Kwang Hwa Chung facts for kids

Kwang Hwa Chung (born in 1948) is a famous South Korean physicist. A physicist is a scientist who studies how the world works, from tiny particles to huge galaxies. She has led important science organizations like the Korea Research Institute of Standards and Science and the Korea Basic Science Institute. She has also won many awards for her science work and for helping women in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM).

Early Life and Learning

Kwang Hwa Chung finished high school in 1966. She then went to Seoul National University to study physics, finishing in 1970. She loved learning so much that she continued her studies. In 1977, she earned her PhD in particle physics from the University of Pittsburgh in the United States. Particle physics is the study of the smallest pieces that make up everything around us. While she was studying in Pittsburgh, she married Kyungsoo Jeong, who was also a physicist.

Amazing Career in Science

In 1978, Dr. Chung started working at the Korea Research Institute of Standards and Science. She was the very first woman to work there as a scientist with a PhD! For ten years, she was one of only two women scientists at the institute.

Her special area of science is called "vacuum measurements." This means she is an expert in measuring how much air (or lack of air) is in a space. She became the head of different labs there, including the one for pressure and vacuum. She also created new devices and got patents for them. This shows she is a top expert in how to measure things accurately.

Helping Women in STEM

In 1993, Dr. Chung helped start the first group to support women in science and technology in Korea. It was called the Association of Korean Woman Scientists and Engineers. She later became the president of this group from 2000 to 2004.

During her time as president, she worked very hard to get a law passed. This law would encourage more women to join and succeed in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) fields. In 2002, her hard work paid off! The "Act on Fostering and Supporting Women Scientists and Engineers" became a law. Because of this important work, she won a big award called the Science and Technology Grand Prize.

Dr. Chung also helped create a daycare center in a science park called Daedeok Innopolis. This center helped working mothers balance their jobs and family life.

Leading Science Organizations

Dr. Chung has received many honors for her work. In 2000, she was given the Moran Medal, which is a very important award in South Korea. In 2005, she made history again by becoming the first woman president of the Korea Research Institute of Standards and Science. She led the institute for three years.

In 2008, she was named the "Woman Scientist/Engineer of the Year." She was also chosen to be a member of the International Committee for Weights and Measures in France. This is a very important group that sets standards for measurements around the world.

From 2009 to 2013, she was the president of a special graduate school at Chungnam National University. Then, in 2013, she was chosen to be the president of the Korea Basic Science Institute. Dr. Kwang Hwa Chung is truly a pioneer and an inspiration for young people interested in science!