Kookmin University students win top prize at advanced industry standardization competition

Students from Kookmin University's Department of Materials Science and Engineering have secured the top prize at the 2nd Advanced Industry Standardization Competition. The 'HOT POTATO' team clinched the Minister of Trade, Industry and Energy Award for their innovative work on a standard proposal for evaluating perovskite VIPV (Vehicle-Integrated Photovoltaics) for future mobility.

The competition, co-hosted by the Korean Agency for Technology and Standards and the Korea Standards Association, aims to foster practical talent in standardization by providing university students with opportunities to connect their major technologies with standards. This year marked the second consecutive year a Kookmin University team has won the grand prize.

The 'HOT POTATO' team, comprising Choi Jun-hyeok, Yang Seo-yoon, Seo Han-i, Seong Yeon-seung, and Han Seon-gu, under the guidance of Professor Hong Seung-hyun, presented their proposal titled 'Development of a Standard (Draft) for Combined Quality Evaluation of Perovskite VIPV for Future Mobility Applications.' Their focus was on VIPV technology, which integrates solar panels directly into vehicles and future mobility to generate electricity while driving.

While perovskite solar panels are a next-generation material poised to replace silicon, their application in VIPV requires high reliability. However, these panels are susceptible to complex environmental stresses inherent in mobility environments. The student team proposed an evaluation standard that realistically simulates these combined environmental conditions, earning high praise from the judging panel of industry and standardization experts. This success underscores the effectiveness of Kookmin University's materials science program, particularly the 'Engineering Design' course, in bridging academic knowledge with practical standardization strategies.