Yu Myeong-Hee
{{short description|South Korean microbiologist}}
{{about|the scientist|the politician|Yoo Myung-hee}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=November 2015}}
{{Infobox person
| name = Yu Myeong-Hee
| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1954|9|5|df=yes}}
| birth_place = Seoul
| nationality = South Korean
| alma_mater = Seoul National University
University of California, Berkeley
| occupation = Microbiologist
| module = {{Infobox Korean name|child=yes
| hangul = 유명희
| hanja = {{linktext|柳|明|姬}}{{cite news|url=http://news.joins.com/article/3670376|author=김창엽 [Gim Chang-yeop]|title=파워우먼: 생명공학연구소 유명희 박사|trans-title=Power woman: Dr. Yu Myeong-Hee, Research Institute of Biology and Biotechnology|work=JoongAng Ilbo|date=9 July 1998|access-date=3 November 2015}}
| mr = Yu Myŏnghŭi
| rr = Yu Myeonghui}}
}}
{{family name hatnote|Yu||lang=Korean}}
Yu Myeong-Hee (born 5 September 1954) is a South Korean microbiologist, currently serving as the president of Korea Federation of Women's Science & Technology Associations{{Cite news|url=http://www.womennews.co.kr/news/99692|title=유명희 KIST 박사, 여성과총 차기회장 선출|newspaper=여성신문|language=ko|access-date=2018-07-26|date=2016-11-17}} and a principle researcher at the Korea Institute of Science and Technology. In July 2010, under President Lee Myung-bak, she was appointed as an inaugural Chief Secretary to the Future Strategy Planning Office, and served until February 2013.{{Cite web|url=http://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/news/article/article.aspx?aid=2923283|title=Lee overhauls Blue House staff|website=Korea JoongAng Daily|date=15 July 2010 |access-date=2018-07-26}}{{Cite news|url=https://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/news/nation/2016/01/116_69505.html|title=Journalist named Lee's public relations chief|date=2010-07-15|work=The Korea Times|access-date=2018-07-26}}{{Cite web|url=http://www.wiset.or.kr/eng/contents/news_view.jsp?sc_tab=1&sc_page=1&sc_type=1&pk_seq=26896|title=WISET Korea Center for Women in Science, Engineering, and Technology|last=Technology|first=WISET Korea Center for Women in Science, Engineering, and|website=WISET Korea Center for Women in Science, Engineering, and Technology|language=ko|access-date=2018-07-26}}
Early life and education
Yu was born in Seoul.{{Cite web|url=https://kast.or.kr/en/member/member_view.php?idx=4518|title=Yu, Myeong-Hee|website=Korean Academy of Science and Technology|access-date=11 August 2018}} She realized that she was interested in science and technology when she was in middle school.{{Cite book|title=Advancement of Women in Science and Technology: A Case Study of Korea|last=Lee|first=Kye-Woo|publisher=Ewha Womans University Press|year=2006|isbn=978-8973007035|location=Seoul, South Korea|pages=196}} Yu earned her Bachelor of Science degree in microbiology from Seoul National University in 1977 and her doctorate in microbiology from University of California, Berkeley in 1982.{{Cite web|url=https://gender-summit.com/gs6-speakers/1190-yu|title=Myeong-Hee Yu|website=Gender Summits|access-date=31 October 2015}} She later worked as a postdoctoral fellow at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in 1985.
Career
= Scientific research =
After moving back to Korea, Yu worked at Korea Research Institute of Bioscience and Biotechnology until 2000. After that, she has been working at Korea Institute of Science and Technology, holding a position of a principle research scientist. Much of Yu's work has focused on unlocking the structure and folding of the protein alpha-1 antitrypsin, which is a serpin protein.{{Cite web|url=http://www.mext.go.jp/unesco/001/2012/__icsFiles/afieldfile/2012/05/10/1320979_04.pdf|title=The L'Oreal – UNESCO Awards 1998 – 2011|access-date=31 October 2015}} Yu and her research team have worked to discover what amino acids can suppress certain types of mutations, such as the tsf mutation which is a protein folding error.{{Cite book|title=Applications of Enzyme Biotechnology – Springer|last1=Mitraki|first1=Anna|last2=Fane|first2=Ben|last3=Haase-Pettingell|first3=Cameron|last4=King|first4=Jonathan|date=1991|publisher=Springer Science + Business Media|isbn=978-1-4757-9235-5|editor-last=Kelly|editor-first=Jeffrey W.|page=134|chapter=Mutations Affecting Protein Folding and Misfolding In Vivo|doi=10.1007/978-1-4757-9235-5|s2cid=12057122|editor-last2=Baldwin|editor-first2=Thomas O.}} She has also patented the alpha-1 antitrypsin mutein with a disulfide bond and the method for preparing it along with her research group.{{Cite web|url=http://patents.justia.com/inventor/myeong-hee-yu|title=Patents by Inventor Myeong-Hee Yu|website=Justia|access-date=31 October 2015}}
Her work has appeared in Nature,{{Cite journal|last1=Yu|first1=Myeong-Hee|last2=Lee|first2=Kee Nyung|last3=Kim|first3=Jeongho|date=1995-05-01|title=The Z type variation of human α1-antitrypsin causes a protein folding defect|journal=Nature Structural & Molecular Biology|volume=2|issue=5|pages=363–367|doi=10.1038/nsb0595-363|pmid=7664092|s2cid=39389671}} The Journal of Proteome Research,{{Cite journal|last1=Kim|first1=Hye-Jung|last2=Kang|first2=Hyun Ju|last3=Lee|first3=Hanna|last4=Lee|first4=Seung-Taek|last5=Yu|first5=Myeong-Hee|last6=Kim|first6=Hoguen|last7=Lee|first7=Cheolju|date=2009-03-06|title=Identification of S100A8 and S100A9 as Serological Markers for Colorectal Cancer|journal=Journal of Proteome Research|volume=8|issue=3|pages=1368–1379|doi=10.1021/pr8007573|issn=1535-3893|pmid=19186948}} the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America,{{Cite journal|last1=Lee|first1=Cheolju|last2=Park|first2=Soon-Ho|last3=Lee|first3=Min-Youn|last4=Yu|first4=Myeong-Hee|date=2000-07-05|title=Regulation of protein function by native metastability|journal=Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences|volume=97|issue=14|pages=7727–7731|doi=10.1073/pnas.97.14.7727|issn=0027-8424|pmc=16612|pmid=10884404|bibcode=2000PNAS...97.7727L |doi-access=free}} the Journal of Molecular Biology,{{Cite journal|last1=Yu|first1=Myeong-Hee|last2=Weissman|first2=Jonathan S.|last3=Kim|first3=Peter S.|date=1995-01-01|title=Contribution of individual side-chains to the stability of BPTI examined by alanine-scanning mutagenesis|journal=Journal of Molecular Biology|volume=249|issue=2|pages=388–397|doi=10.1006/jmbi.1995.0304|pmid=7540212|doi-access=free}} the Journal of Biological Chemistry,{{Cite journal|last1=Kwon|first1=K.S.|last2=Kim|first2=J|last3=shin|first3=H.S.|last4=Yu|first4=M.H.|date=1 April 1994|title=Single amino acid substitutions of alpha 1-antitrypsin that confer enhancement in thermal stability|url=http://www.jbc.org/content/269/13/9627.short|journal=The Journal of Biological Chemistry|volume=269|issue=13|pages=9627–9631|doi=10.1016/S0021-9258(17)36927-2|pmid=8144550|access-date=1 November 2015|doi-access=free}} the BMB Reports,{{Cite journal|last1=Kim|first1=Hye-Jung|last2=Yu|first2=Myeong-Hee|last3=Kim|first3=Ho-Guen|last4=Byun|first4=Jong-Hoe|last5=Lee|first5=Cheolju|title=Noninvasive molecular biomarkers for the detection of colorectal cancer|journal=BMB Reports|volume=41|issue=10|pages=685–692|doi=10.5483/bmbrep.2008.41.10.685|pmid=18959813|year=2008|doi-access=free|s2cid=11921162 }} and others. Her work is highly cited in the fields of biochemistry, genetics, molecular biology, immunology and microbiology.{{Cite web|url=https://www.scopus.com/authid/detail.url?authorId=7404273372|title=Yu, Myeonghee|website=Scopus|access-date=1 November 2015}}
= Public work =
Yu served as the Director of the Functional Proteomics Center, a part of the 21st Century Frontier R&D Program, at the Korea Institute of Science and Technology from July 2002 to July 2010.{{Cite news|url=http://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/news/article/article.aspx?aid=2923283|title=Lee Overhauls Blue House Staff|last=Ser|first=Myo-ja|date=16 July 2010|work=Korea JoongAng Daily|access-date=1 November 2015}} In 2010, she was appointed to a new post in the South Korean government: senior officer for national future. Her responsibilities included overseeing government communications regarding science and technology and to help promote low-carbon and green technologies.{{Cite news|url=http://www.koreaherald.com/view.php?ud=20100715000979|title=Cable News Channel Executive Named Lee's PR Aide|last=Kim|first=So-Hyun|date=15 July 2010|work=The Korea Herald|access-date=1 November 2015}} She also served as the president of the Korean Biophysical Society from 2009 to 2010, and the president of the Korea Genome Organization in 2010.{{Cite web|url=http://kogo.or.kr/intro/sub_intro4.asp|title=한국유전체학회|website=kogo.or.kr|access-date=2018-08-12}}{{Cite web|url=http://www.biophysics.kr/html/history.html|title=The Korean Binphysical Society [한국생물물리학회]|website=www.biophysics.kr|access-date=2018-08-12}}
Awards and recognition
- Mock-Am Award from the Korean Society of Molecular Biology (1996){{Cite web|url=http://unesdoc.unesco.org/images/0014/001475/147530e.pdf|title=60 Women contributing to the 60 years of UNESCO: Constructing the Foundations of Peace|last=Unesco|date=2006|access-date=11 August 2018}}
- L'Oréal-UNESCO Award for Women in Science (1998)
- The Seoul City Cultural Award (2001)
- The Order of Science and Technology and the Ungbi Medal, from the Korean Government (2004)
References
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Category:Seoul National University alumni
Category:UC Berkeley College of Letters and Science alumni
Category:Massachusetts Institute of Technology alumni
Category:21st-century women scientists
Category:South Korean microbiologists
Category:L'Oréal-UNESCO Awards for Women in Science laureates
Category:South Korean women biologists