□H. Thomas Hahn (College of Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, 1960 entry), Distinguished Professor Emeritus, and Mrs. Hoon Baek (Department of Applied Art, College of Art, 1961 entry) contributed $1,000,000 ($100,000 annually) to the Seoul National University as development fund. A Zoom conference was held December 8 (Wednesday) 10 am (Seoul) / December 7 (Tuesday) 5 pm (LA time) and President Se-jung Oh, Research Vice President ‪Haecheon Choi, ‪Professor Byoungho Lee (Dean of College of Engineering), Professor Yong-Su Na (Dean of Student Affairs at the College of Engineering), and Professor Sung-Hoon Ahn (Department Chair of Department of Mechanical Engineering) attended the ceremony and presented a plaque of appreciation to Professor H. Thomas Hahn and Mrs. Hoon Baek.

 

□ Professor H. Thomas Hahn and Mrs. Hoon Baek's development fund will be used to provide scholarships for the entire 4 years by selecting 2 engineering students and 2 mechanical engineering students every year as the Hahn-Baek Scholarship Fund (Scholarship for Engineering and Mechanical Engineering). Accordingly, as the donor wished, it was possible to support academic incentives so that students with financial difficulties can concentrate their studies. After graduating from Seoul National University, Professor H. Thomas Hahn received his master’s and doctoral degrees in mechanical engineering from Pennsylvania State University, USA, and worked as a mechanical engineering researcher at the Air Force Materials Research Institute, Dayton University Research Center, and Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. In addition, he has taught at universities such as the University of Washington, the University of Pennsylvania, and the University of California (UCLA) since 1979, serving as a world authority in the field of nano-composite materials and serving as the president of the Korean American Association of Scientists.

 

□ Professor H. Thomas Hahn took office as the new president of KIST in 2009 with the final approval of the Korea Basic Technology Research Council. It was the second time that a scientist who has lived and studied abroad as a foreigner (Korean-American) has been appointed as president of KIST. At that time, the government was looking for the right person to foster a "world-class research institute" under the idea that it plans to open it to overseas scholars and expand it to other research institutes if successful. Professor Hahn reiterated his belief at the beginning of his inauguration, saying, "By sharing knowledge and experiences acquired in foreign life for a long time and mobilizing human networks to promote exchanges between leading overseas research institutes and research-oriented universities, we will promote KIST and Korea." In addition, in 1999, Professor Hahn won the 9th Hoam Foundation Hoam Award in Engineering for his contribution to establishing an academic foundation for the identification, analysis, and design of mechanical properties of composite materials and for laying the foundation for the practical application of molding and manufacturing of composite materials.

□ President Se-jung Oh expressed his sincere gratitude and respect for the interest and support he showed for the development of Seoul National University, and said, “The noble sharing that was delivered with love for future students has served as an example to the members of Seoul National University and has also appeared as ‘Han-Baek Scholarships' will be cherished to help Seoul National University College of Engineering students grow into outstanding talents with both intelligence and character.”

※ Photo description: After delivering the plaque of appreciation, President Se-jung Oh, Emeritus Professor H. Thomas Hahn, and Mrs. Hoon Baek are taking a commemorative photo together.

 

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