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Chair Professor Wonwoo Nam Becomes First in the World to Elucidate the Mechanism of Water Oxidation Reaction
Chair Professor Wonwoo Nam Becomes First in the World to Elucidate the Mechanism of Water Oxidation Reaction First ever discovery of the mechanism behind water oxidation reaction published in the prestigious journal Chem. Following his receipt of the Research Award from the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation last December, Wonwoo Nam, a Chair Professor of Chemistry and Nanoscience at Ewha Womans University, became the first Korean researcher to be selected as an Einstein Visiting Fellow by the Berlin Einstein Foundation, an achievement that once again underscores his status as a world-class researcher. The Humboldt Research Award, bestowed by the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation in Germany, recognizes scholars who have made significant contributions to the natural sciences, engineering, and the humanities. Recipients are awarded a prize of EUR 60,000 and invited to conduct research in Germany for one year in their area of interest. Einstein Visiting Fellows are selected by the Berlin Einstein Foundation, which was established in 2009 to promote science and research at an international level. Through the fellowship, Professor Wonwoo Nam will receive approximately KRW 1 billion won from the Einstein Foundation to lead a research project at Humboldt University in Berlin over the duration of three years from 2024. During this period, he will conduct research on “the development of green catalytic systems using metal catalysts in biomimetic research,” while mentoring PhD students and postdoctoral researchers. For the past 30 years, Nam has been conducting research on the generation, reactivity, and reaction mechanism of oxygenase intermediates in the field of biomimetics, producing world-class findings in the field of oxygen chemistry. His work is particularly commended for revealing the structures of intermediates involved in oxygen activation within organisms, thus clarifying previously unexplained aspects of how living things utilize oxygen. Moreover, the research team led by Nam has, for the first time in the world, elucidated the mechanism of water oxidation reaction, a major challenge in artificial photosynthesis. Their study, titled “Seeing the key intermediates in bioinspired nonheme iron complex-catalyzed water oxidation,” was published in Chem, a prestigious journal by Cell Press. This study not only provides insights into the mechanism of water oxidation reaction but is expected to propel subsequent research aimed at enhancing energy conversion efficiency in the process of water oxidation to produce oxygen. The research identified highly reactive intermediates, such as iron(V)-oxo species, which could potentially be used to oxidize various organic compounds instead of water, thereby identifying a new source of fuel. The team anticipates that the use of this mechanism to create an efficient water oxidation system that utilizes natural light energy to generate oxygen could effectively supply both oxygen and energy for human consumption in future space environments.
President Eun Mee Kim Appointed as UN Women’s First National Goodwill Ambassador for the Republic of Korea
President Eun Mee Kim Appointed as UN Women’s First National Goodwill Ambassador for the Republic of Korea President Eun Mee Kim has been honored with her appointment as the first National Goodwill Ambassador for UN Women in Korea. UN Women announced on January 29, 2024 (Mon.) that “President Eun Mee Kim of Ewha Womans University has been appointed as the National Goodwill Ambassador for the Republic of Korea, in recognition of her lifelong career of wide-ranging research and policy advisory work under the goal of enhancing gender equality and empowering women.” The basis for the appointment was aptly outlined by UN Women, which stated, “As a pioneer in the field of international development cooperation, President Kim has dedicated herself to the study of issues faced by women and girls, not only in Korea but across the world, including in developing countries. Her contributions have led to the improvement of women’s rights in education, economy, health, and peace and security. Through her research and policy advisory roles, she has promoted efforts to enhance Korea’s contribution to the advancement of women’s rights worldwide.” UN Women’s Goodwill Ambassadors are prominent luminaries who leverage their influence across various fields to promote the mission of the United Nations. Notable ambassadors include Anne Hathaway, Nicole Kidman, and Emma Watson, among others. President Kim has been appointed as the first Korean and the first academic to serve as the National Goodwill Ambassador for the Republic of Korea by UN Women. Eun Mee Kim is the 17th president of Ewha Womans University and a professor at the Ewha Graduate School of International Studies. From 2009 to 2013, she was selected for the World Class University (WCU) project, an initiative launched by the National Research Foundation of Korea. During the project, she conducted comparative research on the international development cooperation systems of Korea and major advanced donor countries in a study titled “Cross-national comparative analysis of the effectiveness of development assistance.” Its findings laid the foundation for systematic research on Official Development Assistance (ODA), leading to numerous publications in both Korean and English on Korea’s ODA system, including its institutions, policies, and key sectors. Within Korea, she has participated as a member of the Committee for International Development Cooperation under the Prime Minister’s Office, the Policy Advisory Committees for both the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family, and the Advisory Committee for KOICA. She has also served as the President of the Korean Association of International Development and Cooperation and, most recently, the Vice-Chairperson of the Korean National Commission for UNESCO. Through these roles, she has advocated for incorporating a gender perspective into the ODA system and expanding efforts to promote gender equality in international development cooperation. To this end, President Kim has been a regular beneficiary of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, one of the world’s largest philanthropies, which supported her robust research activities in the aforementioned field with funding in 2013, 2016, 2019, and 2023. In addition, she was awarded the Chang-Lin Tien Distinguished Leadership Award from The Asia Foundation in 2021. In terms of her international achievements, she was selected in 2016 as the sole Korean author among the co-authors of the Global Sustainable Development Report to be submitted to the UN High-Level Political Forum (HLPF). In the report, she emphasized the urgency and significance of addressing inequalities, particularly gender inequality, as an obstacle in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). She has also led numerous research programs and initiatives aimed at strengthening the capacities of women from developing countries, including the launch of the Ewha-KOICA International Studies Master’s Degree Program in 2007 for women public officials from the developing world. As the director of the Ewha Global Health Institute for Girls at Ewha Womans University Medical Center, she has conducted various research projects on health issues faced by women and girls in developing countries. Looking ahead, President Kim will engage in a broad spectrum of activities as UN Women’s National Goodwill Ambassador for the Republic of Korea, supporting UN Women’s areas of work, including women’s economic empowerment, ending violence against women, peace and security, and climate change, drawing on her considerable expertise in international development cooperation.
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