FROM A FRIEND TO THE 20 ANNIVERSARY OF ITIMS

Congratulations on the 20th anniversary of ITIMS!!

I stepped on the ground of Vietnam for the first time at Noi Bai airport on Nov. 17, 2001 for the agreement between Hanoi University of Science and Technology (HUST) and Chungnam National University (CNU). It was signed between Vice Rector Prof. Banh Tien Long of HUST and Dean of the Engineering College of CNU, Prof. Hyuck Jong Joo.

At the beginning ITIMS was a national organization responsible for the materials science education in Vietnam and recruited the best students over Vietnam. Actually it was my luck that ITIMS was located on the HUST campus because I could see all the number 1 students and facility in Vietnam at once.

Since then it is 11 years of cooperation with two key programs of joint sym- posium and student exchange. In the 6th joint symposium at Hanoi last year, I was happy with seeing several CNU alumni who are acting as the key members of ITIMS and HUST. The Vietnam students who graduated my department during the years sum to 21, and the current standing students 16. This number of doctors in the materials area in Vietnam is surely a big num- ber, and soon become the key members of the society. They began to move for Vietnam development. We observe the cooperation between Korea and Vietnam accelerates recently in all areas of government, industry, and cul- ture. Vietnam then requires human resources understanding Korea well. In this sense, I am proud of the CNU alumni who will take over the responsi- bility and also feel the responsibility that an ITIMS member can have.

A dinner party held during the 6th Joint Symposium at Hanoi in 2011. The CNU alumni at Hanoi had a pleasant time with the CNU delegates and HUST people.

In the meantime, a couple of research cooperation was carried out through the Local Lab program in 2004 and 2006 through the support of KOSEF in Korea. We hoped the trials to be a step stone towards bigger co-researches, but unfortunately it could not be continued. However, this is the timely stage to turn over to a deeper level of cooperation, and we are searching for con- crete plans to persuade two governments based on mutual benefits. We need to brainstorm to make it and will make it for our continuous friendship.

December 2012
Prof. Dojin Kim
Department of Materials Science and Engineering
Chungnam National University, Korea