Contact: Jim Laird
STARKVILLE, Miss.--A South Korean institute has asked a senior research administrator at Mississippi State University to provide counsel on international collaborative issues.
The Korea Institute of Industrial Technology, known as KITECH, has appointed Roger King to its international advisory board, which has a focus on the industrialization of advanced technologies. Board members include eminent scientists and engineers from around the world.
"It is an honor to assist KITECH, and I am looking forward to working with institute officials and other board members," said King, who is director of the Center for Advanced Vehicular Systems and Giles Distinguished Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering at MSU.
"I believe we will be able to enhance international partnerships with South Korea and the state of Mississippi, as well as expand MSU's relationship with KITECH," he said.
In 2012, the land-grant institution and KITECH signed a memorandum of understanding to support global manufacturers' efforts, like Hyundai and Kia, to develop products and train employees for their facilities in the southeastern United States.
The agreement created the KITECH-CAVS Center for Root Technologies. "Root technology" refers to several key technologies of the manufacturing industry, including casting, molding, forming, surface treatment, thermal treatment, welding/joining technologies and related fields.
The partnership has fostered joint research projects, as well as facilitated personnel exchanges, King said.
"We have two KITECH researchers working at CAVS right now," he said.
Hwi-jun Kim is working on experimentation and modeling of compaction and extrusion of novel aluminum metal matrix composite, while Jung-hwan Bang is working on fatigue analysis of lead-free soldering printed circuit boards using finite elements.
In addition to a focus on root technology for industry, manufacturing system technology and industry convergence technology are priorities for KITECH, which has created an effective system to move research from the lab into real-world situations that benefit companies, according to King.
"Moving forward, I anticipate many more opportunities for our institutions to work together -- through technology transfer and application for companies, for example," King said.
Located in the Cochran Research Park, CAVS is a premier research center within the Bagley College of Engineering. The research and economic impact produced by the center and its extension office in Canton has garnered prestigious national awards. For additional information, visit www.cavs.msstate.edu.
Mississippi State is online at www.msstate.edu.