YU opens ‘HuStar Water Industry Innovation University Project Team’ on the 19th
Signs ‘Water Industry Human Resource Fostering’ MOU with the Korea Environment Corporation National Water Industry Cluster Project Team
Daegu City funds 3.9 billion KRW for project... Professors, companies and alumni gather development fund for the success of the project
[June 19, 2020]
<HuStar water industry innovation university project team opening ceremony>
YU (President Sur Gil-soo) will accelerate its efforts to foster human resources for the water industry, which is a future growth engine.
The ‘HuStar Water Industry Innovation University Project Team (Leader Jung Jin-young)’ was held at Room 524 of the Materials Hall at 2 p.m. on the 19th. The ceremony was attended by YU President Sur Gil-soo, Daegu Mayor Kwon Young-jin, professors, institutes participating in the project, corporate personnel, etc.
<YU President Sur Gil-soo (left) giving a welcoming address and Daegu Mayor Kwon Young-jin (right)>
The HuStar Innovation University Project is a project for fostering local human resources being pursued by Daegu City and Gyeongsangbuk-do. YU linked the Department of Civil Engineering and School of Chemical Engineering (chemical engineering system major) centering on the Department of Environmental Engineering to open the Smart Water System Convergence Major to pursue the HuStar Innovation University Project. The newly opened HuStar Water Industry Innovation University Project Team is expected to serve as a hub for the construction of local water industry infrastructure and to foster experts.
Following the opening ceremony at around 3 p.m., an MOU ceremony (photo below) was held for the YU HuStar Water Industry Project Team and the Korea Environment Corporation National Water Industry Cluster Project Team. It aims at gathering the capacities of the two institutes to foster practical personnel by operating a curriculum based on water industry demands. The two institutes agreed to cooperate in ▲operating the water industry innovation human resource fostering course and ▲operating practical human resource fostering course using the national water industry cluster infrastructure.
<From left to right: HuStar Water Industry Innovation University Project Team Leader Jung Jin-young, Korea Environment Corporation National Water Industry Cluster Project Team Leader Jung Sang-yong>
YU President Sur Gil-soo said, “As a university equipped with education and research capacities partnered up with professional institutes and companies, while the local government provided administrative and financial support, the HuStar Water Industry Innovation University Project was placed in orbit,” and added, “Our university will take the lead to create synergy for fostering experts in fields related to water industry development through the construction of a government-academic-industry cooperation system.”
In particular, the HuStar Water Industry Innovation University Project that YU is pursuing not only received 3.9 billion KRW in funding by Daegu City, but also donations by participating professors, companies and alumni, thus receiving huge momentum.
Professor Jung Jin-young who is leading the project team and participating professors (Department of Environmental Engineering Professors Won Yang-soo, Lee Soon-hwa, Gong In-cheol, Kim Seung-hyeon, Jeon Gwan-soo) also donated 20 million KRW. Companies taking part in the HuStar Project together with YU such as Korea Fluid Technology (CEO Seo Sung-soo), Midni (CEO Choi In-jong), Tae Sung Engineering Consultants (CEO Jung Chang-hwa), HANIL ENG (CEO Yoon Beom-seok), KD (CEO Jung Tae-hwa) and ATT (CEO Kim Jae-cheol) donated a combined 33 million KRW. Alumni from the YU Department of Environmental Engineering also gathered a combined 10 million KRW to help support their juniors currently studying, thus gathering a total of 63 million KRW in development funds for the success of this project. The project team plans to use this development fund to build better educational infrastructure.
Project Leader Jung Jin-young said, “It is expected that the HuStar Innovation University Project will contribute significantly in fostering local water industry experts in the Daegu and Gyeongbuk regions. It has added even more meaning through voluntary donations by not only participating professors, but also participating companies and alumni.” He added, “I hope that students will be able to develop their capacities in the nation’s best educational environment. YU will take the initiative in fostering innovative human resources in the water industry, which is a future growth engine.”
Meanwhile, YU’s HuStar Water Industry Innovation University Project is receiving a lot of attention as it is expected to develop the future cash crop industry for the region, while creating jobs for youths. In particular, it is placing emphasis on constructing a system linked with the employment of students taking the courses, and it is thus expected to improve the employment rate of local students. An agreement was already entered to hire 42 people annually (as of 2022) with 21 water companies in the region, and anticipations about the project outcomes are high. In addition, discussions are being held actively for long-term internship programs linked to employment with relevant companies (field work) and therefore, synergy is expected to foster human resources and develop the local industry through industry-academic cooperation.
