Hanwha and KAIST Receive 1,414 Applications from Middle School Students for 'Korean NASA Space School'

President Kim Dong-kwan Leads 'Hanwha Space Hub' Project

Fostering 'Space Talents'... KAIST Teaches for 6 Months

[Asia Economy Reporter Moon Chaeseok] Hanwha Space Hub and KAIST announced on the 2nd that 1,414 middle school students nationwide applied for the first recruitment of 'Ujuui Joyakdol,' the Korean version of NASA's space school. The competition rate reached 47:1.

Ujuui Joyakdol is an experiential space education program targeting first and second-year middle school students interested in space science, with applications accepted from the 11th to the 31st of last month. Instead of a conventional self-introduction, the organizers asked applicants to write answers on three space-related topics: ▲Why should we live beyond Earth? ▲The science and technology needed to reach the Moon ▲What is necessary to live on the Moon. It is said that the evaluators were surprised by the burst of creative ideas.

Jeon Eunji, a professor in the Department of Aerospace Engineering at KAIST and the program planner and mentor of Ujuui Joyakdol, said, "Even though it is the first year of the project, the students' interest was much greater than expected, which surprised us," adding, "We will judge based on how sincerely the students express their passion for space and how creative their responses are."

The results of the first screening (essay review) will be announced on the 10th. Thirty students who pass the second screening (interview) will be selected as the first cohort of Ujuui Joyakdol. The first cohort will run for six months from next month until December.

The curriculum consists of ▲'Space Mission Project Tailored for Middle School Students' (science course) conducted by current professors of KAIST's Department of Aerospace Engineering and KAIST master's and doctoral mentors, and ▲'Space Humanities Conference' (humanities course) with Professor Kim Sangwook of Kyung Hee University's Department of Physics and Professor Jeong Jaeseung of KAIST's Department of Bio and Brain Engineering. The program plans to provide experience-centered space education.

Upon completion, participants will receive ▲a certificate of completion from the KAIST president ▲a voucher for KAIST Gifted Education Center courses ▲one-on-one career consulting with experts, and students with excellent team project results will be offered opportunities for overseas exploration early next year. All education and training costs for the program are fully covered by Hanwha Space Hub.

Hanwha Space Hub is a consortium and integrated control center involving Hanwha Corporation, Hanwha Aerospace, and Hanwha Systems, which are part of Hanwha Group's space business. President Kim Dongkwan leads the project as the team leader.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.