10 Years Ago And Now: Insung S. Choi

Chemistry – An Asian Journal speaks with authors about 10 years ago and now.

The journal celebrates its 10th volume in 2015. The year’s first issue features papers from the journal’s most frequent authors.
The journal Editors have asked these featured authors to provide a glimpse of themselves and how their world has changed over the past decade.

Interview with Insung S. Choi

The biggest challenge facing scientists 10 years ago was … the controlled synthesis of nanostructures.
And today … the practical applications of nanostructures.

My favorite drink 10 years ago was … Seoljungmae (Korean plum wine).
And today … Sansachun (Korean red berry wine).

10 years ago I was reading … ‘Power, Sex, Suicide: Mitochondria and the Meaning of Life‘ by Nick Lane.
And today … ‘Linked‘ by Albert-Lásdzló Barabási.

My greatest motivation 10 years ago was … to find what interested me.
And today … to find what interests me most.

My most exciting discovery in the past 10 years has been … nanotopographical effects on neuritogenesis and neurite outgrowth.

Insung S. Choi
Date of birth	January 9, 1969
Position	Professor of Chemistry and of Bio and Brain Engineering, Director of the Center for Cell-Encapsulation Research, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST), Daejeon, South Korea
Homepage	http://cisgroup.kaist.ac.kr
Education	B.S. 1991, Seoul National University, South Korea M.S. 1993, Seoul National University, South Korea (Professor Eun Lee) Ph.D. 2000, Harvard University, Cambridge, USA (Professor George M. Whitesides) Postdoc 2000–2001, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Cambridge, USA (Professor Robert Langer)

Featured Article

Layer-by-Layer-Based Silica Encapsulation of Individual Yeast with Thickness Control,
Hojae Lee, Daewha Hong, Ji Yu Choi, Ji Yup Kim, Sang Hee Lee, Ho Min Kim, Sung Ho Yang, Insung S. Choi,
Chem. Asian J. 2014.
DOI: 10.1002/asia.201402993
Individual Saccharomyces cerevisiae cells are encapsulated within silica shells. The combination of layer-by-layer deposition and bioinspired silicification makes it possible to vary the shell thickness in a controlled fashion, and the shell-thickness-dependent cellular activities are investigated.