National Pukyong University University-Focused Research Institute, Science and Engineering Academic Conference Award 'Celebration'

Marine Bionics Convergence Technology Center, Excellence in Review Award, Outstanding Early Career Researcher Award, and Best Presentation Award

The research team at the Marine Bionics Convergence Technology Center of Pukyong National University (Director: Professor Jeong Won-gyo, Department of Biomedical Engineering) has won numerous awards at domestic and international academic conferences for their convergent research in aquatic bio-healthcare.

This center is a university-focused research institute in the science and engineering fields operated by Pukyong National University.

At the 2024 International Academic Conference of the Korean Fisheries Science Federation held recently at BEXCO in Busan, researcher Oh Do-kyung received the ‘Outstanding Young Researcher Award,’ researcher Jeong Geum-jae won the ‘Excellent Poster Presentation Award,’ and researcher Moon Seung-hee was awarded the ‘Best Presentation Award.’

Researchers Oh Do-kyung and Jeong Geum-jae were recognized for their work on ‘Synthesis of gold nanoparticles using Daehwang extract and their application in biofilm control’ and ‘Screening of biosurfactant-producing strains with inhibitory activity against Staphylococcus aureus from salted seafood,’ respectively.

Researcher Moon Seung-hee presented a study titled ‘Wound healing research using PVA/pectin hydrogel containing elastin hydrolysate derived from tuna heart,’ earning the ‘Best Presentation Award.’

This study developed a hydrogel by extracting elastin hydrolysate from tuna heart, a fishery byproduct, demonstrating wound healing efficacy and biocompatibility, and attracting attention as a sustainable resource-based biomaterial for wound treatment.

At the 60th Korean Society for Burn Injuries domestic academic conference held recently at Pukyong Convention Hall, researcher Hwang Ji-young from the center presented a study on the effects of ethanol extracts from oriental melon byproducts on metabolic syndrome in mice induced by a high-fat diet, winning the ‘Excellent Presentation Award.’

This research was highly evaluated for proposing sustainable resource utilization and health improvement strategies by using byproducts for the prevention and treatment of fatty liver disease.

Additionally, at the 39th Regular Academic Conference of the Korean Society of Food Hygiene and Safety held recently in Jeju Island, researcher Jeong Geum-jae and principal researcher Tabassum Nazia received the ‘Excellent Oral Presentation Award’ and ‘Best Poster Presentation Award,’ respectively.

Researcher Jeong Geum-jae was recognized for ‘Purification of biosurfactants derived from Bacillus rugosus HH2 and their application as natural antimicrobials,’ while principal researcher Tabassum Nazia was acknowledged for ‘Synthesis of silver nanoparticles based on Pseudomonas aeruginosa pyoverdine and their antibiofilm/antitoxic activities.’

At the 2024 Korean Society for Biomaterials conference held at Sono Belle Hotel in Jeju, researcher Kim Nam-gyun received the ‘Excellent Oral Presentation Award,’ and researcher Seo Hee won the ‘Excellent Poster Presentation Award.’

Researcher Kim Nam-gyun was recognized for his study on the wound healing efficacy of an integrated hydrogel of isofloroglucine A for an ideal wound dressing. The hydrogel developed in this study was found to provide a favorable environment for wound healing and exhibit excellent skin regeneration effects.

Researcher Seo Hee presented research results on the extraction of elastin from tuna hearts discarded after seafood processing, including analysis of its properties and biocompatibility, receiving high evaluation.

Professor Lee Bong-gi of the center was awarded the ‘Outstanding Reviewer Award’ for his significant contributions to the development and promotion of the journal as a reviewer for the Food Science and Preservation journal of the Korean Society of Food Storage and Distribution.

The Marine Bionics Convergence Technology Center at Pukyong National University was selected in 2021 for the university-focused research institute support project, a large-scale national project by the Ministry of Education and the National Research Foundation of Korea, and is actively conducting convergent group research.

In the first phase evaluation of the university-focused research institute in 2024, the center received an excellent rating and was selected for the second phase project. Currently, it is conducting the first year of the second phase research, producing results such as 55 SCI papers, 1 non-SCI paper, and 11 patent applications by November.

Moreover, 30 specialists from the center have advanced to specialized research institutions in the aquatic and bio-healthcare fields (National Marine Biodiversity Institute of Korea, National Institute of Fisheries Science, Korea Institute of Ocean Science and Technology, etc.), universities (full-time faculty at Pukyong National University, New York University, University of Michigan-Ann Arbor, etc.), and companies (Bluecore Company, CJ Bio, Carl Zeiss, etc.), gaining recognition for outstanding achievements in multidisciplinary convergent research.

Three participating professors (Jeong Won-gyo, Kim Young-mok, Kang Hyun-wook) were selected as ‘Top 2% Researchers Worldwide’ this year by Elsevier, an international academic publisher, and Stanford University in the United States.

Winners at the Marine Bionics Convergence Technology Center. (Top row from left) Odokyung, Jeong Geumjae, Moon Seunghui, Hwang Jiyoung researchers, (Bottom row from left) Najiatabasum, Kim Namgyun, Seo Hee researchers, Professor Lee Bonggi.