SNU professor Lee Jeong-eun named October winner of Korea Science and Technology Award
In short
Lee Jeong-eun, a professor in Seoul National University's department of physics and astronomy, was selected as the October recipient of the Korea Science and Technology Award, the Ministry of Science and ICT and the National Research Foundation said. The award cites her JWST observations of crystalline silicate forming during an outburst of the protostar EC 53, and ALMA data showing the material travelling to a cold comet-forming region. The research was published in Nature in January and highlighted by NASA, according to the reports.
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Lee Jeong-eun, a professor in Seoul National University's department of physics and astronomy, was selected as the October winner of the Korea Science and Technology Award, the Ministry of Science and ICT and the National Research Foundation announced on October 7. The award is given to researchers who have produced original results over the past three years and contributed to scientific and technological development, and Yonhap reported that the winner receives a deputy prime minister's award together with 10 million won in prize money. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
The ministry and the foundation cited her work on how crystalline silicate — the material from which planets form — is created and how it travels far from its place of origin. According to Yonhap, she used NASA's James Webb Space Telescope to observe, for the first time, that crystalline silicate forms anew only during episodic accretion outbursts, and then combined JWST data with observations from the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array to trace how crystals formed at high temperature are carried to the cold comet-forming region. [ 1 , 2 ]
Seoul Economic Daily gave a more specific account, reporting that the target was the protostar EC 53, whose brightness varies on a roughly 1.5-year cycle, and that it was observed before and during an outburst with JWST. The paper said combining ALMA observations showed the material moving on a “disk wind” toward the cold comet-forming region, offering a clue to how material moved in the early solar system about 4.6 billion years ago. Seoul Economic Daily also reported that Lee led the international collaboration as principal investigator, and that it co-organises the award with the National Research Foundation while the ministry hosts it. [ 3 ]
The two outlets that carry article text agree that the results were published in the international journal Nature in January and were introduced by NASA. Lee said: “It is meaningful that we revealed the changes in early solar system material, which had been a difficult problem in astronomy,” and added that she would continue studying how the materials of stars, planets and life are born and connected in space, according to the reports. [ 2 , 3 ]
Seoul Economic Daily noted that the selection was made for World Space Week, which it said runs from October 4 to 10. Chosun Ilbo's feed summary carried the announcement without the additional detail published by the other two outlets. [ 1 , 3 ]
Why it matters
The award recognises a Korea-led international study that used NASA's James Webb Space Telescope and the ALMA radio array to observe planet-building material around a young star, work the outlets say was published in Nature and publicised by NASA. It is one instalment of a monthly national research prize, so its direct consequences beyond the recognition itself are limited to what the documents state.
Key facts
- The Ministry of Science and ICT and the National Research Foundation selected Lee Jeong-eun of Seoul National University's department of physics and astronomy as the October winner of the Korea Science and Technology Award. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
- The ministry and the foundation cited her work on how crystalline silicate — the raw material of planets — forms and travels far from where it is created. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
- Using the James Webb Space Telescope, she observed crystalline silicate forming during episodic accretion outbursts of a young star. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
- Combining JWST data with ALMA observations, she identified how crystals formed at high temperature are carried to the cold comet-forming region. [ 2 , 3 ]
- The Seoul Economic Daily reported that the target was the protostar EC 53, whose brightness varies on a roughly 1.5-year cycle, and that it was observed before and during an outburst. [ 3 ]
- The findings were published in the international journal Nature in January and were also presented by NASA, according to the reports. [ 2 , 3 ]
- The award is given to researchers who have produced original results over the past three years and carries a prize of 10 million won along with a deputy prime minister's award, Yonhap reported. [ 2 ]
- Seoul Economic Daily reported that it co-organises the award with the National Research Foundation and that the ministry hosts it. [ 3 ]
Confirmed by several sources
- The Ministry of Science and ICT and the National Research Foundation named Lee Jeong-eun of Seoul National University's physics and astronomy department as the October winner of the Korea Science and Technology Award, announced on October 7. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
- The cited work concerns how crystalline silicate, the material of planets, is created and transported, based on JWST and ALMA observations. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
- The research results appeared in the journal Nature in January and were also covered by NASA, the reports said. [ 2 , 3 ]
- The award recognises original research produced in the past three years, according to the outlets. [ 1 , 2 ]
Still unclear
- The prize amount of 10 million won and the deputy prime minister's award are reported only by Yonhap. Single-source detail; Chosun Ilbo's feed summary and Seoul Economic Daily do not mention the prize money.
- Seoul Economic Daily is the only outlet to name the observed protostar as EC 53 and to state its roughly 1.5-year brightness cycle. Single-source detail not carried by the other two outlets.
- No document states when or where the award ceremony will be held. The documents give only the selection announcement, not the presentation date.
What local media are saying
Timeline, local time
- The Ministry of Science and ICT and the National Research Foundation announce Lee Jeong-eun as the October winner of the Korea Science and Technology Award, as reported by Chosun Ilbo and Yonhap. [ 1 , 2 ]
- Seoul Economic Daily publishes its report on the selection, adding the protostar EC 53 detail and noting its role as co-organiser of the award. [ 3 ]