Gwangju Institute of Science and Technology (GIST) said on the 16th that it has prepared a new main gate to mark its 32nd anniversary.
GIST held a ceremony marking its 32nd anniversary and a completion ceremony for the main gate on the 14th. A GIST official said, "The new main gate, completed to mark the 32nd anniversary, is a landmark that visually reveals GIST's openness and innovation," adding, "It shows GIST's direction to become a campus open to the local community, alumni, and donors."
The new main gate was designed by G&M Architects based on a design selected through a contest, and built by NI Steel. POSCO provided technical support. The letters G, I, S, and T are engraved in the shape of a victory "V" on four pillars symbolizing intellect, scholarship, passion, and youth. The stainless steel exterior reflects light and the surrounding scenery, embodying "GIST that constantly changes and grows."
At the 32nd anniversary ceremony, a memorial plaque was awarded honoring the academic passion and dedication of the late Professor Kim Kyung-ung of the Department of Environmental and Energy Engineering. Kim is a world authority in the field of soil and groundwater contamination remediation. Since joining GIST in 1997, Kim contributed to education, research, and the development of international cooperation for 28 years. Kim was listed for the fifth consecutive year in the "2025 world's top 2% researchers," which Elsevier and Stanford University jointly released recently.
Kim had pursued the "Ongdalsam Project," which supports water purification systems that operate without electricity in regions where people have no choice but to drink polluted water. By developing the nonpowered water treatment device "GIST Hope Water Purifier," Kim helped distribute it to about 20 countries, including Nepal, Indonesia, and the Philippines.
In a commemorative address, President Lim Ki-chul of GIST said, "We will further accelerate innovation in education, research, and industry-academia cooperation, taking the newly created campus space and leap projects as a spur," adding, "We will help build the future industrial ecosystem through the establishment of an advanced process fab (production facility) for artificial intelligence (AI) semiconductors, the expansion of IBS research groups, and the creation of a new AI science high school."
POSCO Group Chairman Chang In-hwa said in congratulatory remarks, "GIST has grown by overcoming various challenges and tasks over the past 32 years, and its unbending conviction and willpower will be the driving force for an even greater leap forward," adding, "The new main gate symbolizes GIST's steadfast spirit, like POSCO's stainless steel pillars, and will keep alive the challenges and resolve of all its members."
GIST was established in 1993 under the Gwangju Institute of Science and Technology (GIST) Act. Since producing its first graduates in 1997, it has sent a total of 8,858 talents into society to date (2,095 with doctorates, 5,271 with master's degrees, and 1,492 with bachelor's degrees). In Aug. this year, it jointly established the "Human-Centered Physical AI Research Center" with Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and is conducting active international joint research in the field of AI-robot convergence.