Jongguk Kim, a graduate student (Ph.D. candidate in the Department of Environment and Energy Convergence) participating in the Glocal Resource Circulation Environmental Education Research Group, was selected as an outstanding participant in the Phase 4 BK21 Project and received a commendation from the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Education.

Since September 2020, Kim has participated in the Phase 4 BK21 Project. Over the past one year and three months, he has published a total of 10 papers, including four papers as first author in journals ranked within the top 10% in the field of environmental engineering.

He was also honored as an outstanding participant in recognition of numerous awards at domestic and international academic conferences and achievements such as patent registrations.

Kim said, "Going forward, I plan to conduct research as a postdoctoral researcher at research institutes or universities in the relevant field, and then continue research at a government-funded research institute. My goal is to work at a place where I can continue to conduct enjoyable research," and added, "Furthermore, I want to grow as a researcher who raises Korea's standing by developing new and original papers and technologies that can be applied to real-world environments."

Meanwhile, the National Research Foundation of Korea selects and rewards outstanding participants each year to identify and encourage talented graduate students and early-career researchers who have shown excellent performance in the Phase 4 BK21 Project. In 2021, 29 individuals were ultimately selected from nominees among participating personnel from 578 education and research groups (teams) nationwide.