The Power of Korean Information Technology' Surprises the World

Park Yeoung-Jun (18), third grade of Dae-Dong High School, won the fourth award of the computer Science category in the 52nd Intel International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF), which ended last Saturday in San Jose.

More than 1,200 students from 38 countries around the world who had passed their regional science fairs and nearly 500 Intel ISEF-affiliated fairs held around the world, competed in 15 categories such as computer science, biochemistry, microbiology, earth and space sciences, mathematics and physics. This fair was administered by Science Service, one of the most respected non-profit organizations advancing the cause of science, and was sponsored by Intel.

Park also won the special prize with `i-com`, an Intelligent Image Processing System from the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) and the American Association for Artificial Intelligence (AAAI).

The `i-com` is the system that can change two-dimensional visual data into three-dimensional graphic. Experts evaluated this system has various potentials for such applications as a guide dog, security system, artificial intelligence robot.

In this `Science Olympics`, many innovative projects such as `sign translator`(the top Intel ISEF award) and `pedal mouse` were exhibited.

Eight countries in Asian Pacific Region won 40 awards. In particular, China and Taiwan had respectively 16 and 12 awards. But students from advanced countries like the U. S. swept the prizes, and thus the educational gap between the advanced countries and the developing countries was illustrated in this fair.

Intel has sponsored ISEF for last 5 years as a part of the Intel Innovation in Education initiative, and has invested $0.125 billion dollars every year in order to help realize the possibilities of science and technology in education.

A high-rank official of Intel said that ``we held this fair to give students the chance of scientific exploration. This fair will be further opened to foreign students.``

Lee In-Chul inchul@donga.com