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[News Article] Gyeongnam Ilbo Highlights the 2025 APEC Youth STEM Conference Sep 03, 2025 Administrator Hit 14 |
 Aspiring Scientists from the Asia-Pacific Region Gather in Korea to Tackle Climate Challenges Youth STEM Conference hosted by AMGS At the APEC Youth STEM Conference, the team Grovengers was awarded the Minister’s Award from the Ministry of Science and ICT for their outstanding research presentation. Held from August 6 to 9 in Korea, this year’s conference was organized by the Ministry of Science and ICT and hosted by AMGS (APEC Mentoring Center for Gifted in Science), a specialized APEC center headquartered at Kyungnam University. The event was planned in conjunction with the upcoming APEC Summit scheduled for October in Gyeongju, aiming to strengthen cooperation in science and technology and foster future talent among APEC member economies. Since its launch in 2009, AMGS has operated a long-term online mentoring program where APEC youth researchers form multinational teams and work under the guidance of global mentors in the fields of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). This year marked the first time the program was conducted in the format of a live competition. The theme of the event was “Youth-led STEM: Enhancing Climate Resilience for the Prosperity and Connectivity of APEC.” A total of 127 students from 14 APEC economies participated, forming international teams and conducting collaborative online research from December of the previous year for about six months. Students independently selected their topics and developed research proposals. Through regular Zoom meetings, they collaborated with expert mentors to prepare final research reports. Notably, alumni of the AMGS program who are now STEM professionals returned as youth mentors to offer guidance and share their experiences. Following a review by an expert panel, ten outstanding teams (28 students) were selected to attend the final round of the conference held on August 6–7 at the Korea Science Academy of KAIST (KSA) in Busan. There, they presented their research results and participated in poster sessions and oral presentations. The Grovengers team, composed of Isabelle Atherton (Australia) and Lee Jing Jing (Brunei), mentored by Dr. Jeon Jong-an from the APEC Climate Center, designed a long-term framework to assess the effectiveness and sustainability of mangrove coastal defense systems. During their presentation, the students creatively explained their topic through a conversational-style format. Dr. Jeon remarked, “We were able to win this award thanks to the excellent students. They had full ownership of the topic and direction of the project, and I helped guide them on how to express their results clearly, based on my own research experience.” He added, “It felt like I had gone back to my early days as a researcher—it was a truly moving experience.” Another team, Flaming Hot Flamingos, including Chan-yong Lee (Korea), Jessica (Australia), and Mohamed Nabil bin Mohamed Hairol (Brunei), conducted a study on improving AI-based early warning systems for floods and minimizing disaster impact. Chan-yong shared, “It was a fun and meaningful experience working on a research project and communicating with teammates in English.” Other creative projects included a multi-hazard early warning system for pandemic response, as well as a study analyzing how temperature and humidity affect neural activity and cognitive function in climate-vulnerable populations across APEC economies. Outstanding teams were awarded the Gyeongnam Governor’s Award, the Korea Research Foundation President’s Award, and the Korea Foundation for the Advancement of Science and Creativity President’s Award. The team that received the Minister’s Award will be given additional support for future academic exchanges, including participation in the Korea Foundation for the Advancement of Science and Creativity’s R&E evaluation program and academic conferences with international partners. All teams will also receive assistance for publishing their research in international journals. From August 6 to 9, the event included an opening ceremony, a keynote lecture titled “Humans and Climate” by Dr. Axel Timmermann (Director, Center for Climate Physics, Institute for Basic Science), poster exhibitions, oral presentations, and an award ceremony. On August 8, participants visited the Korea Electrotechnology Research Institute and attended a lecture by Dr. Jin-hong Jeon on renewable energy. They also toured facilities at Doosan Enerbility, including turbine and nuclear power plant production sites. On August 9, participants moved to KAIST in Daejeon for demonstrations at the Graduate School of Culture Technology and a “Climate Talk Concert” hosted by professors from the Graduate School of Green Growth and Sustainable Development. One participant commented, “It was a fulfilling experience to collaborate on research with students from other countries. Visiting actual research institutions and energy production sites related to our research theme made it even more meaningful.” An AMGS representative stated, “With Korea hosting the APEC Summit this year, we organized this conference to highlight Korea’s key role in facilitating STEM exchanges across the region. We hope these aspiring scientists will continue their STEM journeys here in Korea.” During the conference, a policy roundtable on APEC talent development was also held, where experts from 16 member economies shared exemplary initiatives and discussed future cooperation strategies. Appendix (About AMGS) AMGS was designated in 2006 and is housed at the Industry-Academic Cooperation Center of Kyungnam University. As one of only 19 APEC-accredited centers worldwide—and the only one focused on youth—AMGS fosters international science talent through mentoring networks, collaborative research, and academic exchanges. It maintains a mentor-mentee pool consisting of APEC scientists, science educators, and gifted students. Beyond its regular programs, AMGS publishes the APEC Young Scientist Journal and hosts the APEC Future Scientists Conference, serving as an official channel for science talent exchange in Korea and the broader Asia-Pacific region. |
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