2022
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ISSUE 32 | January 2022 | |
AdımODTÜ Funds 165 Undergraduate Research ProjectsIn 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: Further information regarding the funded projects can be reached from here. |
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METU Participates in Europe’s First High-Performance Computing-Centered Master’s ProgramThe 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 METUFour 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 AwardAsst. 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: NEWFEEDProf. 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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METUverseResearchers 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 LibraryWe 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: To lend your support please click here.
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Advantages of METU Alumni CardAta 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 ProjectApplications 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 GİSAMThe 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, |
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ISSUE 33 | February 2022 | |
Sandwiches and Coffee for our Students During Finals WeekSince 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” ListsThe 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 METUThe 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 Alpine Skiing Team • Cemreay Dede, First place in the Women’s Category in Slalom Skiing and First place in Giant Slalom skiing |
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METU Alum Discovers New HormoneMolecular 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 FundingTUBİTAK (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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ISSUE 34 | March 2022 | |
Four Seasons by Vivaldi – WinterIn 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. 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 YıllarımIn 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 AnnouncedThe 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 METUIn 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 HaliThe 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 LigniteProf. 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 CalculationWithin 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 AnnouncedThe 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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ISSUE 35 | April 2022 | |
Save the date: 2022 METU ALUMNI DAYDear 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 EventMETU 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: DEEPTRACEAssoc. 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. |
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New ERC Starting Grant: LCFLOWAssoc. 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’ QuestionsOn 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
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ODTÜ’lü YıllarımIn 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 ResidenceAs 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. 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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ISSUE 36 | May 2022 | |
Mourning the Loss of Our Former President Prof. Ömer SaatçioğluProf. 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 DAYMETU 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! |
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METU Ranks First Among Turkish Universities in the RUR World University RankingsMETU 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’ QuestionsThe 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 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 TouchIn 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 BeginApplications 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 2022The 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 ScholarshipYou can contribute to the sustainability of this scholarship with your donations. Please find the details below. METU DEVELOPMENT FOUNDATION – PROF. DR. RONA AYBAY Scholarship Bank Account: 4229 – 1423524 IBAN: TR520006400000142291423524
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TEDxAnkaraTEDx, 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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