Yu Myeong-Hee facts for kids

Yu Myeong-Hee was born on September 5, 1954. She is a famous South Korean scientist who studies tiny living things, called a microbiologist.

Currently, she leads the Korea Federation of Women's Science & Technology Associations. She is also a main researcher at the Korea Institute of Science and Technology. From 2010 to 2013, she worked for the South Korean government. She was the first Chief Secretary for the Future Strategy Planning Office.

Growing Up and School

Yu Myeong-Hee was born in Seoul, the capital city of South Korea. When she was in middle school, she discovered her passion for science and technology.

She went to Seoul National University and earned her first science degree in microbiology in 1977. Later, she studied at the University of California, Berkeley in the United States. There, she received her doctorate degree in microbiology in 1982. After that, in 1985, she continued her research at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).

Her Work and Discoveries

Science Research

After finishing her studies, Yu Myeong-Hee returned to Korea. She worked at the Korea Research Institute of Bioscience and Biotechnology until the year 2000. Since then, she has been a lead research scientist at the Korea Institute of Science and Technology.

A lot of her work has focused on understanding a special type of protein called alpha-1 antitrypsin. Proteins are like tiny building blocks in our bodies. She studied how this protein is shaped and how it folds. Yu and her team worked to find out which tiny parts, called amino acids, can stop certain mistakes from happening in proteins. These mistakes are called mutations. For example, they studied a mistake known as the tsf mutation, which causes a protein to fold incorrectly.

She also helped create a special version of the alpha-1 antitrypsin protein. This new version has a strong bond called a disulfide bond. She even patented the way to make it with her research group.

Her scientific findings have been published in many important journals. These include Nature, The Journal of Proteome Research, and the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America. Her work is often mentioned by other scientists in fields like biochemistry (the chemistry of living things), genetics (how traits are passed down), molecular biology (the study of molecules in living things), and immunology (how our bodies fight off sickness).

Public Service

From 2002 to 2010, Yu Myeong-Hee was the Director of the Functional Proteomics Center. This center was part of a big research program at the Korea Institute of Science and Technology.

In 2010, she took on a new role in the South Korean government. She became a senior officer for the nation's future. Her job was to help the government talk about science and technology. She also helped promote low-carbon and green technologies. These technologies help protect our planet.

She also led important science groups. She was the president of the Korean Biophysical Society from 2009 to 2010. In 2010, she was also the president of the Korea Genome Organization.

Awards and Special Recognition

Yu Myeong-Hee has received many awards for her amazing work:

• The Mock-Am Award from the Korean Society of Molecular Biology (1996)
• The L'Oréal-UNESCO Award for Women in Science (1998)
• The Seoul City Cultural Award (2001)
• The Order of Science and Technology and the Ungbi Medal from the Korean Government (2004)

See also

In Spanish: Myeong-Hee Yu para niños