Established in 1986, the Pohang University of Science and Technology in South Korea,
commonly called POSTECH, has quickly built a reputation for research excellence.
The leadership team of POSTECH, one of the world’s most innovative universities, has
supported its faculty to focus their attention on the most pressing matters facing the
globe today: climate change and global warming.According to POSTECH climate scientist Jong-Seong Kug, there has never been
a more important time for academics to step up and demonstrate the imminent
threats posed to the planet by climate change. “I think some members of the public
still believe climate change is a story of the distant future and are not aware of its
seriousness,” he says.
Kug has spent his career researching the effects of adverse climate conditions.
His work has advanced the academic community’s understanding of what triggers
the warming of sea surface temperatures every few years—an effect known as “El
Niño.” His research has widened the field’s understanding of climate dynamics and
led to improved modeling systems for predicting climate patterns. “I developed
an El Niño prediction model that has been used by the Korea Meteorological
Administration,” he says.
Now is the time to ensure that these greater understandings are carefully
disseminated to the wider community and can facilitate real-life changes that
will help mitigate the threats posed by global warming, says Kug. “Pure scientific
research on climate change is important, but I think it’s also critical to change our
society’s perception of climate change,” he says.A place of action
Since its establishment as the first research-oriented university in Korea,
POSTECH has aimed to set new standards for change and innovation. In 1995, it
established the Division of Environmental Science and Engineering (DESE) to divedeeper into solving environmental issues. The creation of DESE was in recognition
of the vital part that environmental research plays in achieving a sustainable future
for humanity, says Kug. “While we are not a large university, POSTECH constantly
strives to solve global challenges facing humanity, and to conduct research that will
enable the sustainable growth of communities and the nation.”
Thanks to its world-class research facilities, such as the university’s two
synchrotron radiation accelerators, POSTECH was ranked third in the World’s Best
Small Universities list published by Times Higher Education (THE) in 2021, marking its
third year on that list.
Now the POSTECH community is striving to lead action on climate change
by example, as well as through its academic contributions. The leadership team
is reducing the institute’s overall energy use by implementing energy savings
techniques and greenhouse gas reductions projects across the board. For example,
older technical equipment is being replaced with higher-efficiency devices in
laboratories and classrooms.
Kug explains that POSTECH provides academics with a supportive environment to
manage and solve the practical challenges that come with climate change research.
“Our team requires a lot of computing power as we’re dealing with huge numerical
models to simulate the Earth’s climate, and we have well-equipped facilities to
manage large and high-speed computers,” he says.For example, in recent years Kug has been working on how biological, physical,
and chemical processes across the Earth’s ecosystems operate self-correcting
feedback loops to help modulate climate variability and negate the effects of
climate change. His research has revealed that changes to Arctic phytoplankton
and vegetation could play a role in amplifying the warming of the earth’s surface
and must be considered in future modeling of the effects of climate change (1, 2).
“It is well known that increases in carbon dioxide contribute to increased surfaceAdvertorial
POSTECH leads the way toward a greener future
PHOTO: COURTESY OF POSTECHThe POSTECH campus0128Product.indd 356 1/20/22 6:57 AM