Another Science-Culture-Art Exhibition Kicks off at UNIST

Another science-culture-art exhibition, entitled ‘Polyhedra Science Lab’ will kick off this week.

Organized by the Polyview team, comprised of Professor Wonyoung Choe (School of Natural Science, UNIST), together with Professor Hoi Ri Moon (School of Natural Science, UNIST), Professor Jinsook Choi (Division of General Studies, UNIST), and Professor Hyun-Kyung Lee (Yonsei University), the exhibition will be held in the lobby of UNIST Engineering Building (110) from December 20 to 22, 2019.

In the exhibition, participants can observe the self-assembly paradigm at the nanoscale using the blocks provided by the researchers, thus can directly observe various polyhedral structures that occur in nature and art.

The team successfully had opened their Polyview booth at the AAM Museum Expo 2019 in New Orleans. l Image Credit: Professor Wonyoung Choe

The exhibition will also provide introduction to the proper handling of laboratory equipment, as well as the opportunity to learn through direct experience. Visitors may also directly observe and take pictures of polyhedral compounds, created in the chemistry laboratory of UNIST. The exhibition will offer a wide range of science experiments, fun facts, and learning activities for students and children who are interested in science. Also included are activities, like drawing polyhedra.

At the exhibition, there will also be a special photo zone with chemistry lab background where children can dress up like scientists and take pictures.

“A solid shape bounded by polygons is called a polyhedron and depending on their properties, the chemical reaction is promoted or delayed. Thus, in chemistry, various studies, regarding the properties of polyhedra, are under way,” says Professor Choe. “This exhibit will allow visitors unfamiliar with scientific concept/phenomenon to remold themselves through polyhedrons.”

The Polyview team. l Image Credit: Professor Wonyoung Choe

The Polymer team has been producing science and culture convergence exhibition contents using polyhedra with the support of the Ministry of Science and ICT of South Korea since 2017. The leader of this project is Professor Wonyoung Choe (UNIST), together with Professor Hoi Ri Moon (UNIST), Professor Jinsook Choi (UNIST), and Professor Hyun-Kyung Lee (Yonsei University). Other members include Ji Hea Kim (Exhibition Designer), Eunyoung Kang (Department of Chemistry, UNIST), Soochan Lee (Department of Chemistry, UNIST), Jiyeon Kim (Department of Chemistry, UNIST), Hyein Jeong (Department of Chemistry, UNIST), and Younggwon Oh (I.Design, UNIST).

The team successfully had opened their Polyview booth at the 2019 American Alliance of Museums (AAM) Annual Meeting & Museum Expo in New Orleans in May. Besides, in November, Ji Hae Kim, a researcher from Professor Wonyoung Choe’s research group within the School of Energy and Chemical Engineering at UNIST, has been honored with the Best Paper Award (Korea Foundation for the Advancement of Science and Creativity President Award) at the 2019 International Symposium of Science Museums.

Ji Hea Kim (School of Energy and Chemical Engineering, UNIST) received the Best Paper Award at the 2019 International Symposium of Science Museums on November 8, 2019. l Image Credit: Ji Hea Kim

Following this end of year exhibition at UNIST, the team plans to hold another pop-up exhibition at Busan National Science Museum, early next year. This is expected to lead to the participation of local children and students, thus contributing greatly to the spreading of the culture of science and technology.