METU Launches New Climate Center

METU Climate Change and Sustainable Development Application and Research Center (METU CLIMATE) was established to understand the changing climate and its effects and to develop policies and solutions to real-world problems.

Faculty members, whose research areas are climate and sustainability, meet under the roof of METU Climate: Climate Change and Sustainable Development Application and Research Center with the aim of carrying out multidimensional studies related to climate change, air pollution, greenhouse effects, and net zero emissions. METU CLIMATE, which the Council of Higher Education approved in November 2022, will also carry out studies with the aim of contributing to the development of scientific, realistic, and reliable climate and sustainable development strategies and policies that our country and society will need at the national and international level.

The center will hold its first workshop on Tuesday, February 7th, at the METU Culture and Congress Center between 13.30-16.30.

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New Episode of “ODTÜ’lü Yıllarım”

Theater, cinema, and TV actor Mehmet Ali Nuroğlu was hosted at “ODTÜ’lü Yıllarım,” our videocast series published by METU Alumni Office and GİSAM. Mehmet Ali Nuroğlu shared his years in METU Philosophy Department to acting and his student experiences that started again at METU.

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METU Innovation Fellows to Participate in Silicon Valley Meet-Up

As a result of the Fire Up 2022 training program, five METU students have been named University Innovation Fellows, a program run by Stanford University. The six-week-long program was collaboratively organized by METU GİMER (Center for Entrepreneurship Research and Applications), İTÜ GİNOVA and Boğaziçi University BRIGHT entrepreneurship centers, and sponsored by METU TEKNOKENT.

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11 Projects from METU to be Funded in TÜBİTAK ARDEB 1001

Application results of TÜBİTAK’s Scientific and Technological Research Projects Funding Program (ARDEB 1001) for the second term of 2022 have been announced. This term, a total of 11 projects coordinated by the researchers of METU has been entitled to be funded, which means that METU has obtained a success rate of 35%.

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Sezer Özerinç Receives METU Development Foundation Young Researcher Achievement Award

Assoc. Prof. Sezer Özerinç from the Department of Mechanical Engineering has been awarded the METU Development Foundation Young Researcher Achievement Award as a result of the evaluations made based on the academic performance data for the activity year 2021. METU Development Foundation Young Researcher Achievement Awards are determined based on the age, performance score, and number of publications in the Q1 category of faculty members working at METU.

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AdımODTÜ Undergraduate Research 2022

In line with the motto “Research at METU starts in undergraduate level!”, undergraduate students from different faculties presented their scientific studies at the 5th annual AdımODTÜ Undergraduate Studies Day. Details of the projects can be accessed from the link below.

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AdımODTÜ Film Screening

AdımODTÜ held a free movie screening event at the U3 auditorium. Complimentary popcorn and water were available for our students at the event, in which the movie “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows” was screened. With the great interest and participation of our students, film screenings will continue in the upcoming semesters.

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An AdımODTÜ Tradition: Complementary Sandwiches

With the organization of AdımODTÜ, the tradition of providing students who study until late during finals week with complimentary filtered coffee and lunch box consisting of sandwiches, fruit, and cake continued this semester. A well-wish note was also included for each student, tucked inside the packages that were created with the contributions of METU alumni and friends. The lunch boxes are offered to thousands of students each semester with the support of different student clubs and societies.

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Support Campaign for METU Students

We are deeply saddened by the earthquakes that occurred on February 6, 2023, and impacted our country’s southern and southeastern cities. We wish God’s mercy upon those who lost their lives, extend our condolences to their loved ones, and wish a speedy recovery to those injured.

At Middle East Technical University, we have made great efforts to support our students and citizens residing in the earthquake region as much as possible through the support and aid campaigns we have launched.

To support our students, especially those affected by the earthquake, we would like to announce our scholarship campaign in which we aim to provide 1000 students with a monthly stipend of 1,000 TL for five months. To help us gather a total of 5 million TL for this campaign that we have launched as part of the 100th-anniversary celebrations of the Republic of Turkey, the donations of you, our esteemed alumni family, will be greatly appreciated. For each text message that you will send to 9466 by typing “ODTÜ” you will contribute 100 TL to the scholarship fund created for our students.

To support our students from abroad, please contact burs@odtugv.org.tr or call +90 (312) 480 33 03.

We want to extend our sincere gratitude to the teams, offices, units, members, students, and alumni who have been voluntarily participating in all the support efforts of Middle East Technical University.

METU Alumni Office

METU Open Market

The Kümbet Hall at the Culture and Convention Center (KKM) has been turned into an “open market” for our students who came to our dormitories from the cities impacted by the earthquake. Items gathered within the in-kind support campaign thanks to the efforts and contributions of our alumni, members of the METU family, and ODTÜDEN store have been sorted into sections such as food, stationery products, clothes, and cleaning & hygiene products, and made available to our students free of charge..

Those who want to contribute to our open market can contact us and get information by calling the phone numbers below or emailing us.

Office of Communications: +90 312 210 4184

Alumni Office: +90 312 210 7108 / +90 312 210 4128

Whatsapp Hotline: +90 549 231 16 30

E-mail: kio@metu.edu.tr / mezun@metu.edu.tr

METU Supports Earthquake Zone

As Middle East Technical University, we have supported the regions impacted by the earthquakes since the first day of the disaster through various campaigns. Within our in-kind aid campaign, the items needed most in the region have been gathered at the Emergency Support Point (Kümbet Hall at the Culture and Convention Center) and sent to various destinations, particularly Hatay and Adıyaman. As a part of the campaign, 600 pieces of winter products supplied by our ODTÜDEN Campus Store have also been sent to the earthquake zone.

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Earthquake Report from METU Academics

Prof. Ahmet Yakut, Prof. Barış Binici, Prof. Kemal Önder Çetin, Assoc. Prof. Nejan Huvaj, Prof. Erdem Canbay, Prof. Eray Baran, Prof. Alp Caner, Salim Azak (Technician), and Ozan Demirel (Ph.D. student) from the Department of Civil Engineering, as well as Assoc. Prof. Mustafa Tolga Yılmaz from the Department of Engineering Sciences went to the earthquake region to conduct investigations in the field.

On February 20, 2023, the report titled “Preliminary Reconnaissance Report on February 6, 2023, Kahramanmaraş-Pazarcık Mw=7.7 and Elbistan Mw=7.6 Earthquakes” was published by METU Earthquake Engineering Research Center (METU EERC).

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The AYNA Hotline

The AYNA Hotline has started offering assistance to all our citizens residing in the earthquake region in both Turkish and English. In the future, psychological support will continue to be provided to everyone in need, especially the students and members of our university who were affected by the earthquake.

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METU Team Organized Activities for Children In Tent Cities

METU teams visited the tent sites in Adıyaman and spent time with children who enjoyed many activities and games, from chemistry experiments to painting. Teams, including staff from METU Faculty of Education, Center for Society and Science Research, and the Office of Communications, as well as volunteer students from science centers, entertained the children in the tent sites they visited, played games, and did experiments with them to cheer them up a little bit. In addition, as part of the visit, toys and notes of good wishes previously collected by METU members were given to children in the region.

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METU Students Returned to Dormitories from Earthquake Zone

The next day after the disaster, efforts to reach 1704 of our students residing in the earthquake zone began. Most of the students were contacted within the first 1-2 days and asked about their needs. Dormitories were prepared for our students who wanted to return to campus early, and the necessary announcements were made to these students. Then, our students who wanted to return to the campus were provided METU buses that went to the region through two different routes. As these students were brought to the campus from the region, efforts for other support campaigns, such as providing stipends and monetary aid to meet their transportation needs, continued.

BİLİM-2 to Investigate Earthquake in Mediterranean Sea

Scientists will make year-round expeditions to the Mediterranean Sea with the research vessel Bilim-2 of the METU Graduate School of Marine Sciences to monitor the possible damage caused by the earthquake at the bottom of the sea and the pressure on the ecosystem. Assoc. Prof. Mustafa Yücel, Deputy Director of the METU Graduate School of Marine Sciences, stated that the expeditions to be made in March, June, and August would reveal how the marine system reacted to the earthquake.

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METU Student Societies Participated in Relief Efforts

METU Winter Sports Club, with approximately 25 students, arrived at Antakya/Armutlu on the very first day that the earthquakes took place and took part in search and rescue efforts, helping to save many people alive from the debris. METU Scout Group also went to Hatay/Harbiye, one of the regions hit heavily by the earthquake, to help the people affected by the disaster.

Food Services to Earthquake Area by METU Cafeteria

While our efforts on campus to support the earthquake region continue, the METU Office of Cafeteria Management staff voluntarily went to the region on the third day of the disaster to provide food service in central Adıyaman. They took part in establishing a center that provided catering services to 2500 people in the early days of the disaster, and this capacity rose to 4000 people later on.

SAVE THE DATE: 2023 METU ALUMNI DAY

Dear Alumni,

We are delighted to announce our traditional METU Alumni Day festivities with all-day events will be held on July 8, 2023. We would gladly invite all our alumni back to the campus for the “2023 METU Alumni Day,” especially those celebrating the 60th, 55th, 50th, 40th, 30th, 20th, and 10th anniversaries of their graduation.

On this year’s alumni day, the enthusiasm for the 100th anniversary of the foundation of the Republic of Turkey and the grief of the earthquake disaster that happened in February will be felt together deep in our hearts. We hope to be united with as many of our alumni as possible.

Therefore, if you still need to apply for your Memorial Medal, please click the Medal Request Form link to complete your application until June 16. Especially our graduates who will celebrate their graduation’s 10th, 20th, 30th, and 40th anniversary are required to apply for the Medal.

The alumni day program, which will include various surprise events to be prepared for you, will be announced in June. For the updates, you can visit the Alumni Office web page, follow the official METU social media accounts, sign up for the email list on our website’s contact page or join the ODTÜM group on LinkedIn.

Join us back on campus for this special evening where you can reconnect with your classmates and celebrate the traditional alumni day.

We are so excited to welcome you back to METU and look forward to seeing you face-to-face on campus!😊

METU Alumni Office

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GIVE SCHOLARSHIP TO THE FUTURE

In honor of the 100th anniversary of our Republic, we launched a fundraising campaign with a total target of 5 million TL, with the approval of the Ankara Governor’s Office (reference number: 196668), to financially support METU students.

We are glad to inform you that we have reached the first milestone of 1.5 million TL, which will allow us to provide scholarships to 300 more students who still need a scholarship. Our next target is to reach 2 million TL and thus offer scholarship opportunities to another 100 students.

You can click the link below to contribute to the campaign.

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METU IS IN THE TOP 10 WORLDWIDE IN PETROLEUM ENGINEERING ACCORDING TO QS RANKINGS BY SUBJECT

According to the 2023 World University Rankings by Subject published by the UK-based higher education ranking institution Quacquarelli Symond (QS), METU ranked 10th in “Petroleum Engineering” and the only university in Turkey to be in the top 10 in the world in a field. In addition to climbing up by one in the ranking in the field of Petroleum Engineering compared to last year, METU has also become the best-performing university in Turkey across 18 academic disciplines.

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METU RANKS FIRST IN THE “ENTREPRENEUR AND INNOVATIVE UNIVERSITY INDEX” ONCE AGAIN

METU ranked first among all universities in Turkey this year, scoring 83.61 in the “Entrepreneurial and Innovative University Index.” The 11th of the Entrepreneurial and Innovative University Index was announced on April 1, 2023. The Index was launched by TUBITAK in 2012, for the first time in Turkey, to measure the innovation and entrepreneurship performance of universities.

Universities are ranked in the dimensions of “scientific and technological research competence,” “intellectual property pool,” “cooperation and interaction,” and “economic and social contribution” within the Index.

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APRIL 23 IN THE LIGHT OF SCIENCE

Like last year, we celebrated April 23, National Sovereignty and Children’s Day, a day gifted to children by our great leader Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, at METU with science this year too.

The special science show “Curious Kids’ Questions / April 23 in the Light of Science” was broadcast on METU YouTube Channel on April 23 at 15.30, and the questions from children were answered by METU professors with experiments and demonstrations.

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NEW EPISODE OF “MY METU YEARS”

In the new episode of “My METU Years,” where we host our friends from METU, our guests were Off-Road Rally pilots Jale Özel and Ayşegül Telli.

In the episode that was shot in Lake Eymir, our dearest alumni, Özel and Telli, talked about their years at METU and career journeys leading to becoming rally pilots. You can watch this pleasant and intriguing conversation by clicking the link below.

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RAISING A GENERATION EDUCATED ON CLIMATE CHANGE AND THE OCEAN

Ocean and Climate School training for educating the new generations on the climate and the ocean has started at METU Center for Climate Change and Sustainable Development. The training was held for the first time by researchers at the METU Graduate School of Marine Sciences. The participating students learned about the importance and protection of the oceans, the effects of climate change, and much more.

Students from the schools selected by the Mersin Provincial Directorate of National Education, with the help of the Mersin Municipality, will visit METU Graduate School of Marine Sciences and attend training regarding ocean and climate issues throughout the term.

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MORALE VISIT TO CHILDREN IN THE EARTHQUAKE AREA

METU continues to visit tent cities with science buses to support children and students in areas affected by the earthquake.

The activities were attended by professors and students from the METU Center for Society and Science Research, Office of Communications, and the Faculty of Education. Paintings were made, games were played through these activities, and children were helped to regain their morale through fun scientific experiments. The latest destination as part of this project was Hatay on March 23.

Additionally, hundreds of plush toys sent by METU graduates were delivered to their new owners in the earthquake zone.

To watch clips of the project, please visit the link below.

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“NETWORK OF CREATIVE SECTORS” UNDER PROJECT ECITE

As part of the “Emergence of Creative Industries and Transforming the Economy with Innovative Technologies” (ECITE), which is funded by the European Union (EU) and Turkey, the “Creative Sectors Network” is planned to be established and run in cooperation of METU Center for Design and Prototyping (Design Factory), Center for Audiovisual Research and Production (GİSAM), and the Center for Animation Technologies and Game Development (ATOM).

The “Creative Sectors Network” that is to be established in METU aims to support SMEs and entrepreneurs in fields such as new-generation filmmaking, games, and wearable technologies with innovative technologies.

Among the project’s stakeholders, which will be conducted with the support of the Ministry of Industry and Technology, are ODTÜ Teknokent, Ankara Development Agency, Turkish Game Developers Association, Ankara Chamber of Commerce, Fashion Designers Union and Solidarity Association.

METU OPEN MARKET

The Kümbet Hall at the METU Culture and Convention Center has been transformed into an open market for our students who have returned to the dormitories from the earthquake zone.

Both in-kind support for our students and products from our ODTÜDEN store were placed in isles in the Kümbet Hall, and they are offered free of charge for our students affected by the earthquakes.

Open Market, which is open on Wednesdays between 12.00-14.00, receives great attention from students.

If you would like to support the Market, you can reach the METU Alumni Office through the contact page at the link below.

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2023 METU ALUMNI DAY

Dear Alumni,

We are very excited to host you on our campus for our Alumni Day. We are delighted to announce that this year we will be hosting a variety of new events alongside our beloved traditional alumni day festivities. This year, the Commemorative Medals of our alumni who have applied for the 10th, 20th, 30th, and 40th Anniversary Medals, as well as those who will celebrate their 50th, 55th, and 60th anniversary of graduation, will be presented at the ceremonies to be held in their respective departments. However, for our alumni who graduated from interdisciplinary programs under the Institutes, the Commemorative Medals will be given at a ceremony that will be held at 14.30 in the Culture and Convention Center (KKM), Hall A.

The events and activities in the foyer area of KKM and front of it, as well as our visit to Anıtkabir and the special alumni day lunch service in the cafeteria, will be held this year just like the previous years as listed in the program.

You can reach the general program flow with brief information about all the common events as well as the departmental events and activities, in Turkish and English, on our alumni day page.

We hope to unite with all our alumni on this exceptional day. You can read more about the events we have specially prepared for this year’s Alumni Day below.

Best wishes,

METU Alumni Office

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Earthquake Diaries

Following the devastating earthquake that took place on February 6, 2023, as Middle East Technical University, we have endeavored to provide support to our students and those living in the regions impacted by the disaster. On this year’s Alumni Day, we will hold a panel with the participation of our professors as speakers on what has been achieved so far, the social contribution that has been provided, and the scientific studies that have been carried out on the subject.

We will be happy to see you, our esteemed alumni and members of METU, who have not hesitated to lend a helping hand in these difficult times we have been going through, at our panel that will be held on July 8, 2023, from 10.00 to 11.00 in KKM, Hall A.

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METU Time Capsule

As part of the 100th-anniversary celebrations of our Republic, we will bury the METU Time Capsule, which consists of letters from our students, alumni, and members, along with pictures drawn by children depicting the world 25 years later, to be opened on July 11, 2048.

Have you taken your place in the METU Time Capsule to send a message to those who will open it on the 125th anniversary of our Republic?

METU Time Capsule, which will build a bridge between generations of METU members and connect them, will be sealed and buried on Alumni Day, at 16.30, in a specially prepared area in the Spring Park (Bahar Parkı) of our campus, with the participation of all the members of METU family.

All you need to do to become a “METU Time Traveler” is write a letter to be placed in the capsule, conveying your experiences and messages for the unborn METU students and future generations.

You can access detailed information via the link below or visit our booths in the KKM foyer area on the alumni day between 09.00-14.00.

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ODTÜ Bellek Project

This digital-visual archive, which contains resources related to the cultural, social, architectural, scientific, and academic processes of METU since its establishment, is to be shared with the public through a web page. The ODTÜ Bellek (Memory) Project aims to compile and protect the visual memory of our university. Through this project, we will share various content such as documentaries, photographs, historical documents, oral history narratives of our academics, and early student projects and make the visual memory of METU accessible to all METU students and METU friends.

You are invited to attend the opening of ODTÜ Bellek on Alumni Day at 13.30 in the KKM foyer area and watch the visual presentation in KKM Hall B throughout the day.

Departmental Visits

We cordially invite our esteemed alumni to join us between 14:00 and 17:30 to reconnect with their departments and engage with fellow alumni and faculty members. In addition, we are proud to announce that commemorative medals will be presented during department-specific ceremonies to alumni who have applied for the 10th, 20th, 30th, and 40th Anniversary Medals. Furthermore, our alumni who will be celebrating their 50th, 55th, and 60th graduation anniversaries will receive special recognition during these heartfelt ceremonies in their respective departments.

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Opening of the New Student Center

Since its foundation, our university has been playing an active role in the political, scientific, economic, cultural, social, and technological areas of our lives with its students and graduates. We continue to act in line with the awareness that one of the most critical steps in realizing our vision is to improve the living and studying conditions and the social and cultural aspects of our students on campus. To increase the number of places where our students can come together and study and support our students’ social and cultural activities, the new Student Center has been completed with the support of the METU Development Foundation and opened its doors to our students in the 100th anniversary of our Republic.

At the opening ceremony, where the name of our new student center will be announced, we will also host the “Inception” exhibition, consisting of different disciplines of art, curated by Murat Akın from METU Design Factory.

Alumni Card and Donation Event

At the event to be organized by the Alumni Office and AdımODTÜ (Fundraiser Office), we will promote the alumni card system that we launched last year and the donation campaigns run by AdımODTÜ, especially for our students affected by the earthquake. After that, “Dolce Jazz” and “Batu Band”, groups formed by our esteemed alumni, will accompany us with their fantastic music at the cocktail hour that will be held between 17.30-19.30 in the garden of the Social Building.

ODTÜDEN Junior Events

At the ODTÜDEN Junior store, which we opened on last year’s alumni day, various special events will also be held for children on this year’s alumni day. In the program, between 11.30 and 13.00, children can participate in activities specially prepared for them and complete paintings for the METU Time Capsule.

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GRADUATION CEREMONY

HIGHLIGHTS

The METU Bachelor’s Degree Graduation Ceremony took place on Wednesday, July 26th, at 18:30, in the grand setting of the METU Stadium. The event was a true representation of academic excellence, graced by the participation of students from all departments. This year held special significance as it marked the joyful celebration of the 100th anniversary of the Turkish Republic. The ceremony began on a spirited note with the uplifting tones of the ceremonial band.

Following the opening speech by our university president, Prof. Dr. Mustafa Verşan Kök, department chairs presented the graduates with their well-deserved diplomas in specially designated areas. Alongside various activities during the Diploma Ceremony, unforgettable moments of the 2023 graduates singing “Those Were the Days” were captured. Please check out the highlights.

We wholeheartedly congratulate the graduates of 2023 and their families. We express our sincere wishes for their success in the future, spanning across the forthcoming centuries, benefiting both our nation and university.

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2023 METU ALUMNI DAY

The 2023 METU Alumni Day, held on July 8th, Saturday, we welcomed thousands of METU alumni in our campus.

We organized many special events for the Alumni Day such as the METU Earthquake Journal panel, the launch of the “ODTÜ Bellek” website, a performance by the “METU Rectorate Choir and Classical Turkish Music Society Alumni” led by Chef Coşkun Açıkgöz, a visit to Atatürk’s Mausoleum, special lunch for our alumni to relive their memories, placement of a Time Capsule, and the opening of the New Student Center unveiling of the “Başlangıç” art exhibition.

The presence of our alumni helps fortify the bond among us and contributes to the ongoing growth of our university. We eagerly anticipate organizing more of such events that bring all METU alumni together and further enhance our alma mater’s sense of community.

We look forward to welcome our alumni back at our next gathering. Once again, we would like to thank them for their participation!

TIME CAPSULE TO BE OPENED AFTER 25 YEARS

In an effort to bridge generations of METU alumni and establish connections between different eras of METU Family, a Time Capsule was created as part of the 2023 METU Alumni Day activities by the METU Alumni Office and Office of Communications.

Prepared to be unveiled on the 125th anniversary of our Republic, the METU Time Capsule was ceremoniously buried within a specially designed “Zaman Parkı” on our campus during the Alumni Day festivities on July 8th.

Containing letters, drawings, photographs from METU graduates, members, and students, along with current-day coins, the METU bear mascot, t-shirts, sculptures, newspapers, and various mementos, this capsule will safeguard these cherished items for 25 years until it is reopened during the 2048 METU Alumni Day.

“ODTÜ Bellek” NOW ACCESSIBLE

The digital visual archive of METU, “ODTÜ Bellek,” which has been bearing witness to the cultural, social, architectural, scientific, and academic journey of METU from its inception to the present day, was made accessible on the 2023 METU Alumni Day, July 8th. Developed in collaboration with the Library and Documentation Directorate and GİSAM, the “ODTÜ Bellek” digital collection aims to compile and preserve our university’s visual heritage. “ODTÜ Bellek” allows the digitally archived content to be shared with the public via the following web page.

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DOLCE JAZZ VOCAL GROUP

During the cocktail organized 2023 METU Alumni Day, the Alumni Office and AdımODTÜ collaborated to present a delightful experience at the Culture and Congress Center foyer. The Alumni Day Reception featured the Dolce Caz Vocal Group, comprised of our esteemed faculty memberMerve Erdal and alumni Damla Güneş, and Nihan Yılmazer, who graced us with a live musical performance. We extend our gratitude to the talented musicians of Dolce Caz Vocal Group for their support and the joyous moments they created.

WE WELCOMED UNIVERSITY CANDIDATES

Following the announcement of the 2023 YKS results, 10,000 university candidates with their families visited METU to engage our faculty members and students .

From July 20th to August 5th, 2023, the METU Promotion Fair held a prominent spot at the METU Yüksel Project Building. Its purpose was to extend a guiding hand to potential university students, helping them navigate their choices with clarity. The fair effectively introduced METU and its comprehensive range of undergraduate programs, while also shedding light on the myriad possibilities that lie ahead in various professions and career trajectories. This comprehensive program encompassed captivating METU presentations, insightful campus tours and dormitory visits.

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METU CLIMATE CENTER

METU Climate Center was established to maximize the scientific endeavors of faculty members dedicated to climate change research and unify their work under one umbrella. With a dual focus on both national and international research, the Center’s primary objective is rooted in the imperative need to foster an environmentally conscious, low-carbon society and economy. This pursuit of sustainability spans local, regional, and global spheres, emphasizing the profound importance of harmonizing our impact with the planet’s well-being.

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METU PAPERS

Short videos titled “METU Papers” have been recently released to enhance the international visibility of scientifically impactful articles published by METU researchers.

Prepared in English through collaboration between the Science Communication Office and Pergamon Productions, these videos aim to explain scientific studies conducted by METU professors using animations and compelling visuals, with a particular focus on sharing them via social media.

Up to now, segments of METU Papers have covered works such as Feza Gürsey’s “A Theory of Grand Unification,” Mustafa Yücel’s “Effect of tectonic processes on biosphere-geosphere feedbacks,” Mehmet Zeyrek’s “Observation of a new boson,” Levent Toppare and Görkem Günbaş’s “Could Green Be Greener?” and Meryem Beklioğlu and Erik Jeppesen’s “Freshwater Salinization.” These sections can be accessed through the METU YouTube channel.

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Dear Alumni,

We all share the great enthusiasm, excitement, and joy of celebrating the 100th anniversary of Republic, founded under the leadership of our Great Leader, Mustafa Kemal Atatürk.

Our Republic stands as a symbol of the revival and modernization of the Turkish nation. As we celebrate its 100th anniversary this year, we reaffirm our commitment to the fundamental values of our Republic. We carry the responsibility of enhancing and advancing this great heritage even further.

Our greatest goal is to build a shared future by upholding the fundamental values of our Republic, ensuring a brighter future for our country.

At Middle East Technical University, which has witnessed 67 out of the 100 years of our Republic and is regarded by many as one of its most significant achievements, we are determined to continue our exceptional contributions to our country and the world in the fields of science, technology, community service, and education. Each and every METU student we nurture is the future of this nation and the guarantor of our Republic.

From its foundation to the present, METU has been a driving force behind numerous firsts in Turkish higher education. Today, just as in the past, it remains a pioneering university that brings together qualified and successful individuals, offering them superior educational and research opportunities.

With our commitment to universal values, emphasis on social responsibility, and determination to educate individuals who are capable of shaping scientific, technological, cultural, and environmental changes and who embrace lifelong learning, our university stands as one of the most significant contributors to our Republic.

You, our esteemed members of alumni family, have become leaders who influence industries and social developments both in our country and in the world through the education you received at METU. Your accomplishments continue to make our world a more livable place.

As the President of METU, I share with you my firm belief in our commitment to and love for the core values of our Republic, and our dedication to working together for a brighter future. On this important and meaningful day, I remember with gratitude and respect the heroes who courageously fought and sacrificed their lives in our nation’s struggle for independence and freedom, foremost among them being the founder of the Republic of Turkey, our Great Leader Mustafa Kemal Atatürk.

Happy 100th anniversary of our Republic!

Prof. Dr. Mustafa Verşan Kök

President

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AT THE 100TH ANNIVERSARY OF OUR REPUBLIC, 100+ INVESTORS FOR 100 PLANE TREES

A limited number of METU graduates will be offered the opportunity to invest in the INVEST 101 investment fund at ODTÜ TEKNOKENT. INVEST 101 Fund is a Venture Capital Investment Fund (VCIF) established by METU, ODTÜ TEKNOKENT and Türkiye Development Fund, under the supervision of the Capital Markets Board, aiming to support early-stage technology startups by investing in them and contributing to their growth and success. During this process, priority will be given to METU graduates, and the required minimum investment amount to participate in the fund is set at 25,000 US Dollars. As part of the initial participants in the fund, 100 plane trees will be planted in TEKNOKENT. This investment opportunity allows valuable METU graduates to contribute to Türkiye’s entrepreneurial ecosystem and diversify their investment portfolio while taking advantage of various tax benefits.

Details about the Invest101 can be found here: http://odtuteknokent.com.tr/tr/invest101/.

To make a preliminary application for this investment opportunity, you can fill out the form at the following link: https://forms.gle/JGph4ttRJHpP2YGp6.

For additional questions or inquiries, you can send your questions to invest101@kalkinma.com.tr email address.

100TH YEAR REPUBLIC RUN

As one of the many events celebrating the 100th anniversary of our Republic at METU, we held the traditional Republic Run on Sunday, October 29, 2023, with a high number of participants and great enthusiasm.

The opening speech of the Republic Run was delivered by our Vice President Prof. Dr. Mehmet Zeyrek.

Following the highly acclaimed performances by the couple dance club and the hiphop club, we all ran together, carrying our flags in the footsteps of our great leader.

Organized by the METU Office of Sports, the traditional Republic Run had thousands of participants of all ages this year, just like in previous years. Particularly, our young participants, who represent the future of our nation, deserved great applause.

RECEPTION FOR 100TH ANNIVERSARY OF OUR REPUBLIC

On October 28, 2023, a reception for the 100th anniversary of our Republic was held at the METU Culture and Convention Center, bringing together the administrators and chairs of the academic and administrative units of our university.

In his opening speech, our President, Prof. Dr. Mustafa Verşan Kök, emphasized the place of METU among the most significant achievements of our Republic and expressed his sincere gratitude to all the heroes who contributed to our country’s fight for freedom, especially the founder of our Republic, Mustafa Kemal Atatürk.

As part of the contest organized in honor of the 100th anniversary of our Republic in collaboration with the Photographic Arts Federation of Turkey (TFSF), awards were presented to the winners by our President and TFSF Representative Emrah Akyıldız at the Kemal Kurdaş Hall.

The exceptional performance by the METU Development Foundation High School Choir, led by their Conductor Erkoç Torun, received standing applause.

Our students from the METU Couple Dance Club presented an unforgettable waltz performance.

PHOTOGRAPHY CONTEST FOR 100TH ANNIVERSARY OF OUR REPUBLIC

In honor of the 100th anniversary of our Republic, a photography contest was organized in collaboration with the Photographic Arts Federation of Turkey (TFSF). The contest received 1890 entries from 55 cities. During the reception held at METU on October 28, 2023, awards were presented to the deserving contestants. In order to see the selected works, you can visit the METU Culture and Convention Center or TFSF website.

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CONCERT BY EMREHAN HALICI AND MUSICIANS OF ANKARA

In the evening of October 29, we were at the Culture and Convention Center to celebrate the 100th anniversary of our Republic with great enthusiasm. At the special event where Emrehan Halıcı and Musicians of Ankara took stage, legendary songs that have had a profound impact both in our country and around the world throughout the history of our Republic were performed, and the performing artists received a great applause from the audience that completely filled the hall. All the proceeds of the concert, which was organized in collaboration with the METU Development Foundation and AdımODTÜ with the voluntary participation of the musicians, were donated to the METU Scholarship Fund to support our students. You can also make a contribution by typing “ODTÜ” and sending an SMS to 9466 via all the operators, providing a 100 TL scholarship support that will be donated to METU students.

CAREER FAIR HELD

The Career Fair, traditionally organized by the METU Center for Career Advising and Professional Development, was held on October 25-26, 2023.

More than 60 companies and institutions took part in this semester’s career fair. Thousands of our students attended the fair, participating in company presentations in the foyer as well as seminars and other activities held at the halls throughout the day.

For students who could not attend the fair, we conducted live Instagram broadcasts with company representatives on our career stage.

We continued to provide our students with professionally taken profile photos for them to use on their resumés and social networking platforms. During the short coffee breaks at the fair, students were also treated to fortune cookies with good wishes written inside about their future careers.

METU RANKS FIRST AMONG TURKISH STATE UNIVERSITIES AND IN 351-400 BAND IN THE WORLD UNIVERSITY RANKINGS 2024

According to the World University Rankings 2024 released by the highly prestigious UK-based ranking institution Times Higher Education (THE), Middle East Technical University has succeeded to rank first among Turkish state universities and shared the first place among all Turkish universities with two foundation universities, while ranking in the 351-400 band in the world.

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NASA ASTRONAUT DOROTHY METCALF-LINDENBURGER TO BE HOSTED IN METU PRESIDENTIAL LECTURE SERIES

As part of METU’s traditional Presidential Lecture Series, Dorothy Metcalf-Lindenburger, a retired NASA astronaut, delivered a lecture titled “Launching Your Big Dreams” at the Culture and Convention Center (KKM), Kemal Kurdaş Hall, on Monday, October 2. While all the METU students and staff were invited to the lecture, more than five hundred secondary school students from various districts of Ankara, such as Altındağ and Polatlı, also attended the event. After the lecture, Metcalf-Lindenburger met with the students from METU Astronomy Society.

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METU DESIGN FACTORY HOSTS IDFW’23 AND DFGN.R CONFERENCE II

METU Design Factory, an innovation center where researchers and students from various disciplines came together and worked on new products and solutions, hosted an important organization in the fields of design, innovation, and collaboration. Within the International Design Factory Week (IDFW) that took place between October 2-6, 2023, design factory representatives from many countries convened at METU for workshops, training and new collaboration opportunities.

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ASSOC. PROF. FEYZA KAZANÇ ÖZERİNÇ GRANTED THE L’ORÉAL-UNESCO “FOR WOMEN İN SCİENCE” AWARD

METU Faculty Member Assoc. Prof. Feyza Kazanç Özerinç from the Department of Mechanical Engineering has been awarded in the “For Women in Science” program with her project titled “Porosity and Surface Design of Biomass-Based Carbon Nanostructures.” The “For Women in Science” program, organized for the 21st time this year by L’Oréal Turkey in collaboration with UNESCO Turkey National Commission, aims to support women’s contributions to science and facilitate the creation of role models by raising awareness about gender equality in the field. Within the framework of the program that aims to increase the recognition of young female scientists, award-winning researchers are provided with a grant of 150,000 TL to support their scientific research studies.

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ATATÜRK COMMEMORATED ON 85TH ANNIVERSARY OF HIS PASSING

The founder of our Republic, the Great Leader Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, was commemorated on the 85th anniversary of his passing in a ceremony held at METU. The ceremony, which took place in front of the Atatürk statue, was attended by the METU President, Prof.Dr. M. Verşan Kök, faculty members, staff, and students.

Students of METU Kindergarten also participated in the minute of silence at 09.05 in the morning. Then, students of the Tuncay Doğu Vocal Class from the Department of Music and Fine Arts performed choral and solo renditions of Atatürk’s favorite pieces.

The ceremony continued with the commemorative speech titled “Remembering and Understanding Atatürk on November 10, in the 100th Anniversary of the Republic,” delivered by Assoc. Prof. Bahar Gürsel from the Department of History.

Furthermore, as part of the series of events marking the 100th anniversary of our Republic, a collection comprising over 3,000 books on Atatürk, specially curated within our library, was opened with a ceremony.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY METU

Middle East Technical University was founded on November 15, 1956, under the name of Middle East High Technology Institute. Playing a pioneering role in education in our country since that day, METU moved to its current address, the first university campus in Turkey, in 1963. You can access the digital archive containing various visual and written documents related to the cultural, social, architectural, scientific, and academic processes of METU through the recently launched website ODTÜ Bellek.

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TBM FALL SEMESTER ACTIVITIES

For detailed information regarding the activity packages organized by METU Center for Society and Science Research (TBM) free of charge for school groups, you can visit the TBM website.

The Fall Semester activity package of TBM includes various activities such as “Global Climate Change with Photographs,” “From Garbage to Compost with Worms,” “3D Modeling with Code Blocks,” “Göbekli Tepe,” “Metaverse – Virtual Reality,” “Planetarium,” “Dinosaur’s Footprints,” and “Free Excursion.”

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METU RANKS THE BEST RESEARCH UNIVERSITY ONCE AGAIN

METU has ranked first once again among the research universities in Turkey according to the result of the Research Universities Performance Monitoring Index, conducted by the Council of Higher Education to evaluate the performance of research universities within 2022.

As in the previous rankings announced in 2017, METU maintains its top position this year, with a score of 82,27. In the index, the research universities are evaluated based on their total scores in the categories of “Research Capacity,” “Research Quality,” and “Interaction and Cooperation.”

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METU WAS VISITED BY THE EUROPEAN UNIVERSITY ASSOCIATION

Prof. Joseph M. Garrell, Chairman of the European University Association (EUA), representing over 850 universities and national rector conferences in 49 European countries, visited Turkey upon the invitation of YÖK President Prof. Erol Özvar.

During their visit to Ankara, the EUA delegation came to METU on November 7, Tuesday. Hosted by our President, Prof. Mustafa Verşan Kök, the special event held at the new Research Park included laboratory visits and presentations on the Center for Robotics and Artificial Intelligence Technologies (ROMER), Büyütech, Kuartis, Synnada, Smart Alfa, and ODTÜ TEKNOKENT.

“ARF SABİTİ” THEATER PLAY

The unique theater play titled “Arf Sabiti (Arv Ivariant),” depicting the life of our esteemed Professor Dr. Cahit Arf was performed at METU Culture and Convention Center, Kemal Kurdaş Hall on November 7, at 20.00. We want to express our sincerest gratitude to İzmir State Theater and the play’s distinguished actors and actresses.

APPLICATIONS FOR THE GRADUATE PROGRAMS STARTED

Applications for the graduate programs at METU for the Spring Semester of the 2023-2024 Academic Year have started. You can click the link for detailed information and application:

https://oibs2.metu.edu.tr/Ms_Phd_Applications/.

METU WAS AT TIW2023

Together with the works conducted at the Design Factory, METU took place in the 10th edition of the Turkey Innovation Week, which was organized to enhance the innovation ecosystem and bring together ideas that will discover the power of innovation and shape the future.

At the Turkey Innovation Week, held at the Istanbul Haliç Congress Center between November 23-25, participants attended panels and showed great interest in the METU stall.

NOVEMBER 16: CONFERENCE FOR THE 25TH ANNIVERSARY OF LAKE EYMIR AND MOGAN ECOLOGICAL MONITORING AND RESTORATION PROGRAM

As part of the series of events to celebrate the 100th anniversary of our republic at METU, a “Conference for the 25th Anniversary of Lake Eymir and Mogan Ecological Monitoring and Restoration Program” was held on November 16, 2023 at METU Culture and Convention Center, Hall A.

The main theme of the conference was as follows: sharing the findings of the ecological monitoring research on Lake Eymir and Lake Mogan, which have been ongoing for 25 years at the METU Center for Ecosystem Research (EKOSAM) and the Limnology Laboratory of the Department of Biological Sciences, with academics, students, NGOs, ministries, and municipalities, as well as discussing future collaborative steps for the dissemination of these research findings.

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NEW VIDEOCAST ON CLIMATE CHANGE

The latest episode of the Videocast series, collaboratively prepared by the METU Office of Science Communication and the Center for Audiovisual Research and Production (GİSAM), was released on November 26. This episode’s guest, Prof. Barış Salihoğlu, the director of the METU Graduate School of Marine Sciences and also the Climate Change and Sustainable Development Application and Research Center (METU CLIMATE), discusses the impacts of climate change on our country and provides insights into the activities of METU CLIMATE in this regard.

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HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Dear METU Alumni,

As we bid farewell to another year, it is both humbling and poignant to reflect upon the challenges and hardships we have collectively navigated, particularly in the aftermath of the earthquake disaster in February. As integral members of the METU Family, the support extended by our esteemed alumni played a pivotal role in aiding both the citizens in earthquake-affected areas and the students on our campus who were impacted by the disaster. Your contributions during these challenging times exemplify the spirit of solidarity that defines our community.

On a different note, 2023 marked a momentous occasion as we celebrated the centennial of our Republic. As one of the Republic’s foremost institutions, Middle East Technical University commemorated this milestone with a year-long series of conferences, seminars, panels, exhibitions, concerts, theater performances, and various other cultural, scientific, and sports events. Information about these events was disseminated through a dedicated internet page created for the 100th anniversary of our Republic.

In the context of these celebrations, we sought to honor our most significant event, Alumni Day, in a manner befitting the centennial of our Republic. During the Alumni Day celebration held in July 2023, in addition to the traditional programs organized annually, we introduced a “Time Capsule” containing letters, pictures, and memorabilia contributed by alumni, students, METU staff, and their families. This capsule is intended to be opened in the year 2048.

Therefore, despite the myriad challenges faced, 2023 emerged as a year filled with hope and enthusiasm as we celebrated the 100th anniversary of our Republic. It stood as a testament to the resilience and spirit of our nation, instilling in us a sense of optimism even in the face of adversity.

Dear Alumni,

As we embark on a new year, may it bring you boundless happiness, success, love, friendship, and prosperity. We eagerly anticipate the prospect of reuniting with each and every one of you in 2024.

Happy New Year!

METU Alumni Office

DEPARTMENTS VIE FOR SCHOLARSHIPS

In honor of the 100th anniversary of our Republic, we are launching a new project to support the student scholarship fund as part of our “Geleceğe Burs Ver (Grant Scholarship to the Future)” campaign: Departments Vie for Scholarship!

Would you like to support your Department?

If so, you can make an online donation by going to the page of your department that you graduated from or are currently a member of and clicking on the “Destek Ol (Donate)” button. Help your department win the competition and provide students with scholarship through your donations.

Would you like your name to be placed on the Donation Wall, too?

Additionally, for those who donate 2,000 TL or more, your name will be proudly displayed on the bricks of our special wall within Time Park, the very site where our Time Capsule is interred. This serves as a lasting tribute to your generous contribution.

For detailed information, you can visit the website below:

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“TELL ME ABOUT YOUR RESEARCH” CONTEST HELD

On December 23, the new contest “Tell Us About Your Research,” organized by METU Office of Science Communication in collaboration with the Center for Society and Science Research (TBM), was held. Due to the high number of participants in the contest, applications were first subjected to preliminary evaluation. Short videos submitted for the preliminary evaluation were reviewed by the independent jury members appointed by the Office of Science Communication, and the top ten candidates were invited to take part in the final contest at TBM Science Center. The contestants presented their research topics to six jury members whose ages ranging from 6 to 15. Each participant was given three minutes to explain their topic. Subsequently, contestants had two minutes to answer the curious questions coming from the young jury members.

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“PRODUCTIVE AI IN HIGHER EDUCATION WORKSHOP” HELD AT METU

“The Workshop on Productive Artificial Intelligence in Higher Education: Opportunities and Threats,” organized by the Council of Higher Education (YÖK), was held at METU Culture and Convention Center on December 18. In addition to YÖK President Prof. Dr. Erol Özvar and the members of YÖK, the workshop was attended by METU President Prof. Dr. Mustafa Verşan Kök and 55 academics from a total of 28 universities specializing in electrical and electronics engineering, computer engineering, software engineering, artificial intelligence and data engineering, medicine, law, fine arts, communication, and education. The whole-day workshop featured various topics and fruitful discussions among the participating academics regarding the use of artificial intelligence.

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METU SCIENTISTS WORK ON DEVELOPING NEXT-GENERATION DIGITAL DISPLAY TECHNOLOGIES

METU scientists now produce “inorganic nanocrystal” based materials for the development of next-generation digital display technologies with rich color and image quality. Asst. Prof. Dr. Yusuf Keleştemur from METU Department of Metallurgical and Materials Engineering, together with Prof. Dr. Hüsnü Emrah Ünalan from the same department, presented their project titlted “Development of Colloidal Semiconductor Nanocrystal-Based Light Emitting Diodes by Solution-Based Methods Using Completely Inorganic Materials.” Stating that they have developed three different innovative materials for the next-gen display technologies in their project at METU, Dr. Keleştemur said that they aim to develop transparent LEDs with rich color quality and high brightness with completely solution-based methods by combining these materials in the same device.

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UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCH DAY HELD

The 6th Undergraduate Research Day, an AdımODTÜ initiative, took place on December 22 in the Kemal Kurdaş Hall at METU Culture and Convention Center. Organized for the students interested in undergraduate level research studies, the event garnered significant interest from the participants. During the sessions, detailed information regarding AdımODTÜ Undergraduate Research Program was shared as well as ways to submit an application to be a part of the program. Then, students conducting undergraduate research studies shared their experiences and talked about their own projects through both presentations on the stage and poster presentations in the foyer area.
So far, AdımODTÜ funded a total of 1062 undergraduate students who took part in 242 undergraduate research projects, 17 of them being conducted in 2018, 27 in 2019, 57 in 2020, 64 in 2021, and 77 in 2022.

TURKEY’S FIRST UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCH JOURNAL BACK IN PUBLICATION

Initially launched in 2013 until 2016 under supervision of Prof. Dr. Y. Eren Kalay from the Department of Metallurgical and Materials Engineering, MATTER holds the special title of being Turkey’s first scientific undergraduate research journal. And as of this year, MATTER is back, accepting undergraduate research studies from all disciplines.

Publications are curated by the METU Office of Science Communication, then undergo a blind review, and those accepted are assigned a DOI number and published. The latest issue of the journal, available both in digital and physical formats, has been distributed to the libraries of many prestigious universities worldwide and their undergraduate research teams. Moreover, MATTER contributes to students’ scientific development by providing trainings on academic writing. You can access the latest issue of the journal here.

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METU’S NEW BOARDGAME

Embark on a nostalgic journey with “Curve Kaç Çıktı? (What is the curve?),” METU’s latest boardgame, crafted through collaborative efforts by the METU Office of Prospective Students, Design Factory, ODTÜDEN Campus Store, the Office of Graphic Design, and Mokoros Inc. Tailored to evoke fond memories for alumni and provide an engaging exploration of METU for students and friends, the game captures the essence of campus culture and iconic landmarks. As a gesture of appreciation, the free trial version was offered to our social media followers through an exciting giveaway.

MEDITERRANEAN STAKEHOLDERS COME TOGETHER FOR WASTE-FREE AND CLEAN OCEANS

Through the “Restore Our Oceans and Waters Mission: Türkiye, Mediterranean Hub Establishment Workshop,” organized with the support of Horizon Europe BlueMissionMed, a roadmap has been determined. Hosted by the Mersin Chamber of Commerce and Industry, organized by METU Graduate School of Marine Sciences with the contributions of Mersin Metropolitan Municipality, Mersin Chamber of Shipping, and the Mersin Economy Platform, “Türkiye, Mediterranean Hub Establishment Workshop” was held on December 12, 2023, to support the goals of the Horizon Europe Restore Our Oceans and Waters Mission regarding clean seas and oceans.

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AdımODTÜ Funds 165 Undergraduate Research Projects

In 2021, AdımODTÜ funded 64 undergraduate student research projects involving over 190 students. The number of funded projects for undergraduate research was 17 in 2018, 27 in 2019, and 57 in 2020. Thus, the number of projects funded by AdımODTÜ has reached a total of 165, with approximately 800 students taking part.

At the AdımODTÜ Undergraduate Research Day event held on December 22,2021, undergraduate researchers presented their studies and competed for the best poster award. Two projects shared the grand prize:
“Identification of Novel Mixed Lineage Leukemia 1 (MLL1) Inhibitors for Cancer Therapy” by Olka Missaghimamaghani, Fatimah Safieh and Ilir Sheraj with Prof. Sreeparna Banerjee as project supervisor, and “Effect of Haptic Exploratory Processes on the Online Shopping Experience” by Fatma Çelebi, Hümeyra Aybüke Bilir and İzel Deniz Vardar with project supervisor Asst. Prof. Dicle Dövencioğlu. The runner-up for the best poster award was the project, “Fener, the Object Tracking Robot” by Evren Uçar, Meral Şahin, Muhammed İzzet Sezer, Rüya Gülşah Ulutaş, Şevval Belkıs Dikkaya and Yusuf Onat Yılmaz, under the supervision of Prof. Klaus Werner Schmidt. Third place was shared by the “QRegister” project carried out by Deniz Karakay, Alkım Dömeke, and Hümeyra Bodur under the supervision of Asst. Prof. Pınar Angın, and the project entitled, “Upcycling Waste Fried Oils,” conducted by Duygu İnce, Ecem Baskın, Anıl Yılmazkan and Melda Öcalan, with Asst. Prof. Simge Çınar Aygün as the project supervisor.

Further information regarding the funded projects can be reached from here.

METU Participates in Europe’s First High-Performance Computing-Centered Master’s Program

The METU Graduate School of Informatics has joined a European consortium to design and offer a Master’s Program in High-Performance Computing (HPC) for the first time in Europe, supported by the European High-Performance Computing (EuroHPC) Joint Undertaking and led by the University of Luxembourg.

In addition to METU, TÜBİTAK will also take part in the program, which aims to provide students with brand new career perspectives in the rapidly expanding fields of High-Performance Computing, High-Performance Data Analytics (HPDA), and Artificial Intelligence.

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Four TÜBA GEBİP Awards Go to METU

Four researchers from the Middle East Technical University have been given the Outstanding Young Scientists Award 2021 (GEBİP) by the Turkish Academy of Sciences (TÜBA).

Assoc. Prof. Emre Yüce from the Department of Physics and Asst. Prof. Ahmet Acar from the Department of Biological Sciences received the GEBİP award in Life Sciences, while Asst. Prof. Pelin Angın from the Department of Computer Engineering and Asst. Prof. Emre Büküşoğlu from the Department of Chemistry were deemed worthy of the award in the field of Engineering.

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Assist. Prof. Selçuk Yerci Deemed Worthy of the 2021 TÜBİTAK Incentive Award

Asst. Prof. Selçuk Yerci from the Department of Electrical-Electronics Engineering has been awarded within the scope of the TÜBİTAK Science, Special, Service and Incentive Awards 2021.

Dr. Yerci won the Incentive Award in the field of Engineering Sciences for his internationally outstanding work on silicon photonics, which offers a cost-effective way to accelerate the data transfer between computers by developing highly efficient solar cells.

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METU Partners up in New EU Horizon 2020 Project: NEWFEED

Prof. Ülkü Yetiş and Prof. Filiz Dilek, Department of Environmental Engineering faculty members, have become partners in NEWFEED, an innovative project for the exploitation of the food industry by-products.

NEWFEED, a project to “turn food industry by-products into secondary feedstuffs via circular-economy schemes,” commenced on July 1, 2021, with 14 partners from four countries; namely Greece, Spain, and Egypt, as well as Turkey. One of the partners of the project, which is a part of the PRIMA program supported and funded under EU Horizon 2020 Framework, is METU.

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METUverse

Researchers at METU have developed a virtual school project in the 3D “metaverse” world. Department of Computer Education and Instructional Technologies discussed ongoing work at METU on the concept of the “metaverse”. Click below to watch the video.

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Let’s Support Students Studying all Night for Finals at the Library

We are preparing to offer a goodie bag of food and coffee for our students pulling all-nighters at the library studying for Fall semester finals. You can also support the project and send a note to our students.

Our goodie bags will include:
– A 20 cm baguette sandwich
– Muffin
– Fruit
– Water
– Filter coffee
– Your note to our student 🙂

To lend your support please click here.

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Advantages of METU Alumni Card

Ata Estetik, one of the companies whose owner is a METU graduate and we cooperate with for the advantages of METU Alumni Card, has launched a 50% discount campaign that will continue until the end of January. From February onwards, a 25% discount will be offered exclusive to our alumni for Exilis Satin Face Lift, personalized VIP protocols on different kinds of skin cares, anti-aging processes, epilation, hair simulation, lash lifting, slimming applications, and etc. For all detailed information and consultation, you can visit their web page (www.ataestetik.com) and follow them on Instagram and YouTube (@ataestetik). You can also reach them by the phone: +90 (312) 240 0119 and +90 (533) 1617 464. We would like to sincerely thank Ata Estetik for this discount campaign and their cooperation.

Please click here for the campaign details.

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Applications Open for the 4th Digital Teachers Project

Applications are now open for the Digital Teachers Project, a training program which accepts 1,000 teachers per cohort. It is a partnership between ING Turkey, the Habitat Foundation and METU aiming to develop teachers’ digital skills, include them in the digital transformation and help them integrate their digital skills into their classes for the benefit of primary and middle school students.

Please click below for more detailed information.

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A New Science Show by METU Science Communication Team and GİSAM

The new science show named “Bilimin Her Hali” gives science lovers of all ages unique insights into the latest scientific research and debate.

The guest of the first program is Prof. Y. Eren Kalay from the Metallurgical and Materials Engineering Department, and the presenter is Assist. Prof. Pelin Angın from the Computer Engineering Department. The show will be broadcast live on the official YouTube channel of METU. on Saturday, January 22,
2022, at 11:00.

Sandwiches and Coffee for our Students During Finals Week

Since 2018, AdımODTÜ, a joint initiative of the President’s Office Corporate Communications Office and the METU Development Foundation, has been offering various refreshments to students studying late at the library during finals week.

This year, students were offered sandwiches, fruit, juice, chocolate, muffins, and filter coffee several evenings, thanks to the contributions made by our alumni and friends of METU.

The refreshments were accompanied by thoughtful notes and messages sent by alumni and friends of METU. Due to the ongoing pandemic, a covered outdoor bistro area was set outside the library with heaters..

With the support of METU alumni and friends, several events organized to date have helped us deliver 10.000 students thousands of messages along with sandwich boxes, fruit, and coffee. Click below for detailed information on these events.

We extend our heartfelt thanks to METU staff, students, alumni and friends for their support of our students through the project.

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METU Ranks in Top 500 in 3 “World’s Top Universities” Lists

The METU University Ranking by Academic Performance (URAP) Lab has published its evaluation of the ranks of 203 Turkish universities listed in 11 world rankings lists by organizations including URAP itself, ARWU, CWUR, LEIDEN, NTU, QS, RUR, SCIMAGO, THE, USNEWS and WEBOMETRICS.

The METU URAP report states that METU is the only Turkish university to appear in three of the 11 “World’s Top Universities” rankings lists. METU placed 425th in the RUR list, 484th in the US NEWS list, and 497th in the WEBOMETRICS list.

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New Science Show at METU

The METU Science Communication Group and GİSAM, having initiated several science programs such as “Bilimin Ev Hali” and “Bilim Hayattır”, are now introducing a new program called “Bilimin Her Hali”.

The show will be broadcast live Saturdays on the METU official YouTube channel and feature faculty members as presenters. Each episode will involve the latest science news from a different discipline.

The first episode was presented by Dr. Pelin Angın and featured Prof. Y. Eren Kalay as the guest, explaining the materials of the future from aerogels to superconductors through experiments. You can view the first episode of the series here. The upcoming episodes will feature:

Episode 2: Experimental Ecology – Assoc. Prof. Korhan Özkan

Episode 3: The Codes of the Neolithic Age from Göbeklitepe to Catalhöyük – Assoc. Prof. Çiğdem Atakuman

Episode 4: Let’s Code – Dr. Pelin Angın

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Congrats METU Snowboard and Alpine Skiing Teams!

The METU Snowboard and Alpine Skiing Teams competed in the Ankara Province Skiing Competition held on 6–8 January 2022 in Erciyes, Kayseri. Our snowboard team won first place. Here is how our teams did:

Snowboard Team

• Ebru Fatma Nur Duzcu, First place in the 15+ Women’s Slalom category and First place in the Giant Slalom

• Ayle Buse Özkan, Second place in the 15+ Women’s Slalom category and second place in the Giant Slalom

• First Place among Club Teams (CUP)

Alpine Skiing Team

• Cemreay Dede, First place in the Women’s Category in Slalom Skiing and First place in Giant Slalom skiing

• Mete Hıdıroğlu, First place in the Men’s Category in Slalom Skiing and First place in Giant Slalom skiing

• Fifth place among Club Teams

METU Alum Discovers New Hormone

Molecular Biology and Genetics Department Class of 2006 alumnus Dr. Gencer Sancar has made a groundbreaking discovery that could radically alter diabetes treatment. As he recounts in his study published widely in many important scientific journals, Dr. Gencer found a new hormone regulating blood sugar. In their experiments on mice, they used this hormone to maintain a low level of blood sugar for weeks, overcoming insulin resistance.

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9 New METU Projects Receive TÜBİTAK 1001 Funding

TUBİTAK (the Scientific and Technological Research Council of Turkey) has announced the recipients of the 2021 second term call for proposals for the TÜBİTAK 1001 Research Grant Program. Nine projects proposed by the researchers at METU have been awarded grants this term. METU was among the top three universities with the largest number of project proposals supported in this call, with a 19% success rate.

The grants will fund five projects in the field of Chemistry-Biology, and one project each in the fields of Health Sciences, Social Sciences, Agriculture and Earth Sciences at METU.

Click below to see the winning projects and the researchers conducting them:

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Four Seasons by Vivaldi – Winter

In 1725, Antonio Vivaldi (1678-1741) composed Four Seasons, his timeless masterpiece consisting of four violin and string concertos, each of which represented a season of the year. As in many parts of the world, the summer, winter, spring, and autumn seasons on the beautiful METU campus always remind us of his name.

Each concerto of Four Seasons is enriched with a fourteen-line poem describing the setting and surroundings. Four Seasons was even interpreted as the reflection of the colors in the paintings of the famous Italian painter Botticelli. It is because Vivaldi almost all of the characteristics of the seasons in each concerto, such as the howling wind, the sound of rain, the falling of dry leaves, and the singing of birds.
In the first part of “Winter,” windy, snowy, and ice-cold weather is depicted. The solo violin describes the bitter winds, while the strings are the representation of people shivering with cold and stamping their feet to keep warm.

We are proud to present you the third installment of our Four Seasons at METU-Vivaldi series as we close the winter season and extend our heartfelt thanks to our talented artists for joining us on campus.

Click the link below to view the video clip created to accompany Vivaldi’s Four Seasons – Winter sonnet. Enjoy!

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ODTÜ’lü Yıllarım

In the first episode of our new program “ODTÜ’lü Yıllarım” in which we will host distinguished members of the METU family, famous chef Hazer Amani was our guest. The episode was shot by METU GİSAM (Audio-Visual Systems Research and Production Center) at the Cafeteria. Alongside a joyful conversation, Chef Amani cooked spicy and sour chicken on a panini grill, which was the top choice of those who participated in the survey on METU’s official social media accounts. Our alumni who want to get one of the kitchen aprons signed by Hazer Amani at the end of the episode can join the raffle on the group ODTÜM. You can click the link below to watch the episode and take a look at Chef Amani’s spicy and sour chicken recipe.

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Winners of METU Parlar Foundation Awards 2021 Announced

The winners of the Honor, Science, Outstanding Service, Research, and Technology Incentive Awards organized by METU Prof. Mustafa N. Parlar Education and Research Foundation were announced.

Assoc. Prof. Kürşat Çınar from the Department of Political Science and Public Administration and Assoc. Prof. Mustafa Tuğrul Yılmaz from the Department of Civil Engineering were deemed worthy of the 2021 Research Incentive Award of the METU Parlar Foundation. Moreover, Prof. Behiç Mert from the Department of Food Engineering, Assoc. Prof. Perihan Savaş from the Department of Foreign Language Education, Assoc. Prof. Mustafa Haluk Zelef from the Department of Architecture, and Asst. Prof. Besim Can Zırh from the Department of Sociology were given the METU Educator of the Year Award.

The full list of the award-winners can be found at the link.

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From Metaverse to METU

In the new episode of our videocast series that started in the Metaverse and continues in our studio, we hosted Assoc. Prof. Tuğba Tokel, Vice Dean of the Faculty of Education. By clicking the link below, you can watch the episode in which we talked about the past, development, and the future of the concept of the Metaverse, the differences between video games and virtual universes, metaverse-related concepts such as presence and virtual reality, as well as the studies currently being carried out on the Metaverse at METU.

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Bilimin Her Hali

The second episode of our new program, “All About Science,” in which a METU academic participates as the guest of each episode, was broadcast live on the METU YouTube channel on February 26, 2022, at 11.00 The guest for the episode, which was hosted by Prof. Y. Eren Kalay, was Assoc.Prof. Korhan Özkan from the METU Institute of Marine Sciences. By clicking the link below, you can watch the program in which natural sciences were discussed, including drought, poles, and studies of mesocosm.

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Gasification Systems for Turkish Lignite

Prof. İskender Gökalp from the METU Department of Mechanical Engineering stated that the piloting of fluidized bed gasification systems for Turkish lignite was carried out within a project conducted as part of the EU Framework Program. You can click below for details.

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A New Research on Earthquake Risk Calculation

Within the scientific projects conducted in the Structural Mechanics Laboratory of the METU Department of Civil Engineering, a new and cost-efficient method has been discovered to quickly calculate how risky a building is in case of an earthquake. At an event in honor of Earthquake Awareness Week, Prof. Ahmet Yakut from the Department of Civil Engineering shared the details regarding the scientific projects being carried out in the Structural Mechanics Laboratory of their department.

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Winners of 7th Crystal Tree Awards Announced

The 7th Crystal Tree Awards, organized by the METU Young Entrepreneurs Society, were presented. In the ceremony held at METU Culture and Convention Center on January 22, 2022, award-winners selected by the votes of METU students among 31 candidates were announced. A total of 14 awards were given, including the awards given as a result of voting in 10 categories and the special awards given in four fields.

More information about the ceremony can be found at https://kristalagac.com

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Save the date: 2022 METU ALUMNI DAY

Dear Alumni,

We are happy to announce that our traditional METU Alumni Day festivities will be held on July 30, 2022, with all-day events. We are gladly inviting all our alumni back to the campus for our “2022 METU Alumni Day” but especially those celebrating the 60th, 55th, 50th, 45th, 40th, 30th, 20th, and 10th years of their graduation.

We have also gathered the list of our alumni who have not received their Commemorative Medals due to the cancelation of face-to-face activities due to the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 and 2021. Therefore, the Commemorative Medals of the years 2020, 2021, and 2022 will all be presented to their owners on this year’s Alumni Day.

This year, we hope to get as many graduates as possible to attend the reunion. Therefore, if you have not yet applied for your Memorial Medal, please click the link Medal Request Form to complete your application until June 30.

Details of the event will be announced at the beginning of June. For related updates, you can visit the Alumni Office web page, follow the official METU social media accounts, sign up for the email list on our website’s contact page or apply to become a member of the ODTÜM group LinkedIn.

Join us back on campus for this special evening reconnecting with your classmates and celebrating our traditional alumni day.

We are so excited to welcome you back to METU and look forward to seeing you face to face 😊 on campus!

METU Alumni Office

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METU Awarded at Horizon Europe Launch Event

METU was awarded at the event hosted by the Scientific and Technological Research Council of Turkey (TÜBİTAK), which officialized Turkey’s participation in the Horizon Europe Program. With four successful projects from Turkey in the Horizon 2020 program, METU became the university that received the most awards.

The President of our University, Prof. Mustafa Verşan Kök, received the award that METU was deemed worthy of due to its achievements in the Black Sea CONNECT, BRIDGE-BS, NEOMATRIX, and SolarTwins projects conducted under the coordination of METU

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New ERC Consolidator Grant: DEEPTRACE

Assoc. Prof. Mustafa Yücel from the Institute of Marine Sciences at METU has been entitled to be funded for his project “DeepTrace” within the “Consolidator Grant” call by the European Research Council (ERC). In the “DeepTrace” project, deep-sea habitats with critical redox transitions will be explored in an interdisciplinary context covering the fields of oceanography, nanotechnology, and astrobiology.

New ERC Starting Grant: LCFLOW

Assoc. Prof. Emre Büküşoğlu from the Department of Chemical Engineering has been granted for his project “Liquid Crystals in Flow: A New Era in Sensing and Diagnostics (LCFlow)” within the “Starting Grant” call by the European Research Council (ERC). The project aims to develop fluid sensor platforms for rapid and comprehensive diagnosis using liquid crystals.

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Curious Kids’ Questions

On April 23, we celebrated National Sovereignty and Children’s Day, gifted to children by our great leader Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, at METU in the light of science as we did last year.

The event titled “Curious Kids’ Questions” was hosted by Prof. Y. Eren Kalay, while faculty members of METU, Prof. Arzu Gönenç Sorguç from the Department of Architecture, Asst. Prof. Dicle Dövencioğlu from the Department of Psychology, Prof. Altuğ Özpineci from the Department of Physics, and Assoc. Prof. Mecit Öztop from the Department of Food Engineering answered the science-related video questions submitted by preschool, primary and secondary school students by conducting various experiments. Primary school students from Mamak and Altındağ Çocuk Sevenler Primary Schools participated in the event as the audience.

You can watch this special program on METU YouTube Channel.

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All About Science (Bilimin Her Hali)

The third episode of METU’s science program series, “All About Science” was broadcast live at the METU Science and Technology History Exhibition area via the METU official YouTube channel. In this episode, the
importance of Göbeklitepe, the transition to the Neolithic Period, the daily lives in these periods, and METU’s contributions to archaeological studies were presented by Assoc. Prof. Çiğdem Atakuman and hosted by Dr. Korhan Özkan.

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ODTÜ’lü Yıllarım

In the second episode of our program, “My METU Years,” in which we host distinguished members of METU Alumni, Mehmet Auf was our guest. Auf has taken part in various popular TV series such as “Çocuklar Duymasın” and “En Son Babalar Duyar” as a screenwriter, screenplay consultant, and actor who now continues his career in the field of education and counseling. By clicking the link below, you can watch the enjoyable conversation we had with Mehmet Auf and learn about his years at METU and the invaluable experiences he shared.

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Benefits of METU Alumni Card: Tepe Home and DORES Residence

As an alumni cardholder, you can take advantage of benefits and offers exclusive to METU graduates. Tepe Home, one of the companies we cooperate with for the advantages of METU Alumni Card, has launched a 10% extra discount campaign for furniture, exclusively for our alumni who can benefit from special offers and discounts in many places with their alumni card.
Likewise, DORES Residence Turunç https://doresresidence.com/ offers a 10% discount to all our alumni with a METU alumni card throughout April and May.

We sincerely thank Tepe Home and DORES Residence Turunç for their discount campaign and cooperation.

You can find the complete list of benefits using the link below.

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Mourning the Loss of Our Former President Prof. Ömer Saatçioğlu

Prof. Ömer Saatçioğlu, who served as the Department of Industrial Engineering Chair and the President of METU between 1987 and 1992, passed away on April 24, 2022. He was the first METU President who was also a METU alumnus. He started the Industrial Management program at METU in the 1957-1958 academic year and graduated in 1961. Within the same year, he started the Department of Mechanical Engineering in the Engineering Faculty. After graduating from the Department of Mechanical Engineering in March 1964, he started the master’s program in the same department. Upon completing the master’s program in April 1965, he earned the title of Engineer MSc.

In September 1965, he went to the University of Pittsburgh for a doctoral degree. After earning his Ph.D. degree in Operations Research and Systems Engineering Management in 1970, he returned to the Department of Business Administration at METU. In November 1970, he was appointed as the Head of the Department of Industrial Engineering, which was established just a year ago.

He became a Professor in November 1982 at METU. Serving as the Chair of the department for approximately 11 years, he made great contributions to the promotion and development of Industrial Engineering and Operations Research in our country. In addition to being a distinguished academic and a successful administrator, he was personally known by everyone as a helpful and a real gentleman.

Prof. Saatçioğlu will always be remembered with love, respect, and gratitude. May our esteemed Professor rest in peace. We extend our deepest condolences to their grieving family, friends, and the METU family.

You may access the memorial page for Prof. Saatçioğlu by clicking the link below and send us your condolence messages and photographs that you would like to share.

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Save the date: 2022 METU ALUMNI DAY

METU Alumni Day festivities will be held on July 30, 2022, with various day-long events. We kindly remind you that we have gathered a list of our alumni who have not received their Commemorative Medals due to the cancelation of face-to-face events due to the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 and 2021. Therefore, the Commemorative Medals of the years 2020, 2021, and 2022 will all be presented to their owners on this year’s Alumni Day. If you have not yet applied for your Memorial Medal, please click on the link below to submit your application until June 30: Medal Request Form.

We are glad to invite all our alumni back to the campus for our “2022 METU Alumni Day,” but especially those celebrating the 60th, 55th, 50th, 45th, 40th, 30th, 20th, and 10th years of their graduation. This year, we hope to host as many graduates as possible attending the reunion.

For updates regarding the Alumni Day events, you can visit the Alumni Office web page, follow the official METU social media accounts, sign up for the email list on the contact page of our website or apply to become a member of the ODTÜM group LinkedIn.

Join us back on campus for this special evening reconnecting with your classmates and celebrating our traditional alumni day.

We are looking forward to seeing you face to face on campus!

METU Alumni Office

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Happy METU Day!

We celebrate METU Day with all the members of the METU family, of which we are proud to be a part.

Education at our university started on November 15, 1956, with the name of the Middle East High Technology Institute. The purpose of the foundation was to contribute to the development of Turkey and the Middle East and train experts in the fields of both natural sciences and social sciences. On January 29, 1957, “Arrangements and Procedures as for the Foundation of METU, Law No. 6887” was enacted. Finally, with the enactment of The Foundation Act No. 7307 on May 27, 1959, METU officially became a legal entity.

Happy 63rd Anniversary to all members of the METU Family!

METU Ranks First Among Turkish Universities in the RUR World University Rankings

METU has ranked 336th in the 2022 World University Rankings announced by the Round University Ranking (RUR) and was placed in the “Bronze League.” According to the ranking, METU has ranked first among the universities in Turkey.

Detailed information about METU’s place in the ranking can be found at here.

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Curious Kids’ Questions

The event titled “Curious Kids’ Questions” was hosted by Prof. Y. Eren Kalay, while faculty members of METU, Prof. Arzu Gönenç Sorguç from the Department of Architecture, Asst. Prof. Dicle Dövencioğlu from the Department of Psychology, Prof. Altuğ Özpineci from the Department of
Physics, and Assoc. Prof. Mecit Öztop from the Department of Food Engineering answered the science-related children’s video questions by conducting various experiments.

Primary school students from Mamak and Altındağ Çocuk Sevenler Primary Schools participated as the audience. You can watch this special program on METU YouTube Channel.

You can watch this special program on METU YouTube Channel.

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All About Science (Bilimin Her Hali)

The fourth episode of the METU science program series, “All About Science,” was broadcast live at the METU Science and Technology Exhibition Hall via the METU YouTube Channel.

Dr. Pelin Angın was the guest of the new episode which was hosted by Assoc. Prof. Çiğdem Atakuman. By clicking on the link below, you can watch the episode titled “Let’s Code Together,” in which topics such as robots, artificial intelligence, and computer science were touched upon.

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“Science Everywhere:” The Robotic Touch

In the second episode of our science program “Science Everywhere”, the insights into the latest scientific research in artificial intelligence (AI) and robotic touch have been covered with fun facts. This program series has been created by METU Science Communication Office and Pergamon Production.

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Applications for the Graduate Programs Begin

Applications for the graduate programs for the Fall Semester of 2022-2023 Academic Year have begun. You can click on the link below for detailed information

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Tür Say 2022

The citizen science project, BioBlitz event, organized by METU Ecosystem Research and Implementation Center (EKOSAM) and Nature Conservation Center (DKM), to observe and identify species and make your own contribution to natural sciences on May 22, International Day for Biological Diversity. You can learn the details of this project from our videocast series.

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Prof. Dr. Rona Aybay Scholarship

TEDxAnkara

TEDx, a global concept, aims to bring together expert speakers from various fields, performance artists, and thousands of participants every year. Organized by the METU Research and Development Club, TEDxMETUAnkara, as the largest TEDx event in Ankara, has so far hosted lots of distinguished speakers such as Ahmet Ümit, Gülseren Budayıcıoğlu, Levent Ülgen, Mert Fırat, and Şahika Ercümen. Videos from these events have reached millions of views on the official YouTube channel of TEDx. TEDxMETUAnkara, which will be held for the 6th time this year, will take place at the METU Culture and Convention Center on June 11, 2022. With its “cocoon” theme this year, TEDxMETUAnkara will continue to raise awareness and elaborate on the unspoken areas as always. We would be happy to see our esteemed alumni at this event, as well. METU alumni can purchase seats in the VIP category with an exclusive 25% discount.

25% Discount Code Exclusive to METU Alumni: MEZUN25

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METU Alumni Day Approaches

The traditional METU Alumni Day festivities will be held on July 30, 2022, with various day-long events.

After the registration and gown sales at the Culture and Convention Center (KKM), the program will begin with the concert of the METU Rectorate Choir and the graduates of the Turkish Classical Music Club, and the live performance of the graduates of the Turkish Folklore Society in front of KKM, as every year. You can find the program details, which will last until 19.30 with various events that will take place at KKM and departments, on our Alumni Day Program page.

We will be pleased to welcome you to METU Dormitories on the Alumni Day. You can benefit from accommodation opportunities on July 29-30, 2022. Information about accommodation and reservations can be found on our Alumni Day Accommodation page.

We also kindly remind you that we have gathered a list of our alumni who have not received their Commemorative Medals due to the cancelation of face-to-face events due to the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 and 2021. Therefore, the Commemorative Medals of 2020, 2021, and 2022 will be presented to their owners on this year’s Alumni Day. If you have not yet applied for your Memorial Medal, please click on the link below to submit your application until June 30: Medal Request Form.

Hope to see you on the Alumni Day!

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METU Ranks First Among Turkish State Universities in QS 2023 World University Rankings

Middle East Technical University ranked first among state universities in Turkey and in the 501-510 band worldwide in the 2023 World University Rankings by Quacquarelli Symonds (QS), a world-renowned UK-based company
specializing in analyzing institutions of higher education.

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2021 METU Parlar Foundation Awards Ceremony Held

After the awards ceremony of the last year had to be canceled due to the pandemic, the winners of the Honor, Science, Outstanding Service, Research and Technology Incentive Awards 2021 organized by METU Prof. Dr. Mustafa N. Parlar Education and Research Foundation have presented their awards at a ceremony that was held on June 6, 2022.

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METU Student Wins First Place in Era CoBioTech Video Contest

Alara Tanlak, a first-year student at the Department of Electrical and Electronics Engineering at METU, won the video competition organized by the European Union ERA CoBioTech (ERA-Net Cofund on Biotechnologies) and
received a prize of 1,500 euros. Supported under the Horizon Europe 2020 program, ERA CoBioTech aims to preserve and strengthen Europe’s position in biotechnology by emphasizing the benefits of a bio-based economy for society. In the video competition titled “Biotechnology in Everyday Life” which was held in line with these aims, participants between the ages of 14-25 were asked to show the presence of biotechnology and biotechnological processes in their daily lives via their videos that were supposed to be no longer than three minutes. After the evaluation of the CoBioTech jury determined the winners, the award ceremony was held online on June 2, 2022.

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METU Student Team Wins Award at TEKNOFEST Azerbaijan

METU students returned from TEKNOFEST Azerbaijan with awards. This year, for the first time, TEKNOFEST was organized in a country other than Turkey, and the Middle East Technical University was among the academic stakeholders of the event.

The Systemator team, founded by Evren Uçar, a fourth-year student at the Department of Industrial Design, and Yiğit Kılıçarslan, a preparatory school student at the Department of Aerospace Engineering, won the second prize in the Teknofest “Smart Karabakh Hackathon” competition with their Sina Project and was rewarded with 5,000 dollars.

The award ceremony of the competition was held on May 29, 2022, in Azerbaijan, Baku, Crystall Hall. The awards were presented to the students by Selçuk Bayraktar, Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the T3 Foundation, on the stage of Crystall Hall.

Plogging Event Held

As part of the World Environment Day activities, a “pick up trash while running (plogging)” event was held at Lake Eymir on Saturday, June 4, by ODTÜDEN and AdımODTÜ. The participants were given various gifts after the plogging event, which was closed with a live concert by the BATU Band.

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Four Seasons by Vivaldi – Summer

We are proud to present the fourth installment of our Four Seasons at METU-Vivaldi series as we welcome the summer season. We extend our heartfelt thanks to our talented artists for joining us on our ODTÜ Erdemli Campus.
Click the link below to view the video clip created to accompany Vivaldi’s
Four Seasons – Summer sonnet. Enjoy!

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2022 METU Alumni Day Celebrated!

The Alumni Day, traditionally organized by the Middle East Technical University every year since 1991, was celebrated with various activities on Saturday, July 30, 2022, on the METU Campus.

Our alumni first came to the Culture and Convention Center (KKM) to receive their gowns, sip their lemonades and participate in various activities. On the giant screen set up in the foyer area of KKM, a video created by METU GİSAM on the events held at our university last year was shown.

The guided campus tour with the hope-on hope-off bus was one of the favorite activities attended by our alumni.

The alumni in front of KKM accompanied the music concert of the METU Rectorate Choir and the Classical Turkish Music Club Alumni under the direction of chief conductor Coşkun Açıkgöz. Furthermore, our alumni painted graffiti specially prepared for 2022 METU Alumni Day in front of KKM with their children.

Our alumni participated in the day-long “Campus Hunt Alumni” game prepared exclusively for the Alumni Day. Those who completed the tasks received gifts from ODTÜDEN, our campus store.

The “Nefesli Show Band” Orchestra performed for our alumni as they set off to Anıtkabir to visit our nation’s founder Mustafa Kemal Atatürk.

After the visit to Anıtkabir, one of the activities with the most significant participation within the Alumni Day program, a special lunch was organized for our alumni in the Cafeteria as a reminder of their good old campus life.

Then, the opening of “ODTÜDEN Junior” took place with the concert given by the “Nefesli Show Band” orchestra.

Medal ceremonies and activities were held in the departments for the alumni who have reached their 10th, 20th, 30th, 40th, 45th, 50th, 55th, and 60th graduation anniversaries.

The METU Alumni Card and the Alumni Information System were introduced to our alumni through an entertaining event.

You can watch the video prepared from 2022 METU Alumni Day footage by clicking the link below.

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ODTÜDEN Junior

On this year’s Alumni Day, ODTÜDEN Junior, the new ODTÜDEN branch that will exclusively target the future students of METU, opened its doors for the first time. At ODTÜDEN Junior, METU branded clothes, toys, brain games, and children’s books published by METU Press, all of which have been designed and produced specially for children, can be purchased. There is also a reading area inside the store, and free workshops will be held for the primary school students at ODTÜDEN’s new branch.

From August 22, 2022, onwards, ODTÜDEN Junior will be open between 12.30-16.00 on weekdays and 12.30-17.00 on Saturdays throughout the summer season.

A short video from the opening of ODTÜDEN Junior can be watched from the link below.

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METU Alumni Card Launch

The renewed Alumni Information System and the brand new METU Alumni Card were introduced during the cocktail held in the Social Building Garden. While our alumni received information about the METU Alumni Card, they listened to the live orchestra performance in the garden and enjoyed the treats.

With the new Alumni Card, METU alumni will be able to use the electronic card readers at the university gates, register for e-mail accounts with the “@alumni.metu.edu.tr” domain, and benefit from the special offers of various companies exclusive for the METU alumni.

Promotional Video for the METU Alumni Card:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=66zl-NFg1Qw&t=7s (in Turkish)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=55q63f0uT0o (in English)

General Information Regarding the METU Alumni Card:

https://mezun.metu.edu.tr/odtu-mezun-karti/

Companies Offering Special Deals for the METU Alumni Card:

https://mezun.metu.edu.tr/odtu-mezun-karti-avantajlari/

Application Page for the METU Alumni Card:

https://ais.metu.edu.tr/

2022 Student Orientation

As a result of outstanding dedication and accomplishment, our new students have become the latest members of the large METU family, which has more than 140,000 members that shape the world of research, education, social service, and business in 140 different countries. We congratulate them and wish them a healthy, happy, and successful academic journey.

The Orientation Event, traditionally organized for our new students every year, will be held on Friday, September 30, and Saturday, October 1, this year. The international students’ orientation program will be held between October 26 and 28. By participating in this program, new METU students can learn about their departments, academic and administrative units, cultural and sports activities, as well as student clubs and societies at METU. Moreover, they can visit Eymir on the Saturday afternoon trip.

You can find the details of the orientation program from the link below.

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New Episode of “ODTÜ’lü Yıllarım”

Jazz artist Sibel Köse, a graduate of the Department of Architecture, and guitarist Kamil Erdem, a graduate of the Department of Electrical-Electronics Engineering, were the guests of the new episode of “My METU Years.” Music accompanied the warm conversation between the guests and the program host, Türkay Dericioğlu, the coordinator of the METU Alumni Office.

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Aydın Doğan Foundation Molecular Biology and Genetics Research Award to Asst. Prof. Ahmet Acar

Asst. Prof. Ahmet Acar from the Department of Biological Sciences at the Faculty of Arts and Science received the Molecular Biology and Genetics Research Award by the Aydın Doğan Foundation.

This year, a total of two researchers received the Molecular Biology and Genetics Research Award that was given in honor of Dr. Özlem Türeci and Prof. Uğur Şahin, who were awarded the 25th Aydın Doğan Awards held at the end of 2021, with the purpose of rewarding successful and promising young academics regarding their research. The award evaluation processes were carried out by the collaborative efforts of the Science Academy and Aydın Doğan Foundation, and the results were announced on June 17, 2022.

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James Dyson Award for “PhysioCircle” Project, Developed at METU

Selami Erdoğan, a graduate student of METU and an alumnus of the Department of Industrial Design, became the winner of the 2022 James Dyson Award in Turkey with his project named “PhysioCircle,” which he developed to improve the quality of life for respiratory patients.

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Robot Bees for Endangered Hives

Micro-robot bees developed by the researchers at METU will ensure that bee colonies under the risk of extinction healthily continue their lives.

In a statement made to the Anadolu Agency pressperson, Assoc. Prof. Erol Şahin, a faculty member of the Department of Computer Engineering and the Director of METU Robotics and Artificial Intelligence Technologies Research and Application Center (ROMER), has explained that the METU team consisting of himself, Assoc. Prof. Ali Emre Turgut and Assoc. Prof. Hande Alemdar took part in the project titled Roboroyale, funded within the EU Framework Program Horizon. He further noted that they carried out the research with a 20-person R&D team together with partners from England, Austria, and Czechia.

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TEKNOFEST Karadeniz

We attended TEKNOFEST Karadeniz, held at the Samsun Çarşamba Airport between August 29 and September 4. During the festival, various scientific events, prize quiz competitions, and workshops were organized at the METU booth.

Various experiments were carried out under the name of “The Magic World of Materials” with the contributions of the Department of Metallurgical and Materials Engineering and the Chemistry Society. With the support of the Department of Food Engineering, a workshop titled “Science of Chocolate” was organized, and the chemistry of chocolate and cotton candy was explained to the visitors. The “Göbekli Tepe” workshop was carried out with the archaeologists of the future. In the “Biology” workshop, the DNA of fruits was examined. While many METU students won awards in various categories, TEKNOFEST 2022 was overall a science festival full of enthusiastic visitors and participants.

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Baby Sea Turtles at METU Erdemli Campus

At our METU Erdemli Campus, baby sea turtles took their first steps safely out of their nests and towards their long adventures in the sea thanks to the Sea Turtle Monitoring and Conservation Studies carried out collective and selfless manner.
We would like to thank our #ODTÜDBE (METUIMS) researchers and volunteers who contributed to the studies throughout the summer!

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METU Graduate Tuğçe Taşçı Conducts Research at Meta

METU graduate Tugce Tasci conducts research at Meta (Facebook) Reality Labs on virtual reality systems that will make digital devices usable through brain power, only by thinking. Please find out more from the link below.

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2022-2023 Academic Year Opening Ceremony

The Opening Ceremony of the 2022-2023 Academic Year of our university was held on Monday, October 3, 2022, with a ceremony at the Culture and Convention Center (KKM), Kemal Kurdaş Hall. Afterward, the university administration and the faculty members, along with students, visited the Great Leader Mustafa Kemal Atatürk at Anıtkabir.

The ceremony, which started with a moment of silence and the National Anthem at KKM continued with the piano recital of Neli Gagua, and then the speeches of Pınar Kılar, Sultan Selam, and Bükem Belen, on the behalf of national and international students who recently enrolled in METU. After the speech of President Prof. Mustafa Verşan Kök, at the end of the program, Prof. Barış Salihoğlu and Assoc. Prof. Mustafa Yücel from the Graduate School of Marine Sciences, Assoc. Prof. Emre Büküşoğlu from the Department of Chemical Engineering and Dr. Sara Banu Akkaş from the Office of Research Coordination were given their European Union Projects Achievement Awards.

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METU Ranks in 501-600 Band in THE World University Rankings 2023

Middle East Technical University ranked in the 501-600 band in the World University Rankings 2023, prepared by Times Higher Education (THE), a prestigious UK-based ranking institution. According to THE’s ranking, METU had the first place among the state universities in Turkey.

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METU Ranks First in Horizon Europe’s List of Most Successful Turkish Research Institutions

Middle East Technical University ranked first in the “Most Successful Turkish Research Institutions” list with the amount of funding it received in Horizon Europe projects to be utilized from 2021 through 2027.

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Innovative Approach by Asst. Prof. Irmak Sargın

Asst. Prof. Irmak Sargın from the Department of Metallurgical and Materials Engineering at METU caused a stir in the world of materials science with her innovative new artificial intelligence formula that isolates the radioactive properties of nuclear power plant wastes by storing them in the form of glass.

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METU Students Rank First at TEKNOFEST

We returned from TEKNOFEST Karadeniz, held at the Samsun Çarşamba Airport between August 29 and September 4, with the awards we received in various categories.

METU students Şevval Belkıs Dikkaya and Gamze Çelik developed a project using artificial intelligence technology to prevent accidents that may occur as flying car technologies become more widespread.

With the project titled “Bird’s Eye Vehicle and Pedestrian Detection via Artificial Intelligence,” flying cars, whose numbers are expected to increase in the future, will be able to make instant detection thanks to the cameras that are supported by artificial intelligence and placed under the cars.

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METU Development Foundation

Founded in 1983, METU Development Foundation is a not-for-profit organization whose mission is to support Middle East Technical University in several aspects. METU Development Foundation is governed by an autonomous, volunteer Board of Directors comprised of alums, corporate, and university representatives. The recently appointed Board of Directors is as follows; Chair Celal Akın (CE’80), Vice-Chair Bülent Erdoğan (CE’75), Birkan Erdal (EE’74), Fikret Kaya (METE’82), Hidayet Kaya (BA’87), Prof. Haluk Külah (EE’96) and Prof. Y. Eren Kalay (METE’01). The general secretary of the foundation is Haluk Büyükbaş (EE’80). The foundation encourages each METU graduate to support our university through charitable contributions that advance METU initiatives for academic and research excellence with student happiness and success.

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“Coffee and Jazz” for Students

The “Coffee and Jazz” event, organized for our students at the beginning of the new semester by AdımODTÜ, ODTÜDEN, and METU Alumni Office, was held on Wednesday, October 12 at 17.00 on the Physics Lawn. Students truly enjoyed the event.

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ODTÜLÜ Magazine

In its 70th issue, ODTÜLÜ Magazine (in Turkish) once again draws attention to the climate crisis. In the new issue of ODTÜLÜ you will see both a retrospective of the climate crisis from the past to the present and the horizon for our future from the perspectives of METU faculty and alumni. Please have a look at our 70th issue, which is looking for an answer to the question of “Will humanity be able to overcome the climate crisis?”, at the odtulu.metu.edu.tr.

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Special Event by METU Society and Science Application and Research Center

METU Society and Science Application and Research Center (TBM) opened its doors to children on October 13 for a special event. During the event, where METU members were invited together with their families, visits to the History of Science and Technology Exhibition and the Classical Automobile Exhibition were held, in addition to Gökevi (planetarium) screenings, an Oculus Virtual Reality tour in Göbeklitepe, a workshop on the making of stellar cartography, and sun observation activities.

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“METU Physics Stage” Continues

METU Physics Stage, where the students and faculty members of the Department of Physics Education at METU Faculty of Education will offer free of charge 10th-grade physics lessons as a community service, started on October 15.

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Atatürk Memorial Day

Our Great Leader Mustafa Kemal Atatürk was commemorated with a ceremony held in front of the Atatürk Monument on November 10, 2022, on the 84th anniversary of his passing. Faculty members, personnel, and students of METU attended the ceremony, which started with a moment of silence in front of the Atatürk Monument at 09.05 in the morning and continued with commemorative events at the Kemal Kurdaş Hall in Culture and Convention Center.

In the ceremony, after the moment of silence and the national anthem, the Voice Class of Tuncay Doğu from the METU Music and Fine Arts Department took the stage to sing the songs that Atatürk liked with both solo and choir performances. Then, Assoc. Prof. Bahar Gürsel from the METU History Department delivered a speech on how much importance Atatürk attached to science.

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Prof. Haluk Külah’s “Smart Chip” Method to Detect Cancer Cells Goes to Clinical Phase

The “smart chip” technology that METU Teknokent researchers have been working on for seven years, which captures cancer cells circulating in the blood with a simple blood test, has neared an end. Clinical research will be initiated at four hospitals in Ankara for the new method, which is aimed to replace needle biopsy, a painful and costly process for the patient. Prof. Haluk Külah, a faculty member of the METU Department of Electrical and Electronics Engineering and the General Director of Micro Biosystems, stated that Micro Biosystems was established in 2015 at METU Teknokent. Expressing that cancer cells that leave the tumor mass and pass into the blood are called Circulating Tumor Cells (CTC). Dr. Külah said that a very high-precision system is required to separate these cells from the blood and that the new technology they have developed includes many firsts in this field.

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METU Career Fair on November 17-18, 2022

METU Center for Career Advising and Professional Development (KPM) continues to bring our students together with the HR employees of prestigious companies and firms.

At the 2022 Fall Semester Career Fair, held face-to-face for two days at the METU Culture and Convention Center on November 17-18, students got to know the participating companies, learned about job and internship opportunities, and introduced themselves to employers. Detailed information about the fair, which was open to the participation of all METU students, alumni, and academic personnel, can be found on the fair’s web page.

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ODTÜDEN Junior Meets Future METU Students

ODTÜDEN Junior, a place where you can buy METU branded clothing products, toys, intelligence games, and children’s books published by METU Press, all exclusive for children, opened its doors to METU members and their children for a special event. Göbeklitepe Workshop and Chemistry Experiments Workshop were held for 5-6-year-old children and their families as part of the event on Friday, November 4.

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METU KPM Continues Their Works in Their New Place

METU Center for Career Advising and Professional Development (KPM) continues to work in its new location. In our “coffee & donut” event, which is held regularly for our senior students, the support given by the center is introduced. The new “Career Zone” hall will continue to be used for student activities and hosting companies and alumni. The new student center, in which the METU KPM office is based, will officially be opened in February 2023.

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Pioneering Work for Nemrut Statues

Within the efforts carried out under Prof. Neriman Şahin Güçhan, the Dean of the Faculty of Architecture, the Mount Nemrut statues, which are included in the UNESCO World Cultural Heritage list, are restored. To strengthen the statues on Mt. Nemrut, a project is conducted to fill the hairline cracks on the statues with injection needles. If affirmative results are obtained from the study, the same work will be done on all the statues in Nemrut.

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99th Year Republic Run

Organized by the METU Office of Sports to celebrate the anniversary of the Republic of Turkey with great enthusiasm every year, the “METU Republic Run” was held at the METU Stadium on Saturday, October 29 this year. The registration and distribution of the t-shirts started at 10.00 in the morning, and the run started at 11.30. Many METU students, graduates, and members participated in the run, with even more participation than the record in 2021.

With the participation of many METU students, graduates, and members, this year’s Republic Run broke the record of last year’s Republic Run, which hosted the highest number of participants.

Science is Everywhere: ORDOT

The story of the ORDOT project, Turkey’s first rocket test developed by METU engineers in the 1960s, a time of accelerated space race, was discussed in the new episode of the fun science program “Science is Everywhere,” prepared in partnership with METU Science Communication Office and Pergamon. Episodes of “Science is Everywhere” can be followed on METU’s official social media accounts.

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Special Workshop for the 20th Anniversary of the Graduate School of Applied Mathematics

A special workshop was held at the METU Culture and Congress Center, Hall A, on November 4, 2022, as part of the 20th anniversary of the establishment of the Graduate School of Applied Mathematics.

During the all-day-long workshop, Ramon Codina from Universitat Politecnica de Catalunya in Spain, Corina Constantinescu from the University of Liverpool in England, Zehra Ekşi-Altay from WU Vienna in Austria, and Michal Zajac from Nethermind in Poland were the invited speakers. Details of the workshop can be accessed via the web page prepared for the 20th Anniversary.

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Happy New Year!

Dear METU Alumni,

We hope that this message finds each of you safe and healthy.

It is hard to believe that yet another year has gone by. After almost two years with the COVID-19 pandemic, the year 2022 was also full of challenges for us all as we tried to adapt to the new circumstances of our lives.

We continued to keep you updated and endeavored to make you feel closer to our Campus by sharing with you the METU news we collated on our monthly “METU Alumni Newsletter,” no matter how far away our alumni are.

The 70th issue of ODTÜLÜ Magazine (in Turkish), which is looking for an answer to the question of “Will humanity be able to overcome the climate crisis?”, has been published. You can read the latest issue using the following link; ODTÜLÜ.

Moreover, we had the chance to include many of our alumni in the Alumni Information System, leaving one year behind in our METU Alumni Card project, which we launched in November 2021. We had the opportunity to hold several face-to-face events, such as METU Speed Networking, which brought together METU students and alumni.

Last but not least, we had the great pleasure of organizing one the most important events for us, METU Alumni Day, face to face on our Campus again after two years. The METU Alumni Card was also launched on Alumni Day with the participation of all our graduates, including the members of the METU alumni family who were awarded their Commemorative Medals in the years 2020, 2021, and 2022.

Dear Alumni,

We wish you a new year filled with happiness, success, love, friendship, and prosperity. We hope to reunite in 2023 with you all again.

Happy New Year!

METU Alumni Office

METU Speed Networking Event Held

As a part of the celebrations of the 40th anniversary of our Faculty of Education, the METU Speed Networking event, a joint event of the Alumni Office and Career Planning Application and Research Center, took place on Teachers’ Day, November 24, 2022.

The event took place at the center hall of the Culture and Convention Center, bringing together our esteemed graduates, academics, and students.

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METU Ranks First Among Research Universities for Five Years Straight

Once again, Middle East Technical University has ranked first in the “Research Universities Performance Monitoring Index,” which evaluates the performances of the universities included in the “Mission Differentiation and Specialization based on Research Program” carried out by the Council of Higher Education (YÖK). In the list that has been annually announced for the last five years, METU has retained its position with 85.87 points according to the evaluation results of the performances in the year 2021 and thus ranked first for the fifth time consecutively since 2017.

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Three METU Researchers Awarded at TÜBA GEBiP 2022

Three researchers from the Middle East Technical University have been given the Outstanding Young Scientists Award 2022 (GEBİP) by the Turkish Academy of Sciences (TÜBA). Assoc. Prof. Serdar Kocaman from the Department of Electrical and Electronics Engineering and Assoc. Prof. Çağatay Dengiz from the Department of Chemistry received the GEBİP award in Life Sciences, while Asst. Prof. Eda Aydoğan Güngör from the Department of Metallurgical and Materials Engineering was deemed worthy of the award in the field of Engineering.

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Winter Break Activity for the Little Science Lovers

METU Society and Science Application and Research Center met with children interested in science via the “Semester Break Holiday Activity,” organized on Friday, November 18, 2022. Science enthusiasts of all ages came together at this free event, where Chemistry and Physics student societies held science shows. VR and Göbeklitepe workshops, along with free tours to the Classic Automobile Exhibition, History of Science and Technology Exhibition Area, and the Science Center, were organized throughout the day.

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Fall Semester Career Fair

Traditionally organized by the Career Planning Application and Research Center, the career fair was held at the Culture and Convention Center on November 17 and 18.

During the fair, live broadcasts were made on the METU CPC Instagram account with the participating companies. Additionally, a professional team took profile photos of the students that they could use for employment-oriented services. A total of 57 companies from different sectors participated in the fair, which was exclusively held for METU students. You can find the other details about the fair through the link below.

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Ayten Coşkunoğlu Bear & Joshua Bear Library Was Opened

The Ayten Coşkunoğlu Bear & Joshua Bear Library was opened in the Department of Foreign Language Education. The library was established with the contributions of Comparative Literature Professor Ayten Coşkunoğlu Bear, an emeritus faculty member of the METU Department of Foreign Language Education who passed away in 2020, and Assoc. Prof. Joshua Bear from the same department.

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Applications Are Open for Graduate Programs at METU

Applications to the graduate programs at METU for the 2022-2023 Academic Year, Spring Semester continue. The application period that started on November 21, 2022, will end on January 6, 2022.

You can click the link below to apply and read further details.

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Mourning the loss of our Former Presidents Prof. Dr. Nuri Saryal, Prof. Dr. Ahmet Acar

In December 2020, just as an extremely difficult year was coming to an end, the METU community was deeply saddened to hear the passing of two esteemed professors and former METU presidents, Prof. Dr. Nuri Saryal and Prof. Dr. Ahmet Acar.

Prof. Dr. Nuri Saryal, who passed away on December 22, 2020, served as Chair of the Department of Energy, the Department of Mechanical Engineering, as well as Vice President and President.

Prof. Dr. Ahmet Acar, who made immense contributions to the development of METU, passed away on December 27, 2020.

Prof. Acar began his academic career at the Department of Business Administration under the Faculty of Economics and Administrative Sciences in February 1980, later serving as Department Chair, Dean, Vice President as well as the Founding President of Northern Cyprus Campus. During his terms as President between 06.08.2008 and 28.07.2016, Prof. Acar, with his outstanding leadership skills and visionary personality, made invaluable contributions to the success of METU.

Our late professors will always be remembered with love, respect and gratitude.

May our esteemed professors, Prof. Dr. Nuri Saryal and Prof. Dr. Ahmet Acar rest in peace.We extend our deepest condolences to their grieving families, friends and the METU family.

You may access the memorial pages for our professors using the link below and send us any memories and pictures you would like to share.

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Assoc. Prof. H. Mecit Öztop and team to lead €2 million Fun TomP project

METU will coordinate the FunTomP (Functionalized Tomato Products) project, submitted under the Section 1 Agrofood Value Chain of the Horizon 2020 PRIMA Program, which supports agriculture, food, agro-food chain, and water related projects in the Mediterranean Region. The project was granted nearly 2 million Euros in funding.

The project consortium comprising 16 partners from 9 different Mediterranean countries (Turkey, Croatia, Greece, Italy, Lebanon, Egypt, Spain, Portugal, Tunisia) will combine two indispensable Mediterranean foods, tomatoes and olives, to produce tomato juice, sauce, powder, fruit leather and snack type products.

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METU Institute of Marine Sciences to lead €9 million project on Blue Growth

Prof. Dr. Barış Salihoğlu and Assoc. Prof. Dr. Mustafa Yücel from the Institute of Marine Sciences will be leading a €9 million project entitled, “BRIDGE-BS: Advancing Black Sea Research and Innovation to Co-Develop Blue Growth within Resilient Ecosystems”, which was submitted for the “H2020-BG-2018-2020” call.

Having placed first among all of the project submissions, the BRIDGE-BS Project involves a consortium of 33 partnering organizations from seven countries around the Black Sea, 8 EU member states and several international entities. BRIDGE-BS is also on record as the EU H2020 project with the largest number of Turkish partners to date.

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METU partnering in EuroCC, large-scale Horizon 2020 High Performance Computing Project

EuroCC, an EU Horizon 2020 project, officially commenced on September 1, 2020 with the participation of 33 countries, including METU as one of its Turkish partners ( https://hpc-portal.eu/ and https://eurocc.truba.gov.tr ). Assoc. Prof. Hande Toffoli from the Physics Department is the project coordinator for METU.

The project aims to establish national High Performance Computing (HPC) Competence Centers in the participating countries to support interdisciplinary collaboration in important disciplines such as material sciences, molecular dynamics, bioinformatics, fluid dynamics, machine learning and artificial intelligence. The ultimate goal is to create a national platform to develop industry-university cooperation, along with a Europe-wide network of HPC Competence Centers.

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METU/BILTIR-UTEST “User Experience Research” Project receives TÜBİTAK 1001 – COVID-19 and Society funding

The METU/BILTIR-UTEST Product Usability Unit is investigating the effects of remote working conditions caused by the pandemic on User Experience (UX) practices, which is an emerging field in Turkey.

The project team includes Assist. Prof. Gülşen Töre Yargın from the METU Industrial Design Department, Assist. Prof. Sedef Süner Pla Cerda from the TEDÜ Industrial Design Department, and PhD student Semih Danış and MSc student Hilal Şahin from METU.

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…and the Academy Awards go to: Dr. Erik Jeppesen and Dr. Korhan Özkan

Prof. Dr. Erik Jeppesen, METU affiliated faculty member, has received the Turkish Academy of Sciences (TÜBA) International Academy Award in the Science and Engineering Sciences category for his groundbreaking research on the effects of global climate change on aquatic ecosystems.

Assist. Prof. Korhan Özkan from the METU Institute of Marine Sciences has received the Academy’s Outstanding Young Scientist Award (GEBİP) for his promising work on Antarctica.

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Undergraduate Research Day Held Online

AdımODTÜ, a joint project between the Corporate Communications Office and the METU Development Foundation, is continuing to fund METU undergraduate student research projects.

We extend our congratulations to all of our undergraduate students and their advisors who continued their research despite pandemic related challenges and thank all of our faculty members and alumni who supported the project.

The poster presentations our students made on December 24, 2020 for Undergraduate Research Day can be viewed on the “gather.town” platform from the below link.

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Prof. Berrin Tansel wins AAEES Award

Prof. Berrin Tansel, METU alumna, professor of environmental engineering and undergraduate program director at the Civil and Environmental Engineering Department, has been granted the AAEES 2021 Science Award for her outstanding contributions to the field of environmental engineering. Prof. Tansel will receive her award at a ceremony tentatively scheduled for April 2021 in Washington, DC. Prof. Tansel says, “I am humbled and honored. I am happy to see my work getting recognition from my professional society.”

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Applications Open for Graduate Programs

To help graduate school candidates applying for Master’s and PhD programs at METU, the Career Planning Center has conducted interviews with Institute Directors, faculty members, students, and alumni. Please click the below “watch” to see interviews on YouTube METU CPC Channel.

Application deadline: January 29th, 2020.

https://oibs2.metu.edu.tr/Ms_Phd_Applications/

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Registration Still Open: METU SFL Online Language and Test Prep (TOEFL/IELTS) Courses

The online language learning programs offered by the METU School of Foreign Languages are still accepting students. Please click on the link below for detailed information about the language and test preparation courses.

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“For the Love of METU” Student Scholarship Project

AdımODTÜ has initiated a METU student scholarship project on the occasion of Valentine’s Day. Alumni and friends of METU can make donations on their own behalf or on behalf of a loved one to the scholarship fund to demonstrate their love for METU as well and help support our students’ education.

Those donating to the scholarship fund will receive a METU stuffed teddy bear or the “ODTÜ Aşkına” mug sent by cargo to an address of their choosing along with their personal message.

Support the project here.

Watch the “For the Love of METU” video here.

AdımODTÜ is a joint project between the Instutional Communications Office and the METU Development Foundation. It is a communication-sharing-action platform where everyone is invited to contribute by helping fund support students’ and faculty members’ scientific research and community service projects, spread the word about the projects, and even take part in projects voluntarily.

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Prof. Asuman Özdağlar named IEEE Fellow

Our Electrical – Electronics Engineering alumna Professor Asuman Özdağlar has been named as an IEEE Fellow for 2021. Prof. Özdağlar, who is currently leading the MIT Electrical Engineering & Computer Science Department, was recognized for her contributions to distributed multi-agent networks. Her research investigates problems in the analysis and optimization of large-scale, dynamic multi-agent networked systems, including networks for communication, transportation as well as social and economic enterprises.

For more detailed information click here.

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BIOMATEN Publication is on the Cover of Advanced Biology

An article by METU Center of Excellence in Biomaterials and Tissue Engineering researchers Dr. Ezgi Antmen, Prof. Dr. Vasıf Hasırcı and Prof. Dr. Utkan Demirci was published in the inner cover of the Advanced Biology Journal.

In the article, Vasıf Hasırcı, Ezgi Antmen and Utkan Demirci present micropatterned surfaces that reveal the association between actin filaments, mechanotransduction, nuclear deformability and cancer malignancy. The transparent micropatterned surfaces can be used as image analysis platforms to provide robust, high throughput measurements of nuclear deformability of cancer cells, including the effect of cytoskeletal elements.

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METU and U Glasgow to 3-D print low-cost and high-speed housing components

Assist. Professor Çağla Meral Akgül from the METU Department of Civil Engineering was granted funding for the project she is leading entitled, “Climate resilient 3D-printable building components incorporating sustainable and low-cost materials (3D-PC): Providing low-cost and high-speed housing for vulnerable populations”. Dr. Akgül’s project will be supported by the “TÜBİTAK – British Council (UK) Bilateral Cooperation (Institutional Links) Programme”.

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Three METU faculty members receive Elginkan Foundation Technology Award

The winners of the Elginkan Foundation 2020 Turkish Culture, Research and Technology Awards have been announced. Three faculty members from METU were selected for the Technology Award Program, which has recognized outstanding technological efforts for the past 15 years.

The recipients of this prestigious award were Prof. Dr. Haluk Külah from the Department of Electrical and Electronics Engineering for his work on microsystems (BioMEMS) for biomedical applications; Prof. Dr. Hüsnü Emrah Ünalan from the Department of Metallurgical and Materials Engineering for his work on metal nano-technology and its industrial applications, and Prof. Dr. Mayda Gürsel from the Department of Biological Sciences for her work on the immune system.

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Winners of the 2020 METU Prof. Dr. Mustafa N. Parlar Education and Research Foundation Awards Announced

The winners of the Honor, Science, Outstanding Service, Research and Technology Incentive Awards granted by METU Prof.Dr. Mustafa N. Parlar Education and Research Foundation have been announced.

Prof. Dr. Doğan Altınbilek from the Department of Civil Engineering was deemed worthy of the 2020 Outstanding Service Award of the METU Parlar Foundation. The recipients of the Research Incentive Award include Assoc. Prof. Batur Ercan from the Department of Metallurgical and Materials Engineering; Assoc. Prof. Mustafa Yücel from the Graduate School of Marine Sciences; Assist. Prof. Emre Akbaş from the Department of Computer Engineering and Assist. Prof. Zöhre Kurt from the Department of Environmental Engineering.

Please find the full list of the award-winning faculty members here.

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10 Tips for a Good Winter Break during a Pandemic

Assoc. Prof. Aslı Bugay Sökmez from the Guidance and Psychological Counseling Department at the Northern Cyprus Campus offers much needed advice on how to make the most of a school break with children under pandemic conditions.

To see these tips, please click here.

Dear METU Alumni,

It is our pleasure to let you know that METU Alumni Office, in collaboration with Audio-Visual Systems Research and Production Center (GİSAM), has initiated a project called “METU Alumni Stories” to introduce our university, particularly to prospective students.
One aspect of the project involves METU alumni residing abroad. We hope to create visual stories about METU alumni living abroad with your videos. These movies will be stored in the METU digital archive, shared on our social media accounts and shown to prospective students in person after the pandemic.

For the videos you would like to send, please include:

•Personal information such as name, year of graduation, department, current city/country and job,

•Brief accounts of how you got to your present position and your post-graduation story,

•Your advice for students preparing for university as well as current METU students,

•An account of the impact METU has had on your life and your career,

•The feelings you associate with METU, any memories from your time at METU that you would like to share

Here is a sample video:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1wGjZymcegY.

You are welcome to send to us your videos using any cloud service such as
Google Drive, by the end of April 2021 to gisam@metu.edu.tr. We cannot wait to see your videos!

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Somel’s Group Published in Nature

An article co-written by Assoc. Prof. Mehmet Somel from the Biological Sciences Department and his team was published in Nature. To reach the article entitled, “Million-year-old DNA sheds light on the genomic history mammoths”, click on the link below:

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Prof. Deniz Üner Receives TÜBİTAK BİDEB National Leading Researchers Grant

Chemical Engineering Department faculty member Prof. Deniz Üner has been awarded funding under the TÜBİTAK BİDEB 2247-A National Leading Researchers Program for her project entitled, “Operando NMR Spectroscopy: A New Method for Monitoring Heterogeneous Catalytic Reactions”.

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METU Alum Prof. Behçet Açıkmeşe’s Algorithm Used to Land NASA’s Perseverance Rover on Mars

An algorithm created by Prof. Dr. Behçet Açıkmeşe, a METU Civil Engineering Department alumnus, for the Curiosity rover was also used on the guided navigation and control system of NASA’s Perseverance rover, which recently landed on Mars. For more details: https://mars.nasa.gov/mars2020/

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Physical Education and Sports Department Joined Erasmus+ Project Consortium

Our Department of Physical Education and Sports has joined a consortium for a project entitled, “Standing Together for a Healthier and Safer Society”, supported by the
European Commission ERASMUS+ program. Prof. Levent İnce has been acted as the department representative on the
project.

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METU Industrial Design Department Receives European Union Erasmus+ KA203 Grant

Our Department of Industrial Design has recently become a partner in a new European Union project “D.Doc” that will map doctoral-level design education across all 34 Erasmus+ member states. The project is funded under the “KA203Strategic Partnerships for Higher Education Scheme” and locally coordinated by Prof. Owain Pedgley.

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Save the Date: METU Career Fair 22-26 March (online)

The METU Career Fair is on this year to introduce METU students and alumni to companies, and career opportunities. The Fair will be take place online on 22-26 March.
For details, see the link below:

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ODTÜ TEKNOKENT Support for TÜBİTAK BİGG Applications

Are you an entrepreneur-to be and want to be your own boss? Take advantage of the support ODTÜ TEKNOKENT is offering again this year for TÜBİTAK BİGG applications! ODTÜ TEKNOKENT continues to support entrepreneurs through 5 different consortia featuring collaborations in all areas with Turkey’s leading companies and organizations. For more information, visit

http://odtuteknokent.com.tr/tr/programlar/girisimcilik#38 or email bigg@odtuteknokent.com.tr.

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2nd Annual Sci-Fi Story Writing Contest!

How would you like to write a science-fiction story that takes place on campus? The METU Science Communication Group is organizing the Sci-Fi Story Writing Contest for the second time this year. Please visit https://big.metu.edu.tr/bilim-kurgu-oyku-yarismasi-2/ for more details.

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METU Speed Networking Event Goes Online

Prior to the Covid-19 pandemic, the METU Career Planning Center and the Alumni Office brought together METU’s esteemed alumni and third and fourth year METU students for a jointly organized project, “METU Speed Networking Event”.

This exciting and fun event gave our students the opportunity to meet many distinguished alumni within a very short time while we enjoyed hosting our alumni, who were glad to be home again.

Due to the pandemic, we had to give a break to our “METU Speed Networking” event, which we previously held face-to-face with the Departments of Economics, Psychology, and Statistics. However, we held our Speed Networking Event online On Saturday, April 3rd, in collaboration with the Mathematics Department using the Zoom and Gather.Town applications.

Mathematics Department Alumni and students were able to meet in the designated spaces we arranged for them on Gather.Town during the two-hour event. We intend to continue these online “METU Speed Networking” events soon.

We would like to thank those who helped us organize this fun event, most notably, The Chair of the Department of Mathematics, Professor Yıldıray Ozan, and our professors, alumni and students who joined.

We hope to have more of these events with even greater participation.

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April 23 Science Event: Curious Kid’s Questions

We celebrate April 23, National Sovereignty and Children’s Day, which the Great Leader Gazi Mustafa Kemal Atatürk presented to children, at METU in the light of science.

METU professors will answer children’s scientific video questions in an online activity organized by METU Science and Society Research Center, Science Communication Team, and GİSAM.

You can watch the introductory short film about the event from
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m3drtIqmor0 and you can access the detailed information on the TBM website below.

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METU Earthquake Engineering Research Center

The METU Earthquake Engineering Research Center (EERC) is a multidisciplinary institute founded in 1976 as one of the first research centers in the field. Its goal is to conduct scientific and professional research on earthquake engineering, engineering seismology and earthquakes’ socio-economic aspects.

Directed by Prof. Dr. Ahmet Yakut from the Department of Civil Engineering, the Center brings together faculty members from the Departments of Civil Engineering, Geological Engineering, Engineering Sciences and Statistics.

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Research Helping Cancer Patients with Anticipatory Nausea

METU Department of Psychology Faculty Member Dr. Sezen Kışlal has been working on finding a solution to the anticipatory nausea experienced by cancer patients receiving chemotherapy through the TÜBİTAK 2232 International Leading Researchers Program.

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METU Petroleum and Natural Gas Engineering Department ranks 11th in World Rankings

The Petroleum and Natural Gas Engineering Department has been ranked 11th in the QS World Rankings List. CNN TÜRK interviewed department Chair Assoc. Prof. Çağlar Sınayuç about the secret behind the success of the department, which trains engineers to work on drilling and seismic research ships.

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“Digital Teachers” Project Receives 3 Awards!

The first cohort of 1,000 teachers have received training under METU’s “Digital Teachers” Project, conducted in collaboration with ING Turkey and the Habitat Association. The project has been awarded in the “Outstanding Community Initiative” and “Outstanding Educational Service” categories in the international Global Business Excellence Awards, and received the Gold Award in the Social Responsibility category in the PSM Awards 2020 in Turkey.

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“Share UR Research” Video Competition

The METU Science Communication Group and GISAM (Audiovisual Systems Research and Production Center) hold a video competition for graduate students and postdoctoral researchers at METU.

The competition entitled “Share UR Research” aims to contribute to science communication and requires participants to present their own original research in an English video they will make themselves. The winner will receive funding to attend an international conference.

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AdımOdtü Internet Scholarship

Thanks to the invaluable support of our esteemed alumni, staff and friends of METU, we were able to support 700 students by paying for their internet access during the 2020 Spring and 2021 Fall semesters. We are deeply grateful to those whose generosity sustains METU as it flourishes into the future.

We would like to offer an Internet Scholarship 100 TL per month for four months to METU students in need of support as we hold the Spring semester online this year.

We invite all friends of METU and our alumni to support our students’ education during this unprecedented time. To support the project please click here.

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ODTÜDEN Now Ships Abroad

METU Logo products and course books are now shipped to 178 countries! As of 15 March 2021, purchases made on odtuden.com.tr are delivered around the world.
For detailed information, visit: ODTÜDEN.

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Have a Computer Lying Around? A METU Student Could Use It!

AdımODTÜ is still supporting students in need during the pandemic with computers donated by faculty members, alumni and friends of METU.

Instruction is online this spring term, and we still have students who need access to distance education. We are more than happy to deliver your PC or laptop in working condition to METU students on your behalf.

Donated computers are picked up by the AdımODTÜ team, checked, and then formatted with support from IT Department staff, who finally install the programs students need. Students who have submitted a request are sent a computer free of charge via the courier company ODTÜDEN has an agreement with.

If you would like to donate a computer in working condition, all you need to do is fill in the form and the AdımODTÜ team will get in touch with you.

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April 23rd Children’s Day Festivities

METU used science to celebrate April 23rd Children’s Day, dedicated to children of the world by the Founder of the Turkish Republic, Gazi Mustafa Kemal Atatürk.

During the event supported by the TBM (Society and Science Application and Research Center) and GİSAM (Audio-Visual Systems Research and Application Center), our professors conducted experiments to respond to the science-related short video questions from children all over Turkey on April 23rd during a live broadcast.

> watch

Business Management Computer Lab Renewed

In 2019, the Classes of ’89, ’90, ’99 and 2000, who would be celebrating the 20th and 30th anniversary of their graduation in 2019 and 2020, made personal donations to cover the cost of the 335,000 TL project to renew the computer laboratory at the Department of Business Management located in the Faculty of Economic and Administrative Sciences (B) Block. The project was featured in “Education Snapshots”, an important online publication in the field of educational architecture and as the project of the week in “Bi_Özet”, a leading Turkish architectural publication.

> more

METUWIND Cooperating with Danish Partners on WindFlag Project

The METU Center for Wind Energy Research (METUWIND) cooperates with
partners from Denmark in a project coordinated by Assoc. Prof. Ozan Keysan
from the Electrical and Electronics Engineering Department, with the
participation of researchers Assoc. Prof. Nejan Huvaj and Assoc. Prof.
Elif Oğuz from the Department of Civil Engineering. The international
project entitled “Offshore Wind Farms Large-Scale Integration in Turkey
(WindFlag)” was launched on March 1, 2020, and is planned to take 36
months.

> more

METU Faculty Members Receive BAGEP Awards

METU faculty members Assoc. Prof. Murat Göl from the Electrical and Electronics Engineering Department, Assist. Prof. Antione Marion from the Department of Chemistry, and Assist. Prof. Selçuk Yerci from the Graduate School of Natural and Applied Sciences have been awarded by the Science Academy’s Young Scientist Awards Program (BAGEP).

> more

Interview with Prof. Mayda Gürsel on the VLP-based Turkish COVID-19 vaccine

METU Biological Sciences Department Faculty Member Professor Mayda Gürsel
and her team are nearing the end of Phase 1 of clinical trials of their
VLP-based COVID-19 vaccination, being developed in cooperation with
Bilkent University. We interviewed Professor Gürsel on her work.

To read the interview: ODTÜ’den Haberler.

> more

Breakthrough paper by Institute of Marine Sciences published in Nature Geoscience

A breakthrough article entitled, “Effect of Tectonic Processes on Biosphere–Geosphere Feedbacks across a Convergent Margin”, co-authored by Assoc. Prof. Mustafa Yücel from the METU Institute of Marine Sciences, has been published in Nature Geoscience, a leading and high impact factor journal in the field of Earth Sciences. All of the geochemical analyses of hydrothermal fluids for the multidisciplinary research were conducted at the METU Institute of Marine Sciences, Marine Ecosystem and Climate Center (DEKOSIM) laboratories, and the data interpretation and integration were done by the METU Institute of Marine Sciences.

> more

Live Webinars – METU Undergraduate Programs

Since April 2020, we have been introducing our undergraduate programs
online with the invaluable support of our faculty members, students, and
alumni. You can reach these presentations on METU’s official YouTube
Channel.

The presentations of our undergraduate programs are not only an excellent
resource for prospective students and their families but are also being
collected in an invaluable archive. To access the previous webinars, click here.

> watch

Graduate Admissions

Graduate program applications for the 2021-2022 Academic Year Fall
Semester are now being accepted. Please check the following website for
detailed information about programs, admission requirements, and
eligibility.

> more

AdımODTÜ Undergraduate Research Project Results Announced

A research fund created with the contributions of staff, alumni, the METU
Development Foundation, and friends of METU has been supporting
undergraduate student research projects as part of an AdımODTÜ initiative.

The AdımODTÜ Undergraduate Research program has funded 70 different
research projects from 22 departments since 2018. This year, the program
received a total of 116 undergraduate research projects. Of the
submissions, 67 of the 92 projects shortlisted for evaluation by a jury of
faculty members were selected for funding.

Click below to see the selected projects.

> more

2021 METU Alumni Day

Dear Alumni,

Sadly, we have to postpone METU Alumni Day event due to the ongoing global
pandemic. We hold our traditional METU Alumni Day festivities each year in
June. However, due to the COVID-19 pandemic measures still in place, we
have decided to hold an online event in September under the current
circumstances. The corresponding announcements will continue to be made
through the METU official social media accounts, the Alumni Office website , and email.

Furthermore, we plan to create a list of alumni who could not receive
their medals due to the canceled METU Day festivities, have the medals
made, and present them to their owners during the first face-to-face event
we hold for Alumni Day. We cannot wait to celebrate Alumni Day with you at
the first possible opportunity. Your support and understanding at this
time are much appreciated.

In the meantime, we would like to kindly remind you that you can purchase
your missing medals from past years through the ODTÜDEN shop as always.

Hope to see you in healthier times,

METU Alumni Office

> more

Alumni Visiting the Campus

The Internal Services Office has announced that campus visitor access is allowed as of 5 June 2021 as per the tiered normalization process.

Therefore, all campus visitors are urged to practice pandemic safety measures including mask wearing, social distancing and good hygiene to prevent the spread of Covid-19 and keep it under control.

> more

METU Day

In 1988, taking into account the date of the founding law for METU, the
METU Senate resolved that May 27th would be celebrated as METU Day, with
annual festivities be held on the occasion. Since that day, the final
workday of the week of May 27th has been celebrated as METU Day.

Please click on the link below to watch the video prepared as part of the
METU Day celebrations.

> watch

Mourning the Loss of METU’s First Alumni, Doruk Pamir

With great sadness, we share the news of the passing of M. Doruk Pamir,
the first graduate of the Department of Architecture, who received the
very first METU diploma. Doruk Pamir was born in Istanbul on April 30th,
1938, and studied at the Department of Architecture between 1956 and 1960.
After working in the same department as an assistant, he went to the US
for graduate studies. Upon his return, he taught at the Department of
Architecture between 1962 and 1970. Pamir was the designer of many
important works and did academic work nationally and internationally.

We extend our condolences to his loved ones. May he rest in peace.

METU Research Ship Bilim-2 in the Marmara Sea

The METU Marine Sciences Institute Bilim-2 research ship set sail towards
the Marmara Sea and observed the devastating sea snot. According to Marine
Sciences Institute Faculty Member and Institute Deputy Director, Assoc.
Prof. Mustafa Yücel, “The live feed from our ship shows that the sea snot
is not just on the surface but has a gel-like consistency below and the
oxygen in the sea is down to alarmingly low levels.”

> more

METU Ranked First for Patents and Commercialization

METU ranked 1st in the Patent Effect’s 2020 Patent Report, according to
both commercialization and numbers of commercialization by cumulative data
and licensed patents.

The report entitled “Turkey’s Patent Map” is created based on patent data
to measure and track the innovation performance of countries, companies,
universities, and institutions. The report features an overall analysis of
the patent applications submitted until 31 December 2020.

> more

METU Ranks First among Turkish Universities in CWUR’s Global 2000 rankings

METU ranked first among 55 universities from Turkey according to the
2021-2022 rankings of 2,000 universities worldwide, according to the
Center for World University Rankings (CWUR).

CWUR considers the quality of education, alumni employment, quality of
faculty, and research performance for its rankings, where METU came in
first in the national rankings, with a total of 73.4 points.

> more

METU Team receives 2 Grand Prizes in International Business Ethics Case Competition

The METU team comprising Nurpari Damirova and Rabia Akçay won first place
in two categories in the International Business Ethics Case Competition.
Damirova and Akçay are Prof. Semra F. Aşcıgil’s students in her “Business
Ethics” undergraduate class at the Department of Business Administration.

> more

Graduate Admissions Still Open

Graduate Applications will be accepted until June 25th. You can watch the introduction of our graduate programs using the following
link.

> more

“Celebrating Scientists on their Birthdays” Podcast Series

The METU Science Communication Group is celebrating the birthdays of
world-famous scientists with their new podcast series. Please click on the
link below to listen to their episodes on Richard Feynman and Peter Higgs.

Click below to see the selected projects.

> listen

Science Congress for High School Students

The METU and Ministry of National Education joint initiative called
“Science High Schools 4th National Student Congress” will be held on
14-15-16 June and feature science high school students from all over
Turkey. The themes for this year are “Nanotechnology” and “Artificial
Intelligence” in this 3-day online conference led by the METU Society and
Science Application and Research Center and Cumhuriyet Science High
School. The congress will have high school student presentations and
panels, and competitions with METU faculty members in attendance. The
event will be broadcast live over the METU official YouTube channel.

Click below for details about the schedule.

> more

With Love from Eymir

We proudly present our new video clip featuring blue skies, the sounds of nature and a cool spring breeze accompanying an outstanding quartet playing Antonio Lucio Vivaldi’s “Four Seasons-Spring”.

Click below to view.

> watch

Congratulations, Class of 2021!

While the past one and a half years have been full of challenges, you have proven that focus, hard work, and dedication can get you to your goal.
We want to congratulate you on completing your program
in these unprecedented times.

Your journey has been different than that of any other class in our
history. Still, we know that you’ll take all that you’ve learned, both
inside and outside the classroom, to build more meaningful lives,
successful careers and ultimately make a difference in the world.

We welcome you into the METU Alumni Network as our newest esteemed
members. As you move forward on your path, remember that your ties with
METU will last a lifetime.

You are now joining a big family with more than METU 140,000 alumni who
live in 140 different countries. Your achievements as alumni will inspire
our current students and thousands of those to come. We are always proud
of you and wish you the very best in all your future endeavors.

Enjoy this moment in time. You’ve certainly earned it!

METU Alumni Office

METU Sports Club Amputee Football Team Goes ‘Super’

The METU Amputee Football Team has established itself as the 2020 – 2021
season champion among the ten teams competing in the 1st League, now
joining the Super League. The METU team played against Şanlıurfa in their
final game, which ended in a tie. The METU team scored the most penalties
during the extra time and grabbed the championship cup for the 2020-2021
season. Congratulations to our champions!

> more

Sky News Interviews Dr. Yücel of Marine Sciences Institute on Sea Snot Crisis

Marine Sciences Institute Faculty Member and Institute Deputy Director, Assoc. Prof. Mustafa Yücel, spoke to Sky News about the current sea snot crisis
in the Marmara Sea and how
to mitigate this recent environmental crisis.

> watch

METU to Meet Prospective Students at Online Fair

The METU Fair for Prospective Students will take place online this year
due to the pandemic.

The fair will take place on 5-6-7 August 2021 and offer prospective
students information about our Ankara and Northern Cyprus campuses. All of
our academic programs will feature in the METU Fair, during which
prospective students will be able to ask questions using a chat tool
between 10 am and 8 pm. Interested students will also be able to video
chat with faculty members. Students will also have the opportunity to take
a virtual campus tour as well as take part in activities such as “Ask the
Advisor to the President”.

> more

METU NCC Launches 2 New Undergraduate Programs

Two new undergraduate programs have been launched at the METU Northern Cyprus Campus.

The new programs that will begin admitting students this coming fall are
Industrial Engineering, a highly popular field globally, and Software
Engineering, which is consistently cited as the engineering field of the
future. Students will be able to join these programs at the METU Northern
Cyprus Campus for the 2021-2022 Academic year.

These new programs will admit students with scholarships covering 100% and %50 of the tuition, as well as offer students scholarships outside the set quotas. For further details,
please visit the official websites of the programs of Industrial Engineering, and
Software Engineering .

> more

METU NCC Offers Tuition Waiver for Alumni Family Members

The world needs more METU alums. The METU NCC is offering alumni a %20
tuition waiver for family members because there can never be too many METU
alums in a family! Please click on the below link for further details
about the fee waiver and our Northern Cyprus campus.

> more

Virtual Reality Glasses Developed at METU TEKNOKENT.

Researchers at METU TEKNOKENT have developed VR glasses that can diagnose
eye diseases. The glasses can be used to test a patient’s eyes within
minutes during a check-up and diagnose any issues with the eyes. Please
click on the link below for details.

> watch

5th METU Speed Networking Event

The 5th in the METU Speed Networking Event series featured the Faculty of Architecture City and Regional Planning Department and the Industrial Design Department in
cooperation with the METU Alumni Office. The event took place on the “Gather Town” application, bringing together our alumni and students online.

> more

Call for Ideas: Falling Walls Lab Ankara

The 2021 international lab season has officially begun!

Students, researchers, and early-career professionals of all disciplines
are invited to pitch their innovative project proposals in 3 minutes,
showcasing a breakthrough idea that aims to have a positive impact on
science and society.

Applications for the Falling Walls Lab-Ankara competition will be accepted
until July 25th. For more details, click on the link below.

> more

2021 METU Alumni Day

Dear Alumni,

As we informed you in May, the “2021 METU Alumni Day” festivities were
postponed to September and would take place online because of continuing
concerns about the COVID-19 pandemic. We plan to gather a list of our
alumni who have not received their Commemorative Medals due to the
cancelation of face-to-face activities. The medals will be presented to
their owners at the first possible face-to-face event. We hope to
celebrate our traditional Alumni Day as soon as the opportunity presents
itself.

Since we could not hold our face-to-face Alumni Day event due to the
pandemic, we hope to see you at our virtual event on September 25th, 2021.
Our virtual “METU Alumni far and near, always together!” event details and
the program will be announced at the beginning of September. For related updates, you can visit the Alumni Office webpage , follow official METU social media accounts, sign up for the email list on the contact page of our website or apply to become a member of the ODTÜM group on LinkedIn.

We thank you for your patience and support during these challenging times.

Hoping to see you in healthy times,

METU Alumni Office

> more

METU Virtual Tour

METU Office of Institutional Relations and the Head of our Departments
collaborated to create a virtual tour of the entire campus, including the
departments, student spaces, dorms, and Lake Eymir. Using the link below,
you can take the tour (compatible with VR glasses) and find information
about the departments and view their introduction videos.

> more

METU Alum Doğa Çağdaş Demirkan Gets Award for Research on AI in Mining

Doğa Çağdaş Demirkan, a METU alum currently in a US Ph.D. program, has won
an annual student poster competition with his poster entitled,
“Real-Time/Near-Real-Time Methane Prediction in Longwall Coal Mine Using
Artificial Intelligence”. The competition was held in conjunction with the
Rocky Mountain Advanced Computing Consortium’s (RMACC) High-Performance
Computing Symposium.

> more

High School Students Led by Prof. Tolga Can Win International Informatics Olympiad Medals

Team Turkey, led by Prof. Tolga Can from the Department of Computer
Engineering, won one silver and two bronze medals at the 33rd
International Informatics Olympiad.

Cengiz Eray Aslan, Ege Kabasakaloğlu, Olcay Oransoy, and Yusuf Onur Üşümez
were selected to represent Turkey in the regional and international
Science Olympiad in informatics within the scope of TÜBİTAK 2022 Science
Olympics. They participated in the online competition hosted by Singapore
on June 19-25, 2021, to great success. Ege Kabasakaloğlu won a silver
medal, Olcay Oransoy and Yusuf Onur Üşümez won two bronze medals in this
year’s Olympiad, in which 351 high school students from 88 countries
participated.

> more

Another of Eren Bali’s Ventures is a Unicorn: Carbon Health

Double-major Mathematics and Computer Engineering alum Eren Bali has
created his second business deemed a unicorn. Bali, who previously founded
Udemy in 2010 and managed to make it a unicorn, zoomed in on the health
sector this time via his new venture Carbon Health. Inspired by carbon,
the most commonly found element in organic life, Bali wanted to create a
patient-facing platform where everyone could easily access healthcare
services, including medical records, clinician workflows, revenue cycle
management, and thus named the company Carbon Health.

> more

METU Ranks First in European Research Projects

As the Horizon 2020 program comes to a close, Middle East Technical
University has ranked first among Turkish universities regarding the
number of projects that received funding. METU shares first place with Koç
University in terms of the number of projects while ranking second in
terms of the total budget. The budget our university spent on 51 Horizon
2020 projects conducted between the years 2014-2020 was €17.3 million.
Completing the Seventh Framework Program by ranking in the first place,
METU has received €42 million worth of funding for 183 projects in total
since the Fifth Framework Program.

> more

AdımODTÜ

The kind donations made by alumni, staff, and friends of METU have enabled
1,044 students who had requested assistance from AdımODTÜ due to the
pandemic to receive internet Access support funding of 100.- TL.

In addition to the internet support, 120 students in Adana, Aksaray,
Ankara, Aydın, Bursa, Diyarbakır, Edirne, Eskişehir, Gaziantep, İstanbul,
İzmir, Kayseri, Kırıkkale, Kocaeli, Konya, Manisa, Mardin, Mersin,
Nevşehir, Şanlıurfa, Siirt, Sivas, Trabzon, Van and Zonguldak have been
sent desktop or laptop computers.

We thank our esteemed alumni and friends of METU once again for their support.

> more

2021 METU Alumni Day

Dear Alumni,

It’s the final countdown for our online, “ODTÜLÜ’ler Her Yerde Hep Birlikte” meeting.

All our preparation is almost complete for our event, which will be broadcast live on Friday, September 25, 2021 at 6pm on the METU YouTube channel. We are excited to meet with you after a long break, even though we have had to go online.

As was the case for many of our past Alumni Day events, our student and alumni clubs will be performing for us this year. In addition to our line-up of outstanding speakers and guests, the two-hour event will feature music and dance recitals by the METU President’s Office Choir and the Classical Turkish Music Club Alumni as well as Jazzberry Tunes, not to mention competitions and the various surprises we have in store for you. We are making sure that everyone will have a very good time.

You will receive updates about the programs details and the YouTube viewing link for the event very soon. For more information about our announcements and activities,
please visit the Alumni Office webpage , follow the official METU social media accounts, sign up for the mailing list in the contact or apply to become a member of the ODTÜM group on LinkedIn .

Wishing you good health,

METU Alumni Office

Undergrads learn about design thinking with METU Design Factory!

The METU Design Factory was established for students to learn to develop products, collaborate with business,industry or NGOs on interdisciplinary work and gain in-depth knowledge about design thinking. Founded with the support of the Ministry of Development, METU DF is ideal for students studying in the fields of design,engineering, informatics, education, social and administrative sciences.

> more

METU takes on Local Coordination of International Climate Change, Disaster, Cultural Heritage Project

METU is the local coordinator of a project called “CRAFT: Developing a Novel Climate Change Risk Assessment Framework for Cultural Heritage in Turkey”, funded by the UK Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC).

The project initiated in December 2020 to run for one year aims to evaluate the impact of landslides and flash floods on selected cultural heritage sites in Istanbul under future climate
scenarios by developing susceptibility/vulnerability maps via Geographic Information Systems.

> more

Three ATOM Video Games Top US Apple App Store Downloads

Games created by three video game development studios within METU TEKNOKENT’s Animation Technologies and Game Development Center (ATOM) were among the most downloaded games in the US in July. It was especially striking that the three games developed by ATOM-based studios ranked in the top three simultaneously in Apple’s App Store in the United States.

> more

METU Collects More Than 78 Tons of Waste in 6 Months

METU’s Zero Waste Unit has managed to collect 78,250 kilograms of waste within the first six months of 2021. A Zero Waste Management System was established at METU in July 2020
with waste collection boxes placed throughout the campus in addition to the recycling booths. From July 2020 until the end of the year, a total of 77,870 kilograms of waste was collected.
Adding to this the waste collected in the first six months of 2021, the total has now reached 158,960 kilograms.

> more

ODTÜDEN Ships Abroad

METU Logo products and course books are now shipped to 178 countries! As of 15 March 2021, purchases made on odtuden.com.tr are delivered around the world.
For detailed information, visit: ODTÜDEN.

> more

2021 METU Online Alumni Event

Dear Alumni,

On Saturday, Sept. 25, 2021, we held our special “ODTÜLÜ’ler Her Yerde,
Hep Birlikte!” live online alumni event presented by the renowned METU
alumni writer and actor Mehmet Auf on our METU YouTube channel. The nearly
two-hour show featured dance and music recitals by our student clubs, a
concert by the President’s Office Choir, an interactive trivia contest
with the theme “How well do you know METU?”, an interview with our 60th
anniversary alumni, the esteemed Professor Tanvir Wasti and video clips
shared by our alumni from around the world.

The event, which can be viewed on the official METU YouTube Chanel also included a presentation about METU’s first-ever Alumni Card. This card,
which will replace the current “Mini Diploma”, will be used to enter
campus using the electronic card readers at the gates, to receive alumni
e-mail accounts (@alumni.metu.edu.tr), and to use special discounts from
several retailers and companies.

Another new development is the “Let this meal be on you, Hocam!” meal
fundraise project we initiated to support students eating at the school
cafeteria in cooperation with AdımODTÜ on the occasion of the introduction
of the card. Students have already begun having meals free of charge at
the cafeteria using the application thanks to your support for this
project.

Once again, we extend our deepest gratitude to all friends and alumni of
METU for their support in the organization of the event.

“ODTÜLÜ’ler Her Yerde, Hep Birlikte!”

METU Alumni Office

METU Alumni Card

The Alumni Office and METU Computer Center have collaborated to create an
electronic “METU Alumni Card” and renew our “Alumni Information System.”
Using the METU Alumni Card replacing the currently used “Mini Diploma”,
alumni will be able to enter campus using the electronic card readers at
the gates to receive alumni e-mail accounts(@alumni.metu.edu.tr) and to
use special discounts from several retailers and companies.

For detailed information and to apply for one, click on the link below:

> more

New AdımODTÜ fundraising project: “Let this meal be on you, Hocam!”

METU students are back on campus on October 18, 2021, after a long break
due to the pandemic lockdown. On the occasion of their return to campus,
the AdımODTÜ team has launched a new fundraising project called “Let this
meal be on you, Hocam!”

The project involves offering students free meals at the METU Cafeteria.
By supporting the project, you can buy lunch and/or dinner for METU
students at the METU Cafeteria. Thanks to the smart card application used
in the Cafeteria, your support will be transferred to our students’ smart
ID card accounts for them to have a free lunch or dinner there.

A donation of 10 TL covers a meal for 3 students, and a 100 TL donation
covers a meal for 33 students at our Cafeteria. You can also send a
message and relay your good wishes to our students for the new academic
year. The AdımODTÜ team will deliver your messages to our students during
the first week of classes.

For more information on the project and to offer your support, click on the link below:

> more

Students Back on Campus!

Many of our students, who had been away from METU for a long time due to
the COVID-19 Pandemic that affected the entire world, returned to our
campus as of October 18. For our students to adapt to the life on campus
quickly during the current pandemic period, a website titled “Back to
Campus” has been prepared where our students can find the necessary
information regarding the use of HES Codes and details of on-campus
transportation in addition to the new rules and regulations at the
Registrar’s Office, Medical and Counseling Center, Library, Cafeterias,
Dormitories, and Sports Facilities.

You can visit the website here:

> more

The ME Class of 1991 Renewed a Classroom at Mechanical Engineering

The Department of Mechanical Engineering is continuing to renew its
classrooms with the support of its alumni. The Class of 2007 and the Class
of 1986 have been followed by the Mechanical Engineering Class of 1991 in
renewing a class. The opening ceremony postponed by the pandemic was held
on Saturday, October 9, 2021. Our alumni installed the plaque denoting
their support and reunited with their former professors.

> more

Advantages of METU Alumni Card

Tepe Home, one of the companies we cooperate with for the advantages of METU Alumni Card, has launched a 50% discount campaign that will continue until the end of October, exclusively for our alumni who are able to benefit from special offers and discounts in many places with their Alumni Card. We would like to sincerely thank Tepe Home for this discount campaign and their cooperation.

> more

The Bilgeİş Platform

The Bilgeİş Platform, founded and developed to share our university’s educational opportunities with the general public and offer certification programs to all who wish to learn, has reached 350 thousand members.

> more

TEKNOFEST 2021

Our university took part in Teknofest 2021 in various competition
categories with 54 teams and 145 students on 21-26 September at the
İstanbul Atatürk Airport.

> more

2021 Webometrics

METU ranked first among Turkish universities and 497th among world
universities in the 2021 Webometrics Ranking of World Universities,
announced in July. METU has become the only university from Turkey to be
listed in the top 500 in the world ranking that consists of approximately
12000 universities, while ranking 207th in the ranking of European
universities.

> more

METU Alumni Card

Dear Alumni,

It is our great pleasure and pride to inform you that your METU Alumni
Cards are on their way. The new Alumni Card introduced during the “METU
Alumni Far and Near, Always Together” event has reached its first owners.
We would like to thank you all once again for your interest, and support.
It was certainly, one of the most exciting and essential projects
initiated at the METU Alumni Office.

If you, as a member of the METU family, would like to have a METU Alumni Card and have not applied for one yet, you can do so by logging into the Alumni Information System on our website. This card will replace the
current “Mini Diploma” and can be used to access the campus area using the
electronic card readers at the gates, to receive “metu” domain
(@alumni.metu.edu.tr) email account, and also enjoy exclusive discounts
offered by many retailers and companies. If you want to learn more about these exclusive deals, you can visit the “Special Offers for METU Alumni Card Owners” page by clicking the link:

Once again, we extend our deepest gratitude to all friends and alumni of METU for their support in the organization of the event “METU Alumni Far and Near, Always Together,” which can be viewed on the official METU YouTube channel.

METU Alumni Office

Atatürk Remembrance Day

Our Great Leader Mustafa Kemal Atatürk was commemorated with a ceremony
held in front of the Atatürk Monument on November 10, 2021, the 83rd
anniversary of his passing. The ceremony was attended by METU faculty
members, staff, and students and featured a moment of silence in front of
the Atatürk Monument at 09.05, followed by a commemorative event at Kemal
Kurdaş Hall at the Culture and Convention Center.

32 METU Scientists Named among 300,000 Most Influential Researchers in the World by Stanford

The 2021 issue of Stanford University’s “ranking of researchers with the
greatest scientific impact in the world” has been published by Elsevier
B.V. The World’s Most Influential Scientists list features two categories:
career-long and single-year impact (based on studies conducted in 2020).
Scientists in the top 2% in 22 different scientific fields and 176
sub-fields are included in the list.

> more

Two Winners from METU in the 2021 “For Women in Science” Program

L’Oréal Türkiye, in an effort to support the contributions of women to
science and to highlight gender equality in science, has collaborated with
the UNESCO Turkey National Commission on the “For Women in Science”
project. The 2021 winners also include our professors; Dr. Eda Aydoğan
Güngör from the Department of Metallurgy and Materials Engineering and Dr.
Öğretim Üyesi Nihal Terzi Çizmecioğlu from the Department of Biological
Sciences.

> more

METU Graduate School of Informatics celebrates its 25th Anniversary

The Graduate School of Informatics celebrated its 25th Anniversary with an
online event broadcast live on YouTube on October 22, 2021.

During the opening remarks, Institute Director Prof. Deniz Zeyrek-Bozşahin
stated that the Graduate School of Informatics, established in 1996, is a
thematic institute that promotes innovative and interdisciplinary academic
research. This special event continued with the talks by experts from the
world’s leading universities such as MIT and Stanford.

> more

METU Career Fair

The traditional METU Career Fair organized by the Career Planning Application and Research Center (KPM) was held both online and face-to-face this year.

The Career Fair, which set off online sessions on November 10-11-12, continued face-to-face at the METU Culture and Convention Center on November 18-19. During the face-to-face days of the fair, live broadcasts were held with representatives from the participating companies via the METU KPM Instagram account.

> more

Republic Marathon Held

The Republic Marathon, a METU tradition, took place with thousands of people taking part.

This year, as part of the COVID-19 measures, online registration was
required to participate in the event. The registered participants were
allowed to access the event area after their HES Codes were scanned. The
Republic Run started on October 29, at 11.00, and was ultimately a
cheerful and energetic celebration of Republic Day for everyone that
participated.

Happy New Year!

Dear Alumni,

We hope that this message finds each of you safe and healthy.

It is hard to believe that yet another year has gone by overshadowed by the pandemic. 2021 was also full of challenges and uncertainties for us all as we tried to adapt to the new circumstances.

The COVID-19 pandemic impacted every facet of our lives, and we did our best to support you, our esteemed alumni and to work for you. The “Speed Networking” events and the “ODTÜ’lüler Her Yerde, Hep Birlikte!” alumni meet-up were both part of our efforts to stay in touch with our alumni, even if we could only do so online.

We also tried to keep you updated and feeling closer to campus with our monthly “METU Alumni Newsletter”, no matter how far our alumni are, by way of the current news pieces we collated.

Last but not least, we had the great pleasure of keeping in close contact with you through our final project of 2021, our METU Alumni Card, which offers you new privileges.

We hope to get together in 2022 with you, dear alumni, as soon as conditions allow.

Wishing you a year filled with happiness, success, love, friendship, prosperity and excitement.
Happy New Year!

METU Alumni Office

With Love from our Campus

Red, orange and yellow leaves fall, a cool breeze, Vivaldi and fall in METU. We continue with the second installment of our Four Seasons at METU – Vivaldi series, as we bring the Fall season to a close, and extend our heartfelt thanks to our talented artists for joining us on campus.

Click below to view the video clip created to accompany Vivaldi’s Four Seasons –Fall sonnet. Enjoy!

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METU Mugs Reach their Owners

The Career Fair, which took off with online sessions on November 10-11-12, continued in person at the METU Culture and Convention Center on November 18-19. During the face-to-face days of the fair, we were able to deliver the METU mugs that our alumni won on behalf of our students to their owners. We thank you on behalf of our students.

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Prof. Elif Uysal Promoted to IEEE Fellow

Our distinguished faculty member at the Department of Electrical and Electronics Engineering, Prof. Elif Uysal, has been promoted to IEEE Fellow by the IEEE (Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers) Board of Directors for her “pioneering contributions to energy-efficient and low-latency communications”. The rank of Fellow is a recognition of Dr. Uysal’s hard work as a prominent researcher who has advanced the field of communications and made a lasting impact.

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Dr. Ahmet Acar from the Department of Biological Sciences Receives TÜSEB Aziz Sancar Incentive Award

Asst. Prof. Ahmet Acar from the Department of Biological Sciences at METU has received the Incentive Award in 2021 Aziz Sancar Science, Service and Incentive Awards, organized by the Health Institutes of Turkey (TÜSEB).

The TÜSEB Incentive Award is given to scientists under the age of 40 who have demonstrated that they have the qualifications to make significant contributions to health science and technologies at an international level in the future.

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METU Team Wins 1st Prize in International Space Mission Idea Contest

The METU team’s asteroid exploration mission idea “PARS: Precursor Asteroid Remote Survey” won first prize in the International Mission Idea Contest (MIC 7), where contestants proposed a mission idea utilizing a micro-satellite under 100 kg for deep space science and exploration.

The final for the 7th Mission Idea Contest co-organized by UNISEC Global, the University of Tokyo – Institute of Open Innovation and Collaborative Research Organization for Space Science and Technology (CROiSSant), in collaboration with the International Academy of Astronautics (IAA), was held in Tokyo, Japan on 13th November 2021 in hybrid format.

Details of the Mission Idea Contest can be found at: http://www.spacemic.net/

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EU Green Deal Project ARSINOE Started in Partnership with METU Institute of Marine Sciences

A new Horizon 2020 project entitled “Climate-Resilient Regions Through Systemic Solutions and Innovations – ARSINOE,” which will include the METU Institute of Marine Sciences and last four years, commenced in October. The project, in which Prof. Barış Salihoğlu and Assoc. Prof. Mustafa Yücel are the leading researchers, brings together 41 partners from 15 different countries across Europe under the coordination of the University of Thessaly. Financed by the European Commission with a total budget of 15 million Euros, the project aims to take innovative steps for adaptation to climate change by delivering regional innovation packages to build an ecosystem and develop new approaches to solving problems.

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New Issue of ODTÜLÜ Published

The 69th issue of the ODTÜLÜ Magazine has been published. The issue features diverse scientific perspectives on the concept of “Migration” and recent news from METU.
Click here to view the issue.

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2020 METU Alumni Day

The traditional METU Alumni Day has been celebrated annually with the participation of METU alumni, faculty members, students, members, and their families since 1991.

In the morning of this special day, the alumni get together at METU Culture and Convention Center (METU CCC), and in the afternoon, they meet up again at their departments for various activities.

In the traditional medal ceremonies, the alumni, who celebrate their 10th, 20th , 30th, 40th, 45th, 50th and 55th graduation anniversary, are presented their medals.

In this regard, the alumni of the 10th, 20th, 30th, and 40th years are kindly asked to submit a Medal Application Form, which is usually announced in late January so that their names can be engraved on the medals.

We believe that our alumni are the best ambassador of METU to the outside world. The success and achievements of our alumni encourage our students. In that sense, we are always proud to see our alumni interacting with our current students and faculty.

The alumni who come together once a year on the Alumni Day stay together with our recent alumni network, “ODTÜM”, at anytime and anywhere!For further details please visit our web page.

We are looking forward to seeing you for the upcoming METU Alumni Day on June 27, 2020, Saturday.

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Next Generation Wing Design

Professor Yavuz Yaman and his team from METU Aerospace Engineering Department has developed Turkey’s first task compatible aircraft wings that can change their shapes. The airplane using a deformable wing system was successfully flown within the frame work of a TUBITAK project in partnership with the Turkish Aerospace Industry (TAI). The new wing design will result in fuel efficiency, environmental friendless and economical flights.

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Professor Gökalp at METU

Professor İskender Gökalp, who is between the researchers returned to Turkey by TÜBİTAK 2232 Scholarship Program to Leader Researchers, continues his research at METU.

Professor Gökalp has been performed his studies in France after graduating from ITU Aeronautical Engineering Department. Professor Gökalp and his team continue to support Turkey’s efforts to manufacture domestic engine at METU.

The Third METU Speed Networking Meeting Held

The third “METU Speed Networking” meeting was held in cooperation with the Department of Statistics, METU Career Planning Center and METU Alumni Office on Saturday, December 07, 2019, at Yüksel Proje Building. More than 150 alumni, faculty members, junior, and senior students attended to this special event.

We would like to thank the Statistics Department instructors and the students of the Statistics Club for their contribution.

We will continue to perform speed networking activities with the participation of our respected alumni and students.

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Burhan Alkar Exhibition

The exhibition of Burhan Alkar, who is the sculptor of “Space and Youth Monument”, has been opened on December 20, 2019. The monument which became one of the most important icon of our campus is also known as “C Aldım” sculpture. You can visit the exhibition to see the valuable works of Burhan Alkar in the METU CCC Exhibition Hall until January 15, 2020.

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AdımODTÜ Free Dinner for Students at Cafeteria!

AdımODTÜ has offered a surprise “New Year’s Dinner” to all METU students in the Cafeteria on December 27, 2019. METU faculty members and staff joined to this special event and had their dinner together with our students. 6000 students have been attended to AdımODTÜ dinner.We would like to thank our donors for making this special event possible.

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Recycling is fun with New Recycling Machines!

Recycle machines were installed on our campus within the framework of a joint project of AdımODTÜ and ODTÜDEN. Students can contribute the recycling by disposing of plastic, metal, and glass wastes in the campus. In return, they can collect points and get various gift from ODTÜDEN.

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OpenMETU

METU Open Science Platform, OpenMETU, was built in order to compile the scientific and intellectual outputs produced at our university and to create an open-access to institutional academic archives in accordance with the international standards in order to ensure long-term preservation and continuity of access. In this context, METU Open Science Conference and the opening of OpenMETU (https://open.metu.edu.tr/) was held on December 20, 2019 at METU CCC Hall.

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METU Science and Technology Collection Exhibition Area Renovated

METU Science and Technology Collection Exhibition Area has been recently renovated and the website of the center has been renewed.

The Exhibition Area opens its doors again on February 19, 2020.

The following workshops have been recently added in the Exhibition Area.

(i) LEGO Makerspace (within the science center thanks to donations from LEGO Education),

(ii) Coding and 3D printer workshops (within the Science Workshops building),

(iii) Audio Guide for Classic Car Exhibition [through Audio-Visual Systems Research and Production Center (GİSAM) support],

You can listen to a sample at the following link: http://bit.ly/2NOIu1s

(iv) Göbekli Tepe workshop (within the Science and Technology History Exhibition building),

(v) Recycling workshop within the scope of environmental activities.

The highly motivated and experienced academic staff at the Science and Society Center serve an annual average of 28,000 K-12 students free of charge.

Registrations for the workshops that will be held throughout the spring semester will start on February 10, 2020.

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METU’s Recycling Application Makes Recycling Fun

The new recycling program on campus makes recycling at Middle East Technical University both attractive and fun. With the goal of recycling plastic, metal, and glass waste, the program aims to increase the number of recycling booths, the first of which have been placed in front of the Department of Basic English, the ODTÜDEN Store, and the dormitory area.

For more information please visit the website.

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TÜBA-GEBİP Award to Asst. Prof. Batur Ercan

Assistant Professor Batur Ercan from the Department of Metallurgical and Materials Engineering has been selected as one of 28 people to receive the award, which was is within the framework of the Turkish Academy of Sciences Outstanding Young Scientists Award Program.

Asst. Prof. Batur Ercan received the TÜBA-GEBİP Award for his research on biomaterials and tissue engineering. His research aims to control cellular functions by changing the surface properties of implants, i.e., surface chemistry, morphology, roughness, etc., placed into the body to interact with tissues. For further information you can visit our website.

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Bio-mechanical Research Team Applies for Patent

Assoc. Prof. Ulaş Yaman and his team, who developed solutions to eliminate the need to use special support structures used in the production of complex parts of 3D printers, has applied for a patent.

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“Science is Life” on TRT Radio 1

METU Science Communication Team prepared a science program in cooperation with Turkish Radio and Television Corporation (TRT) to be broadcasted on Radio 1. The program, airing with the name “Science is Life”, was created by METU faculty and students using the GİSAM studio. The radio program aims to present the joyful and playful nature of science to impact the multitude of parts of society by providing examples from daily life. You can listen to the program every Monday on TRT Radio 1 (93.3).

You can also listen to the podcast of the show using the following link:

https://basinda.metu.edu.tr/icerik/podcast.

Science at Home

The METU Science Communication Team (METU-SCT) and Pergamon Production have recently produced a science and technology television show with engaging content. The show was filmed on the METU campus and was hosted by Cengiz Eşiyok and METU students, who are the winners of the competition organized by METU-SCT. You can access all episodes of the first season from the following site:

https://www.trt.tv/belgesel/bilimin-ev-hali (in Turkish)

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ODTÜDEN for Kids

The ODTÜDEN store expanded its product range for newborns and children. There are many new pieces for little METU fans that you will love in the ODTÜDEN store. Please do not hesitate to visit their campus store or their website for online shopping.

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ODTÜLÜ

Today, games play an increasingly important role both in adult education and child development. But what role will it have with humanity at the point where it has come today, as we move on to the next step of civilization?

In this 67th issue, ODTÜLÜ focuses on such humans and brings together articles that will support our understanding of the game concept and our changing, transforming world.

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2020 Memorial Medal Request Applications Started

METU Alumni Day will be celebrated on Saturday, June 27, 2020 from 10.00 am to 5.30 pm with various activities in METU.

The 2020 Memorial Medal Application Form is now available on our website mezun.metu.edu.tr .

Alumni celebrating their 10th, 20th, 30th, and 40th graduation anniversaries are invited to fill out the form to apply for Memorial Medals.

The medals for those alumni celebrating their 45th, 50th, 55th, and 60th graduation anniversaries will be automatically prepared without their request. However, we recommend that all alumni confirm that their names are on the list of Memorial Medal Application Form and, in case of any problem, please contact us via mezun@metu.edu.tr .

The program details of the Day and Memorial Medal Ceremony will be announced on our website soon.

We will be pleased to welcome you at METU on Alumni Day.

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Project Grant of 13 Million Euros for METU

The Ministry of Industry and Technology’s Competitive Sectors Program, now in its second phase, has funded two projects at METU. This funding is within the scope of the Instrument for Pre-accession Assistance (IPA), which is co-funded by the European Union and the Republic of Turkey.

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Magnificent Cold: Antarctic and Arctic Expeditions

Assist.Prof. Korhan Özkan was the guest of the Science Café interviews on 19 February 2020. Korhan Özkan participated in three expeditions to the North Pole and two to Antarctica, both for the purpose of conducting ecological research. In Turkey, he continues these studies in high altitude lake ecosystems that have features similar to polar ecosystems.

You can get more detailed information on the link below to watch his talk about “Magnificent Cold: Antarctica and North Pole Expeditions.”

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Horizon 2020 eNOTICE Project “Serious Game” from METU Team

The METU Team of Horizon 2020 eNOTICE Project has designed a “serious game” for places such as hospitals and disaster areas, aiming to educate both officials and the wider public in cases of any biological weapons use, epidemics or disasters.

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Laser Assisted Small Pyramid Production

The “Laser Assisted Surface Texturing for Silicon-Based Solar Cells” method, developed by Assist. Prof. Selçuk Yerci and his team, decreases the cost – while increasing the efficiency – of silicon solar cells.

The new method allows for damages during the wire cutting process to be eliminated without the need for chemical etching. In order to eliminate the cutting damage area, laser beam scanning is performed on the washers instead of a standard abrasion. Vertical pyramids of controlled dimensions are produced with the surface etching process following the same laser scanning process.

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METU Alumni Europe Gathering

“METU Alumni Europe Gathering” will be held in Amsterdam, The Netherlands on May 1st and 2nd 2020!

The program will kick off with a historic city walking tour on Friday May 1st afternoon, and will continue on Saturday May 2nd with a boat tour through the Amsterdam canals, followed by dinner.

If you’re interested, please check out below link and register before 31st March 2020!

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Alumni Discount at METU Cyprus

To produce METU graduates who are equipped to help the world, METU Northern Cyprus Campus offers a 20% discount on tuition fees for children of METU alumni.

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METU Career Fair

METU Career Fair was held at the METU Culture and Congress Center (CCC) on February 27-28, 2020 with 70 important participants from the private sector, public and foundations. The AR-GE, BEST, GGT, IEEE and VT communities also contributed to the fair organized by the METU Career Planning Application and Research Center (CPARC).

Nearly 3000 students and alumni had the opportunity to have one-on-one meetings, learn about job and internship positions and share their resumes through stand visits.

Private interview rooms designed and developed by the METU CPARC at the fair were used by our students for the first time in the “Career Booth” CCC exhibition hall. These Career Booths enabled participating companies to carry out more productive interviews with our students.

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Science and Technology Week

METU Science and Technology Collection Exhibition Area awaits its visitors with its renewed face. Various events were organized within the scope of the Science and Technology Week. For detailed information, please visit their webpage .

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AdımODTÜ Free Movie Screening Night

AdımODTÜ held the eighth free movie screening event on the evening of February 18, 2020 in the U3 Lecture Hall in the Physics Department. Nearly 400 METU students attended the free movie event where the Joker movie was shown.

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AdımODTÜ Undergraduate Research Projects

AdımODTÜ created a fund to support the research efforts of undergraduate students through donations. This year, nearly 100 applications were made to our project proposal call and 57 undergraduate research projects were found worthy of support by the jury. The undergraduate research projects to be supported by AdımODTÜ this year can be accessed at https://adimodtu.org.tr/pdf/SupportedProjects-2020.pdf.

To support the undergraduate research projects, you can visit the link below.

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Online Distance Education at METU

The precautionary measures regarding the Coronavirus (COVID-19) implemented at our university have been taken and are being updated in accordance with the recommendations and guidance provided by the Council of Higher Education and the Ministry of Health, and through constant interaction with these institutions.

Initially, the online distance education process began with various projects and programs conducted without compromising the quality of education, especially during this crucial early period.

This distance education process, which started on March 23, 2020 in the Spring Semester of Pre-School, Associate, Undergraduate and Graduate courses in the 2019-2020 Academic Year, continues via both asynchronous and synchronous instruction.

In the asynchronous course option, lecture notes, PPT presentations, reading files, assignments and other resources are presented weekly through the ODTÜClass system, and asynchronous interactive discussions can be held with students through the ODTÜClass forum service. In the synchronous course option; the Blackboard Collaborate, Zoom and BigBlueButton applications are supported, which can log up to 100 people at the same time.

Academic staff members and students will be able to get assistance about online education at the following website https://its.metu.edu.tr/uzaktanegitim/en/. On this website, there are tools for faculty members to render their courses appropriate for online education, resources and answers to frequently-asked questions.

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AdımODTÜ Internet Scholarship

METU switched to online distance education during coronavirus closure.Connected to this, we would like to provide an internet scholarship, for 3 months at 75 TL per month, to 1,200 METU students who are in need of support and who will continue their spring term via online education. Support will primarily be provided to students who receive a meal and a dormitory scholarship. If donations increase, our other students will also be supported.

You can support the project via https://adimodtu.org.tr/proje/odtu-internet- and send your messages to our students if you wish.

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Precautions Taken at METU

The precautionary measures regarding the Coronavirus have been, and are continuing to be implemented very carefully at our University since the very beginning of the pandemic.

All the regulations at our University regarding the Coronovirus are being renewed according to the unfolding circumstances here, with the specific purpose of minimizing physical interaction among individuals. Every regulation that related to the activities of our shared areas of use in this particular situation is made by taking into consideration the number of staff who are still working at this period.

In this context, primarily the Dormitories, Triple Amphitheater, Yüksel Project Amphitheater, Culture and Convention Center, Cafeteria, Social Building, Garages, Main Cafeteria, Library, Sports Halls, Society and Science Center Buildings, and all Buses have been disinfected.In addition, sanitizer devices are being installed in all buildings within the campus, and information regarding the necessity of cleaning the common areas and classes is already being regularly sent to all our units.

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Informational Note about COVID-19

METU Science Communication Team has posted a youtube video with Assist. Prof. Müslüm İlgü, from the Department of Biological Sciences of METU,about the Coronavirus.

Dr. İlgü briefly gives the answers of the main questions such as: where are the viruses found, how do they spread into our bodies, what distinguishes Coronavirus from the others, and who are most affected by the Coronavirus,among others.

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“Donut Language”

You can start talking English any time with “Donut Language”, developed by instructor Jason Steinberg, METU Department of Modern Languages, and Orçun Çevrim,
a student in the METU Computer Engineering Department. The founders of the software say that “Donut is a native speaking teacher in your pocket.” All you have to do is download
the application from the GooglePlay Store
or visit the webpage.

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METU Press on “Teacher Library”

Children’s books published by METU Press (Publishing) can be accessed from the “Teacher Library”, in cooperation with METU and Ministry of National Education. All teachers can immediately download the application from their Android or iOS phones and start reading.

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METU Design Factory against COVID19

METU Design Factory, like all the constituents of our university, is rapidly working towards solutions that could help the global community, especially healthcare professionals, in their fight against the COVID-19 pandemic.

Towards this purpose, the METU Design Factory Team has developed solutions that can be easily manufactured and customized if necessary. Our current plan is to deliver this protective equipment to healthcare personnel as fast as possible. All designs and manufacturing details for these solutions are accessible at the link below. Rapid prototyping or simple hand tools can be used to manufacture these models.

You are more than welcome to contact us if you need more information or to offer help.

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Dear Members, Alumni and Friends,

I deeply hope that you, your families and your loved ones are safe and well.

METU faces serious challenges from the global pandemic. All precautionary measures regarding the Coronavirus implemented at our university are being taken and updated in accordance with the recommendations and guidance provided by the Council of Higher Education and the Ministry of Health, and through constant interaction with these institutions.

In line with the Council of Higher Education’s guidance about Coronavirus and in common with other Turkish universities, METU has suspended all face to face teaching. Instruction in the Basic English Department and all associate degree, undergraduate and graduate courses has been carried out via distance education since 23 March 2020.

METU is undertaking a collective effort to respond to COVID-19 in many different ways. We have combined all of our science, technology, and research capabilities and experiences to address the direct and indirect aspects of Coronavirus. You can follow our scientific efforts against the pandemic
through the “News from METU” website.

As the president of METU, please allow me to thank our faculty members and staff doing their best to encourage our students to continue learning and moving forward. And finally, I would like to take this opportunity to thank our alumni for keeping the METU spirit alive and maintaining our solidarity in these difficult times.

Dear METU Family,

Please stay safe and healthy. We look forward to the day when we all return to our beautiful campus.

Hope to see you soon at METU.

Best Regards,

Prof. Mustafa Verşan Kök

President

METU Ranked in Top 10 in THE Impact Rankings

According to the Impact Rankings 2020 results announced by the world universities ranking institution Times Higher Education (THE), METU has become the university with the best results among the Turkish universities, taking place in the top 10 in the title of “clean water and sanitation”.

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Prof. Haluk Külah and his Team Awarded “ERC-2020-PoC”Grant

The project called “New Generation Hearing Implants”, directed by Prof. Haluk Külah from the METU Department of Electrical and Electronics Engineering and his team, was awarded as the only grant from Turkey within the scope of the “ERC-2020-PoC” call.

The aim of the Project is to eliminate the downsides to creating the first fully implantable, low-power, energy-harvesting next generation cochlear implant that mimics the natural hearing mechanism of the ear.

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Chloroquine against Covid-19

METU scientists synthesized chloroquine, previously used for the malaria
cure. Assoc. Prof. Akın Akdağ from the Department of Chemistry said, “We
started preparations for publishing our work in international journals. We
are very happy to have achieved success in working with our students. ”

METU scientists also announced that they would be able to produce larger
quantities if they can find support for their project.

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Vaccination Studies against Covid-19

You can reach the information given by Prof. Mayda Gürsel from the
Department of Biological Sciences about the vaccine intended to be
developed against the new coronavirus through the below link.

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METU GÜNAM Granted for “Turkish Photovoltaic Technologies Platform” Project

The “Turkish Photovoltaic Technologies Platform” Project submitted by METU GÜNAM (Center for Solar Energy Research and Applications), together with 8 other national partners to the “Call for High Technology Platforms,” opened within the scope of the TÜBİTAK Center of Excellence Support Program (1004 Program), has been accepted and passed to the next stage.

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2020 METU Alumni Day Postponed

METU Alumni Day, which we announced to be held on June 27, 2020, has been postponed to a later date by our University within the “Measures Taken with the New Coronavirus (COVID-19)”. In line with the unfolding developments over the coming months, the new date to be determined for 2020 METU Alumni Day will be shared with you on our website, social media accounts and mail list.

Thank you once again for your understanding and support for the measures taken during the fight against the coronavirus outbreak.

We hope to meet face to face with all our graduates on Alumni Day.

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Online Live University Promotion for High School Students

Middle East Technical University started delivering live online
presentations for high school students and their families – the first
university in Turkey to do so. High school students preparing for the
university entrance exam can follow METU’s social media accounts and
website for further information about online live presentations.

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METU Zero Waste Unit Placed 2013 Waste Collection Boxes

Zero Waste Unit, established in 2019 within the METU Directorate of Administrative and Financial Affairs, has started to work on the establishment of the Zero Waste Management System and placed waste collection bins at various points throughout the campus.

The aim of the initiative is to reach the highest level of benefits at the lowest cost in the various processes of waste reduction, separation at the source, temporary storage, collection, transportation and processing by using the Zero Waste Management System. METU aims to obtain the Basic Zero Waste Certificate by completing the installation of the Zero Waste Management System by 31 December 2020.

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AdımODTÜ Internet Scholarship Project

Within the scope of “AdımODTÜ Internet Scholarship Project”, we have started providing scholarships to our students who need internet. We would like to express our gratitude to all METU graduates and friends who have supported the initiative.

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Happy METU Day!

This year we are celebrating the 64th anniversary of the establishment of METU.

Middle East Technical University was founded under the name “Orta Doğu Yüksek Teknoloji Enstitüsü” (Middle East High Technology Institute) on November 15th, 1956 to contribute to the development of Turkey and Middle Eastern countries, with the specific goal of training people so as to create a skilled workforce in the fields of natural and social sciences. “Arrangements and Procedures as for the Foundation of METU, Law No 6887” was enacted on January 29th, 1957. Finally, the “Foundation Act No 7307”, which sets forth the particular standing of METU and describes the conditions rendering METU as a juridical entity, was enacted on May 27th, 1959.

Therefore, we celebrate the 27th of May as METU Day and hold a special ceremony in its honor. In the first section of our METU Day celebrations, we present METU Outstanding Service and Appreciation Awards in the KKM Kemal Kurdaş Hall. In the second part of the ceremony, Turan Baskan Service and Incentive Awards are given to the administrative staff of our university. The Service Plaques are presented to our retired academic and administrative staff who have given service to our university for 20 years, and Service Documents are given to our members who have completed 45, 40, 35, 30, 25, 20 service years at METU.

2020 METU Day celebrations are planned to be held on the Opening Day of the 2020-2021 Academic Year because of the continuing COVID-19 precautions.

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AdımODTÜ Internet Scholarship

We initiated the “AdımODTÜ Internet Scholarship Project” to provide scholarships to METU students experiencing internet access problems.Thanks to the donations of METU graduates and friends, we have supported more than 650 students so far. We wish all our students good luck in the finals!

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Undergraduate Program Webcasts

We continue to promote our undergraduate programs online through our official Youtube account (Youtube.com/middleastechuniv) as part of the distance learning process we began on March 23, 2020, undertaken with valuable support from our departments.

You can find the presentations made so far below. We kindly ask for your valuable support in delivering this information to students preparing for the university entrance exam and to their families around you.

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METU Science Communication Team

A webinar on “Designing Games that Resonate with Learners and Learning” was held on Tuesday, May 26, 2020, at 9.30 pm (US time at 2.30 pm), with the organization of METU GİSAM President Prof. Dr. Kürşat Çağıltay and Researcher Dr. Çiğdem Uz Bilgin from MIT Eğitim Arcade/Yıldız Technical University, in cooperation with METU Science Communication Group. Prof. Eric Kopfler, Head of Comparative Media Studies and Writing, and Director of Scheller Teacher Education Program and The Education Arcade of MIT, attended the webinar as the speaker.

The webinar was broadcasted in English and in Turkish.

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METU at First Glance

How many students are studying at METU? What is the capacity of our dormitories? How many laboratories, lecture halls, and classrooms are there? You can discover METU at first glance prepared by the METU Institutional Development and Planning Office, (IDPO) to find answers to all such questions you may have. Please click the link below for more information.

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Three Awards to the METU Team from the 23rd IBECC

The student team of Prof. Semra Aşcıgil, the faculty member of the Department of Business Administration at METU, won first and first runner up prizes in the prize category “graduate division” of the 23rd International Business Ethics Case Competition (IBECC), which was initially planned to be held in Boston between April 22-24, 2020 but was untimately held as a virtual competition due to the epidemic.

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My METU Short Film/Video Competition

The deadline for applications to the My METU Short Film/Video Competition 2020 has been extended until 1 September 2020. A new theme, We Missed METU, has also been added to our competition to account for the COVID-19 epidemic. From the eyes of alumni, employees, and students of METU, we want to leave films as an inheritance to the future in such categories as comedy, thriller, memory, documentary, and promotion, etc. reflecting the METU culture/spirit.

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ODTÜDEN

ODTÜDEN web site is now ready for shopping online with its renewed interface. You can find brand new and restocked products and make donations for scholarships via AdımODTÜ & ODTÜDEN’s collaboration.

For further information please visit ODTÜDEN.

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Online Promotion from TanıtımODTÜ

TanıtımODTÜ (Promotion Office) is busy promoting METU to prospective students online due to the COVID-19 outbreak.

We began in May by explaining the variety of opportunities that our university offers via live broadcasts from our METU YouTube account. Then, we brought together academicians, graduates, and even students from several departments with prospective METU students for virtual get togethers. These live broadcasts are ongoing and you can access new as well as past promotions from the METU YouTube account.

TanıtımODTÜ will hold its first Virtual Fair on 27-28-29 July 2020. The fair includes participation from all departments, with whom our prospective students will have a chance to participate in video meetings between 10:00 – 20:00. These students will also have an opportunity to participate in video interviews once a day with the departments. Additionally, the fair will showcase activities such as a campus tour with a drone and “Ask the Rector Advisor” sessions

From the 4th of August until the end of the Preference Period, our prospective students and their families will be able to reach TanıtımODTÜ and departments through the channels we will announce on the adayogrenci.metu.edu.tr webpage.

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Webinar by Prof. Jeppesen and Prof. Beklioğlu

METU Biological Sciences faculty member Prof. Meryem Beklioğlu and Prof. Erik Jeppesen organized an online seminar with the support of the METU Science Communication Team. The online seminar was webcasted live in both English and Turkish on July 8th. Dr. Jeppesen, who is a panel member of the 2007 Nobel Peace Prize winner IPCC2007, is currently continuing his studies at our university within the scope of the TÜBİTAK 2322 International Fellowship for Outstanding Researchers Program. Details regarding the content of the seminar are given below.

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KPM Online

Our postgraduate programs are promoted through the live webcasts put on by the METU Career Planning Application and Research Center (CPC), incorporating valuable contributions from the graduate school principals, alumni, and graduate students.

Our students can participate in the sessions live on “Zoom” by filling out the registration form on the CPC webpage or the one sent them by e-mail. The presentations are also webcasted on the CPC YouTube channel.

We kindly ask you to share the CPC presentations with the students who might be interested in it. You can find both coming and previous webcast programs below.

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EBA TV

The METU Science Communication Team prepared a fun science-themed program series to be broadcasted on the digital education platform EBA TV, with the support of our students, staff, and faculty members, and with cooperation from the Ministry of National Education and TRT. It will be streaming in the summer school program of primary and secondary school students in between courses.

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Root Cell Treatment with Ascidiacea

METU Institute of Marine Sciences is developing an anti-aging and treatment model using the ascidiacea within the scope of the ‘Marine Stem Cell Project”.

Assoc. Arzu Karahan from METU Institute of Marine Science told that “Ascidiace, commonly known as the ascidians or sea squirts, can totally repair themselves”.

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METU IVMER Joins CERN Openlab as a Research Member

Middle East Technical University Application and Research Center for Space and Accelerating Technologies (IVMER) has joined CERN openlab, a public-private partnership run by CERN (the European Laboratory for Particle Physics) that works to drive innovation in computing technologies. The agreement was signed on April 1, 2020.

METU IVMER will carry out joint operations with gluoNNet within this CERN openlab collaboration. Together, the project members will develop particle-tracking algorithms for quantum computers and will investigate the possibility of using these within industry, such as for data analysis related to aviation or logistics.

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Study in Turkey

Study in Turkey YÖK Virtual Fair 2020 is taking place on July 20-22, 2020. We will be welcoming our prospective students at our virtual booth. The prospective students can meet our university representatives and get valuable information about METU student’s life, scholarship opportunities, and accommodation facilities. You can visit the virtual fair using the link below.

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Alumni Discount at METU Cyprus

To produce METU graduates who are equipped to help the world, METU Northern Cyprus Campus offers a 20% discount on tuition fees for children of METU alumni.

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ODTÜDEN

On ODTÜDEN’s newly updated website, you can find brand new and restocked products and make donations supporting the book and stationary needs of our students via AdımODTÜ & ODTÜDEN’s collaboration. We look forward to the valuable support of all METU friends.

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Dear METU Alumni,

On August 14, 2020, I was reassigned as the President of METU, a position which I have held for four years with great honor and pride. During these four years, our university has gained many achievements in national and international areas.

We have been selected as “The Most Successful University” in the TÜBİTAK 2018 Entrepreneurial and Innovative University Index. In 2018, we have also become “The Most Successful University” in education and training according to the results of YÖK Universities Annual Monitoring and Evaluation. We have been chosen as “The Most Successful Research University” according to the results of Research Universities Performance Evaluation in both 2017 and 2018. In the “Corporate Award” category of the YÖK Outstanding Achievement Awards, we received the “International Cooperation Award” in 2017 and the “University-Industry Cooperation Award” in 2019. METU received 23 European Union projects and 29 international projects. METU’s 2nd and 3rd ERC projects were awarded between January 2017 – December 2019, with a total budget of 4 million Euros. METU is the only Turkish state university to receive an ERC project. Our “Solar Energy Research and Application Center (GÜNAM)” has received the first-ever twinning project among Turkish universities. Our Teknokent revenues have exceeded 1.4 billion dollars.

In our first term, we opened our new Technopolis building, CoZone area, İvmer centers, KALTEV, and our new classroom building, and renovated our cafeteria. We organized science cafe events, environmental activities, speed networking events, and fundraising campaigns for our students. We initiated the METU Alumni Newsletter, reaching more than 60,000 alumni monthly, and implemented the ODTÜM Network Project.

In the footsteps of our Great Leader Gazi Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, our university will continue to honor his principles and revolutions, secularism, gender equality, fundamental freedoms, the rule of law, and the truths of reason and science.

Prof. Mustafa Verşan Kök

President

Dilhan Eryurt Became a Doodle on Google!

On the 20th of July, Turkish astrophysicist Dr. Dilhan Eryurt, a star in the field of astronomy, became a doodle on Google. On this day in 1969, Dr. Eryurt was honored with NASA’s prestigious “Apollo Achievement Award” for her contribution to the moon landing that year.

In 1961, Dr. Eryurt began to work as the only woman at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in New York. She was the first Turkish woman to work as a scientist at NASA, and her research on the evolution of stars led to an unexpected discovery about the history of the solar system.

After Dr. Eryurt returned to the METU Physics Department as a staff member in 1973, she established the Astrophysics Department there. In 1988, she first served as the Head of the Department of Physics at METU’s Faculty of Arts and Sciences, and then retired in 1993 after serving as the Dean of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences for five years. In addition, she was also honored with Turkey’s TÜBİTAK Science Award in 1977.

Lithium Attack in Electricity Storage Technology

METU Energy Materials and Storage Devices Research Center (ENDAM) President Professor Tayfur Öztürk emphasized the importance of battery technologies in the automotive and renewable energy sector and explained the importance of lithium in the storage of electricity.

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METU Memorial Frame

Our newest premium quality METU Memorial Frames are on sale at ODTÜDEN. You can purchase these special frames, which are carefully prepared to display your most precious memories in METU with pride.

You can also donate to our students’ book and stationery needs while shopping online at ODTÜDEN.

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Meet the METU Science and Communication Group

Science communication which aims to inform and raise awareness of
science-related topics in society has lately become an important topic all
around the world. In this respect, METU Science and Communication Group
perform several science-oriented activities to bridge the gap between
science and the public. You can click on the link below to access the
science communication activities they have performed so far as well as the
new ones.

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EBA TV on Broadcast

Our science program, which is prepared in partnership with the Ministry of
Education to contribute to popularize science and promote university life
among primary and secondary school students, is now being broadcast on EBA
TV.

We would like to express our gratitude to the METU Science Communication
Group, Society and Science Application and Research Center, and GİSAM,
which supported the preparation of the program. Furthermore, we would also
like to thank our students, staff, and faculty members.

You can get the information and watch the generics of the program from the
link below.

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AdımODTÜ

AdımODTÜ continues to support our students in many different projects with
your valuable contributions. You can continue to support their numerous
projects, which are oriented towards our student needs, scientific
researches, and social services. You can show your support by sharing
their announcements and also by voluntarily participating in AdımODTÜ
projects. Please check their website for further information.

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Opening of the Academic Year 2020-2021

The opening of our University 2020-2021 Academic Year was held on October 12, 2020, with the University Administration’s visit to the Supreme Leader Mustafa Kemal Atatürk in Anıtkabir. The official ceremony in the Culture and Convention Center was not held due to the Pandemic. Our Rector, Prof. Mustafa Verşan Kök delivered a message for the Academic Year Opening. Referring to the establishment purpose and achievements of METU in his message, Prof. Kök made a statement regarding significant goals in the new period. Prof. Kök stated that “Since the day it was founded, METU has been an international university that symbolizes an understanding of education which cares about universal values and development, strives to develop an awareness of social responsibility, and fulfills a leading and pioneering role in the shaping of individuals who have the potential to create and sustain scientific, technological, cultural and environmental changes and follow the principle of lifelong learning.” Prof. Kök also welcomed the new METU students and stated that “I congratulate all of you for your determination and devoted work that brought you to METU as a result of long years of effort. METU is a university where only the best students meet with the most successful academics in their fields in Turkey and globally. This meeting is also supported by many science, culture, art, and sports activities that will accelerate your personal development. We expect you to participate in various social and intellectual activities such as seminars, concerts, theaters, movies, and talks held every day at many points of the campus after the pandemic period. We believe that you will continue your education life with this perspective of our university, where education and research activities are carried out in harmony and with the strong tradition of learning from each other at the forefront, and you will always keep these features alive inside and outside METU.”

You can reach the full message using the link below.

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METU Orientation 2020

The newest members of METU family were welcomed by ourtraditional “Orientation Event”on Friday, October 9, 2020. This program was performed live and online because of the Pandemic.

Within the orientation program’s scope, our new students got information about the academic and administrative units, cultural and sports activities, and distance education in METU. Our students had the chance to learn about METU with a fun contest presented by Mehmet Auf, the script consultant and actor of the TV series”Çocuklar Duymasın” and “En Son Babalar Duyar”.A live campus tour with drone footage, and departmental presentations were performed in the afternoon session.

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Asst. Prof. Dicle Dövencioğlu Awarded by The L’Oréal-UNESCO “For Women in Science”

Assistant Prof. Dicle Dövencioğlu, from the METU Psychology Department, was awarded within the scope of the “For Women in Science” program, in cooperation with
L’Oréal-UNESCO by her “Multidimensionality of softness perception in viscoelastic materials” project. This award is granted to support women’s contribution to science
and to contribute to setting role models by drawing attention to gender equality in science, to support female researchers in the field of science, to reward excellence,
and to ensure the recognition of young and talented scientists by L’Oréal Türkiye, which has been in cooperation with the UNESCO Turkey National Commission for 18 years.

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Two Awards to METU in the 2ndNational Universities Patent Competition

METU received two awards, including first prize, in “Patenting Turkey – 2nd National Universities Patent Competition” organized by the Turkish Patent and Trademark Office (TÜRKPATENT) at the ceremony on October 16, 2020. The competition was organized to increase university students’ awareness of patents as one of the most critical technological development tools and enable students to gain knowledge and experience in patent research and patent applications.

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“Best Scientists” special award in European Rover Challenge 2020 to METU Machinery and Innovation Society

The METU ROVER project was received the “Best Scientists” special award at the European Rover Challenge 2020, the most prestigious space and robotics competition in Europe, supported by the European Space Agency (ESA). METU ROVER took 4th place in the overall ranking in the competition held in Poland, where 33 international teams took part in the final. The METU ROVER project continues its activities within the METU Machinery and Innovation Society (METU MECH), involving 29 students from different departments.

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METU and TÜBİTAK host H2020 Black Sea CONNECT project, Black Sea Strategic Research and Innovation Agenda online workshop

The Black Sea Strategic Research and Innovation Agenda (SRIA) Stakeholder Consultation Workshop, coordinated by the METU Institute of Marine Sciences and organized within the scope of the EU H2020 Black Sea CONNECT Project, which is the first multi-partner Horizon2020 consortium coordinated by METU, was held on September 16, 2020. The workshop was held online with more than 150 representatives from universities, public institutions, the private sector, and civil society.

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3D Modeling Competition

The METU Society and Science Centre (TBM) is organizing an award-winning competition, “3D Model for Barrier-Free Life!”, to improve high school students’ three-dimensional modeling skills and increase their awareness of the 3D printing process. Participants will be requested to present a solution to the problem they have determined in the context of an event / a phenomenon / a subject from our daily life by designing a three-dimensional model that can help disabilities.

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Department of Economics alum honored to be the first Turkish student shortlisted as “Highly Commended Entrants”
in “The Global Undergraduate Awards”

Altuğ Aydemir, 2020Department of Economics graduate, was honored to be one of the 12 economists shortlisted as “Highly Commended Entrants” in “The Global Undergraduate Awards.” METU is a member of this prestigious international academic award program within the scope of the AdımODTÜ Undergraduate Research Project. Entrants with research papers ranked in the top 10% of submissions in their category are shortlisted as “Highly Commended Entrants”.

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ENERJİM SENSİN Acceleration Program

In cooperation with ODTÜ TEKNOKENT and ELDER, and under the coordination of EMRA, the “ENERJİM SENSİN Acceleration Program” will be organized to bring together in-house initiatives, and projects with a minimum TRL-4 level.

Companies that are accepted to participate in the program will be provided with access to the press and stakeholders, cooperation opportunities, and meeting opportunities with investors and potential customers. Also, a total of 300,000 TL will be awarded to the selected projects.

Applications will be accepted until Sunday, 20 December 2020.

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Show your METU Spirit

AdımODTÜ continues to support our students with your valuable contributions. You can continue to support their projects, which are oriented towards scientific research and social services. You can show yourMETU spirit and support our students, not only financially supporting their projects but also helping in the dissemination of the projects or even voluntarily participating in them.You can check their website for further information.

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ODTÜDEN Book Sales

2020-2021 Academic Year Fall Semester textbooks are on sale onwww.odtuden.com.tr with a 10% discount.

ODTÜDEN web site is now ready for shopping online with its renewed interface. You can find brand new and restocked products and make donations for scholarships to METU students.

For further information please visit ODTÜDEN.

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ODTÜM Network is now on LinkedIn

Dear METU Alumni,

Our two-year old ODTÜM Network has reached over 21.500 members, thanks to your participation and support.
However, ODTÜM Network user statistics over time show that very few users with an activated account from all categories (alumni, faculty,
students) actually returned to the platform after their initial login,
problem commonly encountered on other platforms. In that sense, we decided
to open “ODTÜM”, the official METU alumni network group, connected to the METU
Alumni Office LinkedIn account for you.

Among the popular social media platforms, LinkedIn consistently comes up
as morecommonly used and conducive to network-building and communication
than more specialized platforms like ODTÜM Network.

ODTÜM is a closed group that our alumni, faculty and senior students can join
through their existing LinkedIn accounts. Alumni joining this group can
contact their former classmates and professors, support METU through
various projects, share job announcements and stay informed about career
opportunities.

We hope to remain in touch with you, our esteemed ODTÜM Network users,
on the LinkedIn ODTÜM group.

Best Regards,

METU Alumni Office

A New Co-working Space for METU Students

METU students will soon have a new, easily accessible, and comfortable co-working environment on campus. Designed to offer alternative spaces students can use to study, collaborate and take part in activities, the new Co-working Space will be located by the A4 campus entrance, on the site of the former gendarmerie buildings. The construction is currently underway, and the space will be available for student use in September 2021.

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ODTÜLÜ Magazine Special Issue on COVID-19

The new issue of ODTÜLÜ magazine focuses on the source of the greatestglobal shock of our time, the COVID-19 pandemic, and features projects METU has supported as part of the collective human effort against it since the pandemic began.

As a token of our gratitude, we have dedicated this special issue to healthcare workers as well as all other essential workers on the frontlines of the battle against COVID-19.

Please click the link below for the ODTÜLÜ COVID-19 Special Issue (in Turkish).

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Celebrating the “60th Anniversary” of METU’s First Alumni: The Class of 1960

Although the pandemic precluded us from convening for METU Alumni Day in June 2020, we wanted to honor the 60th anniversary of the First Graduating Class of METU, the Class of 1960. To express our gratitude to them for setting us on the path towards our current position as a leading university, we have sent each member of the Class of1960 their own “60th Anniversary Memory Medal”.

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METU ROMER Robotics and Artificial Intelligence Center on the Way

METU is preparing to launch ROMER, the Robotics and Artificial Intelligence Technologies Research and Application Center. Leading the project is Assoc. Prof. Erol Şahin, the Founding Director of the METU KOVAN Research Laboratory. Dr. Şahin says ROMER will take robotics and artificial intelligence research in Turkey to a whole new level, creating critical technologies, particularly for the defense and manufacturing industries.

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“PONDERFUL”: A ‘Wonderful’ Horizon 2020 Project on ‘Ponds’:

METU is now part of an 11-country consortium collaborating on a large-scale environmental project, thanks to the efforts of Prof. Meryem Beklioğlu from the Biological Sciences Department and her team, including Prof. Zuhal Akyürek from the Civil Engineering Department and Asst. Prof. Antoine Dolcerocca from the Sociology Department. As the only Turkish partners in this Horizon 2020 project entitled, ‘PONDERFUL’, Professor Beklioğlu and her colleagues will be working over the next 4 years to explore the use of ponds and pondscapes as a nature-based method contributing to mitigating the effects of climate change and conserving biodiversity, among other important goals.

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Publication by Assoc. Prof. Ulaş Yaman and Prof. Melik Dölen Receives Acclaim

The IISE Transactions Journal has chosen the paper entitled, “Generation of Patterned Indentations for Additive Manufacturing Technologies” by Department of Mechanical Engineering faculty members Assoc. Prof. Ulaş Yaman and Prof. Melik Dölen as “Best Design and Manufacturing Application Paper”. IISE Transactions is one of the main journals of the Institute of Industrial & Systems Engineers, which has been formally recognizing the accomplishments of prominent researchers with awards since 1993.

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EEE Graduate and RA Berkay Özbek Wins TÜBİTAK 1512 Grant

Berkay Özbek, a graduate research assistant at the METU Electrical-Electronics Engineering Department, supervised by Prof. Haluk Külah, has won a TÜBİTAK grant through the 1512 Techno-Entrepreneurship Capital Support Program. Mr. Özbek, who also did his undergraduate studies at METU EEE, aims to design a system for pacemakers that will fully eliminate the need for batteries.

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METU Part of Turkey’s First Joint Research Center: NÖROM

METU is joined by Gazi and Ankara Universities in establishing Turkey’s first joint research center through a YÖK (Council of Higher Education) initiative. The Neuroscience and Neurotechnology Research Center (NÖROM) is the first outcome of a YÖK effort to propel large-scale R&D in prioritized fields by enabling collaboration among Turkish universities with unique strengths in strategic fields and to ensure the efficient use of public funding.

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International Day of Persons with Disabilities celebrated with 3D Modeling Competition

METU students took part in the first of a new annual competition called “3D Modeling for a Barrier-Free Life!”. The winners were announced during a well-attended online ceremony led by President Prof. Dr. Mustafa Verşan KÖK on the 3rd of December, which is known globally as International Day of Persons with Disabilities. The creators of the winning projects, selected from among the many competition entries, were informed about their prizes during the ceremony.

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