<From left to right: Byungmuk Hwang, Ph.D. student, Department of Forest Resources; Min-Ki Lee, Ph.D. student; Ye-Ji Park, M.S. student, Department of Climate Technology Convergence; Gyo-Sun Shin, M.S. student>

Four students from the Department of Forest Resources and the Department of Climate Technology Convergence at Kookmin University's Graduate School of General Studies won the Best Presentation Award and the Best Poster Award at the 2024 Korean Society of Forest Science Summer General Assembly and Conference, held from August 26 to August 28 under the theme of “Biodiversity Conservation and Restoration Strategies for Forest Ecosystems in the Era of Climate Crisis.” 

Hwang Byung-mook, a Ph.D. student in the Department of Forest Resources (advisor Dong-wook Ko), who won the Outstanding Presentation Award at the conference, presented a comparative study of forest ecosystem services by forest project scenarios using the Forest Vegetation Simulator (FVS), a representative distance-independent model, on pine artificial forests in Garisan Test Forest in Chuncheon City, and was praised by the judges for comprehensively presenting aspects that should be considered in terms of forest use and conservation. Dr. Lee Min-Ki of the Department of Forest Resources (advisor LEE CHANG BAE) won the Best Poster Award for his novel research on developing a methodology for calculating Ecosystem Multifunctionality (EMF), an indicator that can evaluate forest ecosystem services and various functions in Gariwang Mountain, and identifying biological and abiotic factors that control it.

Yeji Park, a master's student in the Department of Climate Technology Convergence (advisor: Lim, Chul-Hee), received the Best Presentation Award for her presentation on the future outlook of the carbon market by analyzing carbon market trends and major international mitigation systems, and recommending ways to promote REDD+ projects to achieve Korea's 2030 NDC. In addition, Kyo-sun Shin, a master's student (advisor Park Jihyun), who won the Best Poster Award, was recognized for his contribution to providing scientific data and management measures for the conservation of the endangered spherical tree by identifying the characteristics and pathogenesis of spherical tree leaf rust, a rust infection pathogen that has not been reported in Korea.

The two departments that excelled in this conference are specialized in the fields of climate change and carbon sinks (Department of Climate Technology Convergence) and forest disasters such as landslides (Department of Forest Resources), and are cultivating excellent talents with competitiveness and expertise at home and abroad. Currently, the two departments, together with the Department of Forestry and Biotechnology, are successfully operating two manpower training projects, 'Graduate School of Carbon Sink Specialization ('23~'27)' and 'Center for Landslide Expertise ('24~'28)', with the support of the Forest Service.