Sookmyung Showcases STEM Research Excellence on Global Stage at UKC 2026
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- Writer 커뮤니케이션팀
- 보도일자 2026-07-31
Sookmyung Women's University will participate in the 2026 US-Korea Conference (UKC 2026), to be held for four days from Wednesday, August 5, in Orlando, Florida, in a bid to expand global research collaboration and attract top-tier researchers.
The participation marks a milestone for the university's 120th anniversary this year, showcasing its STEM research capabilities on the international stage and strengthening its network in science and technology. In March, President Si-yeun Moon met with Yong-kyu Yoon, President of the Korean-American Scientists and Engineers Association (KSEA), to discuss concrete plans for collaboration.
Now in its 39th year, UKC is the largest Korea-US academic exchange event in science and technology, hosted annually by KSEA. This year's conference will be held under the theme "From Imagination to Innovation—Into Reality." Sookmyung's delegation will include President Moon along with Ho-seon Lim, Vice President for Research; Chang-young Jang, Director of the Research Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences; Young Yang, Director of the Research Institute for Women's Health; Jun-dong Park, Professor at the College of Engineering; as well as faculty members, researchers, and graduate students.
On the morning of Friday, August 7, SMWU will host a forum titled "Proud Sookmyung, Beyond 120: Future Research at Sookmyung Women's University." The forum will highlight the university's 120-year history—beginning as the nation's first educational institution founded by and for Korean women—and its direction in cultivating women engineering talent and strengthening research impact. President Moon will chair the forum, with Hye-on Yoon, Chairperson of the Korea Foundation for Women in Science, Engineering and Technology (WISET), serving as co-chair.
The forum will explore avenues for global joint research centered on the Research Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences and the Research Institute for Women's Health, and will reflect on the achievements of the College of Engineering, which marks its 10th anniversary this year, while presenting its vision for education and research over the next decade.
Later that afternoon, President Moon will join the "University Leadership Forum" as a panelist, alongside presidents of leading universities from Korea and the United States. The panel will examine the paradigm shifts artificial intelligence (AI) is bringing to university education, research, and administrative systems, and present SMWU's distinctive educational strategies and innovation initiatives in response.
Prior to these events, on the afternoon of Thursday, August 6, President Moon will deliver congratulatory remarks at the KWiSE-WISET Women in STEM Forum, hosted by WISET. The forum will bring together leading figures and organizations representing women in science and technology from both Korea and the United States, including the Korean-American Women in Science and Engineering (KWiSE), the Korea Federation of Women's Science & Technology Associations (KOFWST), and the Korea Women Scientists and Engineers (KWSE). Through the forum, SMWU plans to further strengthen its solidarity in building an R&D ecosystem and fostering the next generation of women scientists.
"Our participation in UKC 2026 will be an opportunity to firmly establish Sookmyung's position as a hub for cultivating future women engineering talent and as a global research university," a SMWU official said. "We will expand our network with outstanding Korean-American researchers in the US and pursue international joint research with leading universities and research institutions."