had developed micro-organism fuel cell technology and promoted activities to utilize eco-friendly energy in daily life.
After visiting the European countries, they suggested a lantern design to disconnect an area from the power supply by utilizing micro-organism fuel cells. Also, they proposed an educational display for the National Institute of Ecology (NIE). The NIE provides various experiences and venues for children to learn about plants.
Dana Son said, “We have faced small and big difficulties and obstacles. However, in the process of overcoming our limitations, the right values that I learned at HGU have become a compass to go forward. I hope that with our challenge to face new things and our mindset to do our best, more global challengers will be nurtured.”
She also expressed her gratitude to Professor Jaeyoung Lee who served as the guiding professor from HGU. She said, “Professor Lee guided us with his best despite his busy schedule. Whenever we faced difficulties, he helped us find a new insight to look at the problem from a new perspective. Eight months was not that short but thanks to his comments and encouragement, our team grew tremendously.”
The best prize winner team was called Leafcovery. The members were Daehyun Kim, Seoungyoon Kim, Taeshin Kim, and Jiyoung Hwang. The Team suggested ‘Problem Solving Countermeasures for Fine Dust by Using Silk and Chlorophyll.’ This team proposed urban greening as a countermeasure to resolve the fine dust issue which is rising to become a serious environmental challenge. The application of Silk Leaf technology infuses chlorophyll into the protein of silk to create urban greening.
A silk leaf, suggested by the team, is a molecular device that performs photosynthesis and emits oxygen and negative ions. It is made of a biological material mostly composed of silk protein extracted from silk-worm cocoons and chloroplasts. That is expected to bring a dramatic increase in urban greening because silk leaves don’t need a root or stem. They can be utilized in many forms and with different characteristics.
Also, they are biodegradable since they are composed of silk and a chloroplast. The Leafcovery team visited the U.S. to see the silk leaf technology. This confirmed the possibility of mass production, and the economic efficiency of a silk leaf. Also, the team visited government offices such as the City Hall of Chicago and the Environmental Protection Agency in order to find out policies to attract successful urban greening.
After visiting the U.S, the Team returned to Korea to report the results to the Ministry of the Environment and the City Hall of Seoul. These are the Korean agents that establish urban greening policies. The Seoul Metro manages the subway which is filled with powdery dust. In addition, the team provided an educational session for the highshool students of Duho Highschool, in Pohang. The presentation was about the dangers of powdery dust and the necessity of urban greening. In addition, the team joined the first Gardening Exhibition of Seoul and promoted silk leaf technology to the citizens.
According to Daehyun Kim, “We hope that our project will take the lead in recovering the world returning it to creation order. This would bring a good effect. That’s why we selected our silk leaf theme. Anyone can be a global challenger if they have a passion to contribute knowledge based on spirituality and close friendships with school mates.”
Professor Juil Kim, the guiding professor, said, “The older generation has a tendency to consider environmental problems such as powdery dust negatively. These four students who had no fear and a great deal of diligence, tried their best to find a countermeasure. Their idea converged new technology. Their work will not be just to receive a prize in a contest. Silk leaves will bring a ripple effect connecting job creation and local industry development. I look forward to the continued use of these ideas.”
The ‘LG Global Challenger’ is the first and the longest foreign country visitation program for undergraduate or graduate students in Korea. This provides an opportunity to experience the world’s best on-site places. LG Company selected prize winners through reports and presentations from 140 students in 35 teams over a period of two weeks. In particular, LG Company provided employment to seniors who were among the 24 prize winners. For the first and third year students, the company provided internships at LG.
