On March 12, a delegation from Germany’s RWTH University of Aachen arrived at KAIST to work out the final details of a student exchange and cooperation agreement between the two universities. A memorandum of understanding between the two institutions had already been signed, with only the final confirmation from both parties required to seal the deal. One of the chief architects of the agreement, who was also present on the day to fine-tune details with RWTH’s rector, was Professor Chang Dong Yoo, the Associate Vice President of Institutional Relations.
The pact between KAIST and RWTH will enable both universities to carry out joint research on topics of mutual interest and conduct bilateral student exchanges using the traditional exchange system, a new dual-degree program in which a doctorate candidate becomes eligible to receive degrees from both institutions, or the much-lauded Erasmus Mundus Program. Two KAIST students are expected to leave soon for Aachen for the 2012 fall semester.
RWTH Aachen is Germany’s premiere research university, boasting one of, if not the best, mechanical and electrical engineering programs in the nation. Aachen is also a founding member of the IDEA League, a partnership between some of Europe’s most prestigious universities, including Aachen, TU Delft, ETH Zurich, Imperial College London and ParisTech.
Members of the IDEA league will also participate in a summer conference to be held by the ASPIRE League. Hosted by KAIST for the second year running, the ASPIRE forum will debate on sustainability - more specifically on current energy and environmental problems. Students will be eligible to participate in the student forum portion of the conference, which is expected to take place in mid-July.
The ASPIRE League is IDEA’s counterpart in Asia, consisting of an alliance between the continent’s best research institutions. Member institutions are: Tokyo Institute of Technology, Nanyang Technological University, Tsinghua University, The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology and KAIST.