While strolling around the campus, you will encounter some new and intriguing buildings. Beside the main gate, there is a chic, fancy glass-walled building known as the Pavilion, a store for selling university souvenirs. Here, you can find delightful items like dolls and T-shirts featuring Cha Cha, who is the symbolic character of Chungnam National University.

Venture a little further from the pavilion, and you will stumble upon the brand-new Cafeteria 99, offering a welcome addition to the campus dining options. These are among the new buildings that you can easily access and utilize. However, others on campus remain shrouded in mystery, leaving us uncertain about their accessibility. Let's refer to these enigmatic structures as "mysterious buildings," awaiting someone to shed light on their purpose and usage.

Some of our university undergraduate students participated in a survey investigating the utilization of shared buildings. The survey consisted of seven questions.

The first question was, “Are you inclined to access our university buildings?” The second question was, “Do you have any motivation to access our campus buildings or facilities other than the library?” Next, it inquired, “If your responses to the above questions were positive, please indicate the buildings you accessed.” The response "normal" was considered a positive response. It also inquired about their residence type (living in the dormitory or a rented room, commuting to school, etc.). After that, it inquired if they had ever heard of the "Public Laboratory" at the university. Then it checked if they had knowledge of the self-use training facility offered by the Public Laboratory at CNU. Lastly, it inquired, “Have you ever had an experience where you couldn't access campus buildings or facilities due to a lack of information?”

About 83% of respondents answered that they had the motivation to use the school’s facilities; however, less than 60% of respondents answered positively to the first question: Are you inclined to access our university buildings? Thus, 20% of respondents could not access the buildings or facilities despite being motivated to do so.

Also, for the last question, 86.3% answered that they had experienced situations where they were unable to access buildings and facilities due to a lack of information.

Based on the survey, it can be concluded that there are some mysterious buildings. And if we inform students about these buildings, they will actively make use of the campus facilities! As the Public Laboratory on campus is one of them, here is an explanation of the machines it has and some of the educational opportunities it offers to undergraduate students.

The Public Laboratory at CNU, which was built in the 1900s, has about 60 machines. It is located near the campus’s west gate.

The Public Laboratory at CNU is a building with seven floors, starting from the basement. It houses equipment for various purposes, including separation analysis equipment, material analysis equipment, bioanalyzers, organic structure analyzers, and inorganic elemental analyzers. There are two separation analysis machines, two bioanalyzers, and four organic analyzers. In addition, there are two inorganic analysis machines and six material analysis devices. Moreover, if you apply for a tour of the equipment, you can see precision analytical instruments.

How can you analyze a sample using the equipment at the Public Laboratory at CNU? There are two methods. First, you can give your sample to the equipment operator and request an analysis. The second method is to receive equipment operation training, obtain a qualification, and perform the measurements yourself. CNU students and professors can reserve equipment usage through the website (http://cnucrf.re.kr/).

Here, regular education, curriculum support, and special course education are provided. Let's focus on regular education. This education consists of academic education and practical equipment operation (theory and practice). Basic courses are held in January-February, and advanced courses are conducted in July-August. The basic course focuses on the basic principles and application methods of precision analytical equipment, analysis methods, and the latest trends in analysis. You can also learn about understanding the equipment's principles, operating and functioning components, and how to prepare samples before analysis through practical exercises. In the advanced course, experts in the field give lectures on the latest trends in analysis education and deliver presentations on equipment applications. Additionally, you can receive specialized program training for advanced applications and one-on-one equipment operation instruction.

Furthermore, if you visit the website, you can see that SEM education is regularly provided by the operator Baek Jiyoung. SEM training is offered every week, and you can coordinate with the operator to schedule equipment training. Therefore, it is a good idea to visit the website regularly and apply for an education program. If the university has high-value equipment, students should not miss the opportunity to use it for study and gain a variety of experiences in college. As long as the university consistently announces such opportunities to students, they should actively make use of them. It is a privilege for undergraduate students.

Besides the Public Laboratory, there are plans to construct a new building for semiconductor FAB on campus. In addition to the semiconductor FAB building, new buildings will continue to be constructed in the future. So, let's find out about these buildings and make the most of them.