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Top 10 Science and Technology News Items of 2020 (December 30, 2020)
- Date : 2021-02-15
- Views : 1277
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International Cooperation Team
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Top 10 Science and Technology News Items of 2020
The Korean Federation of Science and
Technology Societies (hereinafter referred to as KOFST; President: Dr. Woo Il
Lee) announced its “Top 10 Science and Technology News Items of the Year” for
2020. KOFST announced its selections following ①
three votes by the selection committee (consisting of Chair, Dr. Min-Koo Han
from the Korean Academy of Science and Technology, and 24 other members) and ② incorporating results from online and mobile
voting, involving a total of 15,332 people from the S&T community.
In an effort to raise public interest in
science and technology, every year since 2005, the KOFST has selected and
published 10 major science and technology news stories related to ① major research and development achievements
and ② social issues. For the selection
process, the selection committee, composed of S&T experts, deliberates both
online and by mobile to evenly reflect the opinions of experts in science and
technology and public interests.
This year, the largest number of people ever*
participated in the national referendum for ranking the top 20 science and
technology news items, revealing increased interest in science and technology.
News related to the novel COVID-19 virus garnered an overwhelming 74.5 percent
of the vote, indicating that the virus which shook the world had a significant
impact on the national S&T community.
*Total online and mobile votes: 7,831 in 2019
-> 9,119 in 2019 -> 15,332 in 2020
For 2020, four “S&T Issues” and six
“R&D Achievements” were selected for the top 10 science and technology news
items.
In the “S&T Issues” category, the top
news items were:
▲ The
fast release of the K-Diagnostic Kit during the COVID-19 pandemic;
▲ The
new ‘Digital and Eco-Friendly’ paradigm;
▲ The
controversy over the decision to permanently suspend Wolseong Unit 1; and
▲ The
2050 carbon neutral declaration.
For the “R&D Achievement” category, the
top items included:
▲ The
development of a 3rd generation 10-nano DRAM that overcame global limits on
minimum cell size;
▲ The
world’s first mass production of heavy trucks operated by hydrogen electricity;
▲
Korea’s KSTAR maintaining 100 million ℃
for 20 seconds, breaking the world record;
▲ The
world’s first COVID-19 gene mapping;
▲ The
identification of mitochondrial mechanisms related to Parkinson’s disease and
dementia brain disease; and
▲ The
development of materials which are capable of blocking electromagnetic waves
along with stealth technology.
KOFST stated that “participation in the 2020
referendum to select the ‘Top 20 Science and Technology News Items,’ which
marks its 16th anniversary this year, was higher than ever. Looking at the news
items that were nominated, key agenda that drew attention for society this year
included the COVID-19 issue, which received overwhelming attention, as well as
the hydrogen economy, carbon neutrality, and climate change. It is said that
light has been shed on science and technology amid the pandemic crisis, which
are expected to be the key driving force leading our nation through the post
COVID-19 era.” The president of KOFST was also quoted as saying, “I hope that
this inspires us to look around the S&T community, and encourage R&D
sites and convey hope to the people through science and technology news in an
exceptionally difficult year such as 2020.”