In that regard, now is the time when KISS needs to prepare ground in which its members can take part briskly for social activities while augmenting researchers of the information field. The number of these researchers are increasing at a fast pace, according to president Whang Kyuyoung who serves concurrently as Professor in the Computer Science Department of the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST).
To activate the Society's activity, Whang said in an exclusive interview with The Korea IT Times on the occasion of the Science' Month this year: "First of all, I would publish a paper journal of letters so that industrial circles and college members can take part, to say nothing of more KISS members."
Second, to establish an institutional system and to improve service so as to be able to be a royal summons to its members, the president notes that KISS would reintroduce the Society System, Fellow institution and Distinguished Visitor institution.
The systems are designed to recognize members who contributed greatly to academic development by announcing their excellent papers to foreign prominent Societies, as distinguished scholars.
The Distinguished Visitor institution also will allow the persons who did good research to lecture at provincial universities or local branches by inviting them as visiting lecturers.
Third, Whang underlines regarding KISS's activation plan: "For the purpose of boosting the Society's international phase, I would exert myself for international collaboration furtherance and bond strengthening." To that end, KISS would propel first of all continuously English paper journal publication and SCI registration efforts while allowing brisk academic exchange with scientists in America by beefing up cooperation with the Korean Computer Scientists and Engineers Association in America (KOCSEA), he said.
Fourthly, the president has committed himself to do his best in being of help for reinforcing talent capacity and competitiveness through a domestic computer programming education system improvement project.
Poor domestic basic computer education
In connection with this, Whang points out: "Basic domestic computer education in elementary, middle and high school is too poor."
So though there are many graduates from the information technology department, there are not so many people who can be utilized directly in the industrial world due to such basic computer education shortage, according to Whang. In that context, the president said that KISS would be of help for the development of basic domestic computer education by planning the Society's improvement draft concerning elementary, middle and high school computer education systems and by proposing this draft to the related ministries.
Further, Whang said he would prepare university computer program education improvement drafts plus developing a standard education frame.
The other important project for the development of basic domestic computer education in which KISS wants to have the initiative is the so-called education accreditation project including Seoul Accord. He emphasized the importance of education accreditation projects by saying that accreditation effects by engineering education accreditation brings about competitive improvement effects for students, universities, industrial bodies and the nation.
KISS placed emphasis on accreditation business by establishing an IT education accreditation business headquarters in December 2006, according to Whang.
Important congress, no less than journal
The Korea Computer Congress 2007 will be held from June 25 through June 27 this year in Muju Resort. This year's Congress will be preceded by carrying out common functions such as tutorials, educational- industrial cooperation, invitation lectures, panels and workshops and academic rallies supervised by a special section research study group together.
Seven study groups will unfold diverse functions during three days. Separately from these things, tutorial themes include Flash Memory Software Technology, Microkernel-based Software Architecture and Virtualization, Service-Oriented Architecture, Software Product Line Engineering.
The Society holds conferences twice a year. The first is the fall conference in the university and the second is the Korea Computer Congress in other areas.
Furthermore to encourage collaboration with domestic information technology industry, the Society sponsors an annual Information Industry Review Symposium Differently from other academic societies at home, KISS attaches importance to such conferences through which members can announce their good papers, no less than journals, according to Whang.
Pivotal educationalindustrial collaboration activation
With regard to international affiliations, Whang notes that KISS is a representative academic society in Korea as this Society has been serving as the sole representative academic society in the International Federation for Information Processing (IFIP) since 1977. Apart from a regular member of the IFIP as well, KISS has been establishing cooperative relationships with the ACM, IEEE, IEEE Computer Society, IPSJ, IEICE-ISS and KOCSEA.
The Society holds a National Olympiad in Informatics annually and participates in the International Olympiad in Informatics sponsored by UNESCO, which is a well-respected programming competition for personal computers.
Through these activities, the Society is trying to lead computer science education in high schools and help build public understanding of computer and information technologies, Whang said.
Last but not least, Whang mentioned: "Above everything, securing many memberships is important to activate KISS,"adding that in the light of the fact that Japan Information Science Society's membership reaches to 40,000 people, we need to augment three times more up to 12,000 membership from current 4,000 membership.
What's more, the president said that regional branches and college members' activity must be encouraged along with educational and industrial collaboration initiatives.
