Jin S. Chung Award Established by ISOPE Board of Directors

Cupertino, California, November 11, 2003 − The Jin S. Chung Award is established to acknowledge the man whose extraordinary academic and industrial accomplishments in the offshore and polar engineering fields, along with his selfless volunteerism and leadership in promoting fellowship among ocean and polar colleagues, have guided the growth of these fields to their present compelling size, importance and recognition, as well as inspired others to follow in his footsteps.

Dr. Jin S. Chung was the leading figure in founding our society some 15 years ago, and he has dedicated himself to running ISOPE’s professional activities ever since. The annual ISOPE conference quickly grew, offering the world’s largest technical program of its kind.

It is not widely known that, prior to his ISOPE involvement and teaching career, Dr. Jin S. Chung made lasting contributions to the offshore and ocean industries throughout his 20 years of work with various industrial companies. Some of his notable achievements are:

• As an undergraduate naval architect in Seoul, Korea, in 1960, he and a colleague initiated a student project and constructed the first hydrofoil boat in Korea − probably the first in Asia.
• He worked on a high-speed boat hull at the U.S. Navy’s David Taylor Model Basin.
• As a doctoral student in applied mechanics, he developed a Laser Doppler Anemometer (LDA) for turbulence measurements (1968),  Physics of Fluid (1972).  This was the world’s first measurement of turbulence and drag reduction in non-Newtonian fluids flow using LDA.
• Joining the newly founded floating/drilling research team of the Esso (Exxon) Production Research Company’s Offshore Division, Dr. Chung developed one of the first integrated software packages for the design and operation of moored semisubmersibles and their drilling systems; he also established company guidelines for model testing in the U.S. and Europe. Further, he was appointed to the Esso Oil Spill Task Force, where he formulated spill-control strategies after the Santa Barbara Channel disaster in the late ’60s. His patented devices are still in use in the U.S. West Coast and Alaska.
• In the R&D Division of Lockheed Missiles and Space Company’s hydrodynamics department, Dr. Chung worked on the development of special Navy aircraft and special surface and underwater vehicles. At the same time, he was called on to form and lead the Advanced Systems and Technology Development Team, a part of the Deep Ocean Mining Program.  It was his U.S.-Dutch team that developed the pioneering integrated track-keeping control simulation package for operating a ship-pipe-seafloor-mining robot at 6000 m as a part of commercial mining system design.  Later deep-ocean-mining systems have been based on the basic system pioneered by Dr. Chung’s team. Since the limited release of confidential information recently, this technology has found its use in ultra-deepwater petroleum production. Finally, in 1976 and 1978, Dr. Chung’s team supported the successful tests of the well-known Howard Hughes Glomar Explorer in the Pacific at a depth of 5,000 m.
• In the third year of his teaching career as a full professor at the Colorado School of Mines, Professor Chung was awarded the AMOCO Foundation Outstanding Teaching Award, selected by the students and alumni.
• In 1978, Dr. Chung was the first recipient of an ASME Eugene W. Jacobsen (best paper) Award, and in 1980 he was appointed technical editor of a ASME Transaction Journal. In 1981, he introduced the term Offshore Mechanics and founded the offshore mechanics and Arctic engineering conference, and in 1985 its division.
• In promoting international cooperation, in 1987 and 1996 he organized and chaired the international ice mechanics workshop and deep-ocean technology workshop, sponsored by the National Science Foundation.

Dr. Chung is known for his innovative work and professional excellence. He is considered a leading authority in interdisciplinary offshore and deep-ocean design and analysis methodology.

The Award and lecture will be given at a special ceremony during the annual ISOPE conference. The award will be in the form of a plaque with an appropriate inscription.

Nomination and Candidate Selection. Any group consisting of three members from different countries may nominate candidates for the award.  A selection committee will then review all nominations and make its recommendation to the Board of Directors, which will make the final decision. 

Funding.  The cost of the award will be covered by the interest derived from donations placed in a special ISOPE account:  The Jin S. Chung Award.  Contribution is being invited  from members, non-members, Industry, Research Institutions, ISOPE conference participants and others.

The Award Statute is posted on www.isope.org: Click on “About ISOPE”>”Society Awards.”

For further information or the Award donation form, email to info@isope.org

On behalf of the ISOPE Board of Directors, past and present, we would like to invite you to join us in the Jin S. Chung Award Fund campaign.

Sincerely yours,

Prof. Hang Soon Choi, Prof. Edward J. Powers,  Dr. Mohamed Sayed, Ir. Michel Olagnon,

Dr. Tetsuya Hiraishi, Prof. A.M. (Nol) Gresnigt

ISOPE Board of Directors