Han Doyeon, a master’s student in the Department of Science Studies at Jeonbuk National University (JBNU), supervised by Professor Shin Yujung, investigates the socio-technical mechanisms through which scientific and technological infrastructures that sustain modern society—such as railways, airports, and data centers—are formed and operated, and is challenging the development of infrastructure policies that encompass civil society. She has been selected for the National Research Foundation of Korea’s Master’s Student Research Encouragement Grant Program, laying the groundwork for conducting the research and disseminating its outcomes.

The master’s student was recently awarded a new project under the National Research Foundation of Korea’s “2026 Master’s Student Research Encouragement Grant Program,” receiving KRW 12,000,000 in research funding over 12 months to continue her research. The program supports master’s students in the humanities and social sciences to gain diverse experience in academic and research settings and to grow into core personnel who lead scholarly research.

The master’s student’s project is titled “Infrastructure Noise and the Clash of Sensory Knowledge: The Case of Aircraft Noise Conflict at Gimpo Airport.” Centered on the concept of sensory knowledge, which is becoming increasingly important in the AI era, the project examines how people perceive and live within a scientific and technological infrastructure such as an airport, and how scientific metrics, such as noise standards, operate in that process. 

The research received high evaluation for reexamining environmental issues and citizens’ experiences—areas excluded from development-centered infrastructure policies—from the perspective of science and technology studies (STS), and for highlighting the need to explore inclusive infrastructure policies.

Han Doyeon said, "I sincerely thank Professor Shin Yujung for her careful guidance and generous encouragement, which made this selection possible. In modern society, where the smooth flow of people and goods has become an important value, I hope to contribute to the development of infrastructure and transportation policies that embrace a broader range of values based on perspectives from science studies."

Professor Shin Yujung, the supervising professor, said, "This research is an original study that explores how sensory knowledge, which is difficult to quantify, becomes incorporated into infrastructure operations under the name of science. We expect it to provide new insights into the issues of 'quantifying the senses' and 'the sensibility of quantification,' which have become important in the AI era, and to broaden the horizons of research on science and technology infrastructure."