News Archive
Dedication Ceremony Held for the Naming of Kolon Laboratory
On August 28, 2008, The Kolon Laboratory was officially named in the School of Civil and Environmental Engineering (CEE) at the Georgia Institute of Technology.
During a formal dedication ceremony, Kolon Engineering & Construction, Co., Ltd. (CEO: Jong-Keun Kim) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with CEE to establish the named laboratory space, marking an innovative partnership to advance scientific research and technological development in the area of environmental science and engineering.
Directed by CEE Assistant Professor Jaehong Kim, the Kolon Laboratory has been recognized as a leader of environmental physicochemical process research. The partnership between Kolon E&C and Dr. Kim’s laboratory is an exciting and prominent first step in the potential long-term relationship between the company and the Georgia Institute of Technology. It represents a strong collaboration through the exchange of information, researchers, facilities, and technical consultation, and to work together in obtaining additional research funding. Kolon Laboratory is the first named laboratory space within the School and it is the first significant gift from a Korean company.
The ceremony commenced with CEE School Chair Joseph B. Hughes welcoming guests and speaking about the significance of both the occasion and the partnership. He stated “Georgia Tech has a rich heritage of working with industry on innovative solutions to improve the quality of life for humankind. This relationship with Kolon exemplifies the future of Georgia Tech working globally through our students, faculty, and industry partners.”
Kolon executives in attendance included: Dr. In-Ho Kim, Chief of Research and Development; Dr. Seong-Keun Yim, General Manager of the Business Strategy Team and Visiting Scholar at Georgia Tech; and Dr. Hee-Deung Park, Team Manager for the Environment Research Team. Dr. In-Ho Kim spoke about the tremendous impact the gift will have in terms of scientific research and educational activities. “Establishing the Kolon Laboratory is the first step in creating a large scope collaboration between our company and the Georgia Institute of Technology, hopefully involving many faculty members within the School of CEE,” stated Dr. Kim. The Dean of the College of Engineering, Dr. Don P. Giddens, was also in attendance.
Kolon Engineering & Construction, Co., Ltd. (http://www.kolonconstruction.co.kr/eng/index.asp) is one of the companies within Kolon Group, a conglomeration of subsidiaries whose broad spectrum of operations includes chemicals, materials and biotechnology; construction; leisure and service; and fashion and distribution. Kolon E&C was originally established in 1960 and is a dynamic leader in the construction industry throughout Korea, specializing in civil, architecture and environmental engineering. Recognizing the importance of the environment, the company incorporates this philosophy into its business operations. In recent years, the organization has been developing environmental technologies in areas such as water treatment, sewage treatment, incineration, as well as solid waste treatment and disposal. Kolon E&C is the recipient of the presidential Korean Architecture Award (KAA) and is currently one of the largest environmental engineering companies in Korea.
CEE is one of the leading environmental engineering programs in the United States. Its graduate environmental engineering program ranks sixth in the 2009 U.S. News & World Report college rankings. Dr. Jaehong Kim joined CEE in October 2002 as an assistant professor of environmental engineering. His major research interests include environmental impact and application of nanomaterials, chemical disinfection processes, and high-pressure membrane processes for water reclamation. For more information about Dr. Kim’s research, visit http://people.ce.gatech.edu/~jkim/.