A large-scale space for graduate students and instructors was first set up at Pusan National University (PNU).

On March 9th, PNU opened the “Innovation Park Academia (Academia)” in the Mirinae Reading Room on the 4th floor of the PNU Building of Construction and held the opening ceremony.

Academia is the first time that an entire space for graduate students and instructors has been created at PNU on a large scale. There was an existing Library #2 (11 seats in the carrel room) and some niche learning spaces, but this is the first to accommodate more than 100 people.

The Academia, which features a wide space of 776.8 square meters (235 pyeong), has various types of seats arranged in sufficient intervals. There are 26 carrel rooms, 30 reading rooms for one person, 12 seats for two people, 32 seats for unreserved seats, 7 study rooms for collaborative research and assignments, and seminar rooms for 40 or more people. The outside of the seat is colored with pastel tones, and several pots are placed, which creates a relaxed atmosphere. The study room, which was set up separately, had a large monitor and a whiteboard, making it convenient for collaborative tasks. 

The Academia official said, “We planned to arrange the place in the direction of MunChangDae, the forest behind the Building of Construction, to lower the fatigue of the eyes and to appreciate the natural scenery. Various types of seats and single-person reading spaces were intensively arranged so that there was no inconvenience even if you stayed for a long time.”

A graduate student who used the academy said, “The facilities are better than I expected. I think efficiency will increase because I can concentrate on research in a good space.”

Academia was constructed from December 2022 to February 2023 after demolishing existing old facilities. As it is a place for graduate students and instructors, undergraduates cannot reserve seats. It is open from 9 am to 9 pm on weekdays and is not open on weekends and holidays.

Reporter Jung Hye-Eun

Translated by Lim Chae-Kyung