ITMO: South Korea and ITMO University Strengthen Academic Cooperation
On May 31, Kwon Dongseok, the Consul General of the Republic of Korea in St. Petersburg, paid his first official visit to ITMO University, accompanied by the consul Park Ju Yon and the administrative officer Lee Sung Kyung.
Honoring the 30th anniversary of diplomatic relations, the governments of both countries have announced 2020 and 2021 as the Years of Mutual Exchange between Korea and Russia. In St. Petersburg, the Consulate General of the Republic of Korea has been operating since 2006. South Korea and the Russian north-west region have been actively cooperating in various fields, including economics, culture, art, and education.
At the meeting, ITMO University was represented by Vladimir Vasilyev, the university’s Rector; Alexander Boukhanovsky, the head of the School of Translational Information Technologies; Sergei Stafeev, a professor at the Faculty of Physics; Irina Kim, the head of the Center for Asian Cooperation; and Ekaterina Tulugurova, the head of the International Educational Programs Department.
After Vladimir Vasilyev described the university’s activities, Prof. Boukhanovsky highlighted the work and projects of ITMO’s National Center for Cognitive Research. Participants were particularly interested in the projects that will help to protect the city from floods, predict the spread of an epidemic, and ensure security at public events.
Then, the representatives discussed opportunities for collaboration in the academic and technology field, as well as defined areas of key cooperation. These were quantum systems and technologies, predictive modeling (smart city), and art & science. It was also agreed to promote collaboration between South Korea’s top universities and ITMO University. At the moment, the university is implementing a mutual student exchange program with Seoul National University and Dankook University.
The meeting ended with a visit to ITMO’s Museum of Optics where Prof. Stafeev elaborated on the university’s major achievements in the field.