JBNU Center for Gifted Education in Science held its entrance ceremony for the 2026 academic year, announcing the official start of regional science talent development.

The JBNU-affiliated Center for Gifted Education in Science (Director Professor Gu Ja-chun) announced that it held an entrance ceremony on March 28, 2026, at the JBNU Academic and Cultural Center and has begun operating a one-year advanced and mentored research program.

About 200 people attended the event, including sixth-grade elementary school students and first- and second-year middle school students from the province who will participate in the program, and their parents.

The ceremony included a welcome address by Director Gu Ja-chun and an overview of the program. This year, 176 students were selected: 52 for the Elementary Advanced Program, 88 for the Middle School Advanced Program, and 36 for the Middle School Mentored Research Program.

Students in the advanced programs will take part in more than 100 instructional hours over the year, including STEAM Education, SW Convergence Education, and project-based inquiry activities. In addition, the Mentored Research Program, which selects outstanding students from the advanced programs, provides more than 80 hours of research-project-centered advanced training.

Director Gu Ja-chun said, "Students will go beyond simple knowledge acquisition. They will analyze physical experiment data themselves and visualize geological survey results using artificial intelligence tools, experiencing processes like real researchers. We will support their growth into creative, well-rounded talents in mathematics, science, and information science who can imagine freely, ask questions, and are not afraid to fail."

Meanwhile, the JBNU Center for Gifted Education in Science was launched in 1998 as the "Center for Gifted Education in Science" within the College of Education's Institute of Science Education and was elevated to a subsidiary facility in 2002. To date, it has produced a total of 5,589 graduates and has established itself as a representative institution for gifted science education in the Jeonbuk region.