Professor Nang Jong-ho, Department of Computer Science & Engineering,

Wins the Grand Award in the 2022 Global Core Talent Development Support Program

- Selected as an outstanding project for the 'Global AI-Leading Sogang-CMU Graduate Talent Development Project' -

- Sending University graduate students to CMU in the United States, the world's foremost AI educational institution, to cultivate top-tier AI talent -

Professor Nang Jong-ho of the Department of Computer Science & Engineering won the Grand Award in the outstanding results competition of the 2022 Global Core Talent Development Support Program, organized by the Institute of Information & Communications Technology Planning & Evaluation (IITP), an agency under the Ministry of Science and ICT. The award ceremony was held at 3 p.m. on Thursday 3 November in the Ruby Hall of El Tower, Seoul, where Professor Nang received a certificate together with 1 million won in prize money.

The outstanding results competition of the 2022 Global Core Talent Development Support Program accepted entries from projects selected and carried out between 2019 and 2021 under the Global Core Talent Development programme, and selected five outstanding projects (one Top Award, two Grand Awards and two Excellence Awards) on the basis of research excellence, effectiveness in talent development, and contribution to ICT advancement.

Professor Nang's 'Global AI-Leading Sogang-CMU Graduate Talent Development Project' sends 15 selected University graduate students (seven from Computer Science & Engineering, seven from Electronic Engineering and one from Business Administration) to Carnegie Mellon University (CMU) in the United States, the world's foremost AI educational institution, where they take four AI courses over one semester and carry out a two-month team project. Teaching and project supervision are provided by CMU's computer science faculty, who hold world authority in the AI field. At the end of the semester, students receive a certificate and transcript from CMU and have the credits recognized by the University's graduate school. Graduate students sent to CMU thus have the opportunity to take cutting-edge AI courses taught by world-leading faculty and grow into global researchers, and by taking classes and carrying out projects alongside international students from many countries they acquire the capabilities of global talent, including communication skills. Encountering a broad range of AI applications at CMU is further expected to widen their perspective on AI and develop their ability to identify and solve AI problems, thereby contributing to the development of Korea's AI industry and the strengthening of AI research capability.

Professor Nang said: "As a follow-on to this project, Sogang University is running a programme from 2022 for six years that selects 30 students a year from among all graduate students nationwide and sends them to CMU for study with government funding. Selection for the September 2023 cohort will take place in February and March 2023, and we hope many of the University's graduate students — regardless of major — will apply."

▲ Award ceremony for outstanding projects in the Global Core Talent Development Support Program

▲ Professor Nang Jong-ho, Department of Computer Science & Engineering