Business leaders continue to share their knowledge and experience with Sabancı University students and graduates.  The guests of the “Leader Meetings” include Süer Sülün, CEO of Mercedes-Benz Turkey; Mustafa Bartın, Executive Board Member of Migros; Burak Ertaş, CEO of sahibinden.com; and Ece Aksel, Senior Vice President and General Manager of PepsiCo Turkey.  

The Leader Meetings events organized by the Faculty of Management Sciences of Sabancı University for more than 10 years continue with the participation of leading figures of the business world. The new speakers of the Leader Meetings, where more than 40 senior managers and leaders in different fields have shared their knowledge and experiences so far, between January to April include Süer Sülün, CEO of Mercedes-Benz Turkey; Mustafa Bartın, Executive Board Member of Migros; Burak Ertaş, CEO of sahibinden.com; and Ece Aksel, Senior Vice President and General Manager of PepsiCo Turkey.

In meetings to be held between January and April, Süer Sülün, CEO of Mercedes-Benz Turkey, will share his knowledge and experiences on the Automotive Industry and R&D; Mustafa Bartın, Executive Board Member of Migros on the Impact of E-Commerce on Retail; Burak Ertaş, CEO of sahibinden.com on Online Platform Dynamics; and Ece Aksel, Senior Vice President and General Manager of PepsiCo Turkey on Retail and E-Commerce Strategy. At online meetings, students and graduates will listen to the strategies of the business world from the leading senior managers in the field.

Based on the philosophy of improving knowledge and contributing to social progress in addition to supporting education through curriculum and extracurricular activities, Sabancı University holds events every month in accordance with wishes of students and graduates. It is aimed to share the knowledge and experience of the valuable leaders of business world who participate in the Leader Meetings, as well as the stories, strategies, and visions of the future with students and graduates to ensure the spread of knowledge.

“Leader Meetings”, a special series of the Faculty of Management Sciences of Sabancı University, will continue throughout the year. You can follow the developments on sbs.sabanciuniv.edu/tr/lider-bulusmalari.

As part of TÜBİTAK's call for application published for the 1512 Individual Young Enterprise (BiGG) Program for the 2020/2 period, BiGG4tech began receiving new applications.

The BiGG4tech consortium, formed in partnership with Çukurova Teknokent, Namık Kemal University Teknopark, and Bursa Uludağ University Technology Transfer Office under the leadership of Sabancı University Inovent, continues to support the business ideas of entrepreneurs.

The first cycle applications for the TÜBİTAK 1512 BiGG Program will continue until 15 February 2021, and for the second cycle applications will continue until 24 March 2021. 

TÜBİTAK offers grant support up to TRY 200 Thousand to entrepreneurs with the BiGG Program. The BiGG4tech project offers opportunities such as training, mentoring, introduction to customers, collaboration development and pilot implementation with corporate companies, pre-prototype/MVP manufacturing, and laboratory infrastructure usage support for entrepreneurs to receive support in this context.

Applications can be made on bigg4.tech for BiGG4tech, which will offer special training, programs, and mentoring support to tech entrepreneurs without industry restrictions.

You can find the TÜBİTAK BiGG 2nd call for applications for 2020 here.

You can send your questions related to the project to bigg4tech@inovent.com.tr.

Emre Selçuk, a Faculty Member at the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences (FASS), was found eligible to receive support under the TÜBİTAK Career Development Program (3501).  

Emre Selcuk's project which was found eligible for support under the TÜBİTAK 3501 Career Development Program is titled “Towards Increasing The Potential of Applying Relationship Science through Basic Research: Examining Interpersonal Differences in Support Processes and Their Consequences for Relationship Well-being”.

Emre Selçuk's research program focuses on understanding how we establish and maintain social relationships in general and how these relationships impact our health and well-being. The findings of both Emre Selçuk and colleagues and research groups in different parts of the world reveal that the quality of our social relationships is one of the most important factors affecting our physical health and psychological well-being. Therefore, helping people establish and maintain happy and supportive social relationships is one of the important goals of researchers.  

This project of Emre Selçuk, which will be supported by TÜBİTAK, will investigate this issue in the context of romantic relations. How partners support each other in difficult times affects both how happy they are in their relationship and how they perceive each other. Although the importance of supporting each other in difficult times is known, and we are usually willing to support those we love, it is not always so easy. This is because people's support needs when dealing with challenges can be very different. Therefore, people’s understanding of what their partner needs in which situation develops over time. Emre Selçuk and colleagues predict that increasing the support harmony between partners over time will increase happiness in the relationship. These ideas will be tested in their study, where they will follow new couples for a year. The researchers hope that the results of this project will contribute to the development of implementation programs aimed at helping couples strengthen their relationships. 

Written by Aslı Aygüneş and Oğuz Can Ok, assistants at Sabancı University Gender and Women's Studies Center of Excellence (SU Gender), the “Monitoring Report on Gender Studies During The COVID-19 Pandemic” was a result of the monitoring activities carried out by SU Gender between March-September 2020.

The report prepared by reviewing national and international sources emphasized the importance of increasing the visibility of the research on gender-based inequalities during the COVID-19 pandemic, global and local data collection and monitoring related to this subject, and performing advocacy activities in light of the data. According to studies presented in four sections in the report, violence against women increased during the pandemic period in Turkey, access to basic rights such as healthcare and education was disrupted, and participation in employment and economic inequalities remained negative. 

Hülya Adak, the Director of SU Gender, who invited the entire public to be a part of the solution with the report, said, “We know and see from the reports and the examples we observed during COVID-19 that violence against women, gender-based violence, and harassment increased exponentially during the time when we were in quarantine. As SU Gender of Sabancı University, which is one of the first institutions to draw up a sexual harassment directive in Turkey in 2007 and to host a Sexual Harassment Committee, we wanted to draw attention to this situation at such a time. Additionally, we have started organizing interviews, webinar series, and festivals on ‘Sexual Harassment and Gender-based Violence, Pandemic, Memory and Gender, Digital Theater, Cinema and Art-based Gender Justice’ to be able to conceptualize the current situation together with all our stakeholders. With this report, we have tried to examine the experiences of the pandemic process, the solutions produced against the problems, and the areas that are already waiting for solutions/solidarity.” 

THE MONITORING REPORT CONSISTS OF FOUR SECTIONS

“The Monitoring Report on Gender Studies During The COVID-19 Pandemic” consists of four main sections. The section titled Gender-based Inequalities in The Shadow of The Pandemic addresses different dimensions of the perspective of gender during the pandemic period, experiences of gender inequalities, and advocacy for gender equality. The other sections of the report -unlike the first part- focuses on the common issues identified by the studies reviewed during the preparation of the monitoring report in the light of data and reports specific to Turkey. 

Additionally, more holistic inferences are made by supporting local data with data collected globally. The section titled Gender-Based Violence and Pandemic shares the results of data collection studies on violence against women and LGBTI+ individuals, making these inequalities visible.  The section titled Access to Rights and Pandemic addresses the gender-related problems that individuals face while trying to exercise their health-related and educational rights, the quick solutions produced to solve these problems, and the policy proposals put forward to permanently solve these problems. Finally, in the section titled Economic Freedoms and Pandemic, the economic consequences of gender-based inequalities are investigated in depth. 

The noteworthy findings of the studies included in the monitoring report are as follows:

• Violence, inequalities, and right violations did not decrease during the pandemic, nor did the activities that opposed these violations in the field of advocacy, and nor did the need for these activities. On the contrary, with the new circumstances imposed by the pandemic, this need gradually increased.
• According to a report by the United Nations Women titled “From Insights to Action: Gender Equality in The Wake of COVID-19” published in May 2020, approximately 243 million women were subjected to violence in countries under quarantine in 2019-2020, and this number is expected to increase in parallel with possible security, health, and economic problems due to the pandemic. 
• According to a study conducted by the Socio-Political Field Research Center (SAHA) with 1,843 women living in 28 different cities, violence against women increased by 27.8% during the pandemic period in Turkey. 43% of the women stated that they had experienced violence in quarantine.
• In SAHA's study, women were also asked about the violence suffered by children. 19.3% of the women said their children had been subjected to violence. 45.9% of the respondents said the quarantine process had triggered the violence against children and women.
• According to Bianet, 140 women were killed, 135 suspected deaths occurred, 51 women were raped, 84 women were harassed, and 445 women were subjected to violence in the 6-month period from April to September.
• According to a report published in August by the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), at least one-third of school-age children worldwide, about 463 million children, were no able to access distance education.
• In Turkey, it was reported in different studies that disadvantaged children and girls had problems accessing education with the transition to distance education. According to the “TEGV Children’s Distance Education Status Assessment Report”published by the Educational Volunteers Foundation of Turkey (TEGV) in May, 59% of children use mobile phones and 50% use computers to access education, while 4% do not use any tools. In the report published by the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) on access to education during COVID-19, it was stated that only one out of every 4 students in Turkey had a computer.
• Research conducted by KONDA in Turkey showed that women's labor allocated for domestic work increased more than 2 times when compared to 2018 and 2020 data. In parallel, a study conducted by the UN Women in April with 1,508 individuals in Turkey found that 77.6% of women devoted more time to cleaning and tidying the house, 28.7% to support the elderly, 60% to cook, and 41% to grocery shopping compared to the pre-pandemic period.

Click here to access the full report.

Firuze Alpaydın, a team member of the Young Professionals Program of the Corporate Governance Forum, was appointed as Turkey's Climate Ambassador by the World Bank.

The Global Youth Climate Network, an initiative of the World Bank Youth to Youth (Y2Y) Community, announced the 2021 Climate Ambassadors selected from different countries of the world. 165 Climate Ambassadors from 109 countries were selected for the program, to which 2,400 individuals from 153 countries applied. Firuze Alpaydın was the only person chosen as a Climate Ambassador from Turkey.  

As part of the nine-month 2021 Climate Ambassadors Program, participants will support the learning and development of the World Bank's knowledge and experience in climate change and sustainable development.

Alpaydın has been working on “climate change” in the Young Professionals Program of Sabancı University Corporate Governance Forum since October 2019. The Young Professionals Program, which intends to help newly graduated young talents rapidly improve themselves in the areas of climate change and women's empowerment in management, thereby allowing them to start their careers in the business world from a better point, also aims to ensure that participants of the program maintain their ties with university in their companies and become leaders of change. Melsa Ararat, the Director of the Corporate Governance Forum, noted that this appointment was proof of the success of the Young Professionals Program, pointing out to that all participants who complete the program are assigned to important tasks.

The project in which Emre Erdem, a Faculty Member at the Faculty of Engineering and Natural Sciences (FENS) of Sabancı University, works as a researcher was found eligible for support under the Polar Call within the scope of the TÜBİTAK 1001 Program. 

“POLAR 1001” is a support program started by the Directorate of Research Support Programs (ARDEB) within the framework of conditions established by the Institute of Polar Research (KARE) of TÜBİTAK-MAM. 

The project titled “Investigation of Mineral Content and Physicochemical Formation Conditions of The First Turkish Antarctic Meteorites” where FENS Faculty Member Emre Erdem works as a researcher is being carried out under the supervision of Mehmet Yeşiltaş from Kırklareli university. The design and presentation of the project were made in partnership with Yusuf Kağan Kadıoğlu from Ankara University, Merve Kaya from the Institute of Accelerator Technologies, and Namık Aysal from Cerrahpaşa Faculty of Medicine, Istanbul University. 

The structural, electronic, and chemical properties of natural meteorites will be investigated in Sabancı University laboratories in this project. The two-year project also aims to develop material-oriented models for solving energy problems in space.

The NANOSIS platform, led by Sabancı University Nanotechnology Research and Application Center (SUNUM), received TRY 64.6 Million support from TÜBİTAK. The Pre-competitive Research Platform, established within the scope of the TÜBİTAK 1004 program, consists of 6 research programs. 

NANOSIS, a Pre-competitive Research Platform led by Sabancı University’s Nanotechnology Center SUNUM, was supported by TÜBİTAK with TRY 64.6 Million for nanotechnological components, products, and systems for health monitoring and diagnosis. The platform created within the scope of the TÜBİTAK 1004 program includes 6 research programs managed by SUNUM, Sabancı University, Yeditepe University, and Eskişehir Technical University, and KORDSA A.Ş. and Arçelik A.Ş. 

Prof. Dr. Fazilet Vardar, the Director of SUNUM, said, “Although the theme of the NANOSIS platform was established in the pre-COVID-19 period, it was based on the idea that infectious diseases will become the top priority health threat today with an important foresight. As SUNUM, we are pleased to lead a Pre-competitive Strategic Cooperation Platform that can be an example for our country with 6 research programs managed by institutions with different competencies.” 

The theme of the NANOSIS Platform was created in the pre-COVID-19 period. Based on the view that infectious diseases will become a primary health threat today with the foresight of the future, the project focused on “developing fast, economical, and original nanotechnological components, products, and systems for medical follow-up and diagnosis”. In this way, the Platform became even more important by covering projects and prototypes that will meet the need for early diagnosis and preventive approaches for high-quality, widespread, and affordable health services. 

The NANOSIS Platform aims to produce 23 prototypes at the TRL 6 level over 4 years. Accordingly, 15 technical project will be implemented with the ultimate goal of developing sensors which are based on nano-materials, miniaturizable, easy to use, robust, suitable for industrial processes, low-cost and have different sensitivity levels. The social and socio-economic impact of the Research Platform will be measured by a separate project. Projects are expected to begin on 01 February 2021. 

The outcomes of the projects include preventive medicine studies such as diagnostic kits, biosensors, and home health concepts, and applications such as molecular detection of the type of contamination. The priority application areas of the project outcomes include point of care (POC) sensors, diagnostic kits and biochips, the environment and public health sensors, product development in the pharmaceutical and chemical industry, product component analysis and quality control, food safety, and prevention of biological/chemical attacks. 

About The NANOSIS Platform and The TÜBİTAK 1004 Program: 

The NANOSIS platform is a Pre-competitive Strategic Cooperation Platform that can be an example for our country, with 24 member institutions and organizations who were able to agree on a common IPR and governance agreement. The TÜBİTAK 1004 Program aims to enable research infrastructures to specialize and become centers of excellence by collaborating with R&D / Design centers and public R&D units. It has nationally traceable targets in alignment with national targets and policies. Its goal is to support research programs with high commercialization potential.

Rana Kelleci, graduate program 2020 alumni of the Visual Arts and Visual Communication Design Program of Sabancı University, took her place in the 38th Contemporary Artists Prize Exhibition organized by the Painting and Architecture Museums Association and Akbank Sanat Akbank to support new developments in contemporary art and young artists.  

Rana Kelleci managed to become one of 16 artists whose works were dispayed in Akbank Sanat’s 38th Contemporary Artists Prize Exhibition among approximately one thousand applications. You can read our interview with Rana Kelleci below.   

Hello, and first of all, congratulations. Could you tell us a little bit about yourself? What are you doing right now?

R.K: In terms of arts, I work with different disciplines such as photography, drawing, and performance. Recently, my interest is the question of how information and images are produced. Additionally, I have a writing practice. I write and translate for various publications, mainly in the field of art. 

How did you decide to study in the Master's Program at the Visual Arts and Visual Communication Design at Sabancı University?

R.K: My master’s process was quite liberating, giving me the opportunity to experiment as I wish. I chose this program because it has a structure that is not divided into disciplines such as painting and photography and allows you to move between different media, thinking that it would provide the flexibility I needed. Especially since I come from a department other than art in my undergraduate studies, such a space of freedom and support was very valuable in the journey of finding my own voice. 

How did you participate in Akbank Sanat 38th Contemporary Artists Competition? Which work of yours did you submit for the competition? Could you also share your work and evaluation criteria?

R.K: This year’s theme was “on everyday life”. A jury consisting of Ayşe Erkmen, Dejan Kaludjerović, T. Melih Görgün, Gönül Nuhoğlu, and Derya Bigalı evaluated more than one thousand applications submitted this year.

I applied for the competition with a video recording of my performance called Repost.

In this performance, I was copying images uploaded on Instagram with the hashtag #refugees.

Social media both reflects and simultaneously shapes what we think and feel about immigration as a society. I think we have a certain power and therefore a responsibility due to social media over images of immigration, which is a situation that we are not experiencing first-hand. The performance aims to open that responsibility to discussion. I am thinking about a tiny gesture, such as reposting a post, asking if we continue violence in our digital actions, or if we have a chance to turn existing violence, stereotyping, and marginalization into empathy. 

What do you suggest to students who are studying or want to study Visual Arts and Visual Communication Design?

R.K: I think I would suggest that they make the most of the opportunities that the school provides and always observe :)

The projects of Sabancı University faculty members were found eligible for support under the Bilateral Cooperation Program of TÜBİTAK and the National Research Foundation of South Korea (NRF).

One of the projects is a study in which Cem Güneri, Deputy Rector in Charge of Education and a Faculty Member at the Faculty of Engineering and Natural Sciences (FENS), is a researcher, and another is a study in which Erhan Budak, a Faculty Member at FENS, is the coordinator.

Within the scope of the project titled "Research on Coding Theory and Applications", in which Cem Güneri is a researcher, coding as one of the basic mathematical concepts of communication will be studied. In addition to the codes whose intersection with their dual is maximal (co-dual) and minimal (integrative dual), the code types that are in between will be the main study topics. The project also aims to achieve results on the applications of such structures in areas such as quantum error correction codes, classical cryptography, and code-based cryptography. 

The team of the two-year project includes Ferruh Özbudak from Middle East Technical University as the coordinator and Cem Güneri from Sabancı University as a researcher from Turkey and Jon-Lark Kim from Sogang University in South Korea as the coordinator, and Whan-Hyuk Choi from the same institution as a researcher.

The project titled “An Integrated Approach for The Best Design of High-speed Milling spindles” where Erhan Budak is the coordinator aims to develop the best design methods for high-speed spindles based on modeling, analysis, and experimental studies. Spindles rotating at high speeds are used in applications ranging from energy systems to medical devices, from aircraft engines to manufacturing machines. The aim of this project is to develop methods for the best design of spindles for high-speed machining centers commonly used in the manufacturing industry. Due to very high rotational speeds, dynamic performance and thermal deformations are critical factors for these systems. The dynamic rigidity is required in spindles for high-speed manufacturing, and thermal stability is required for high precision. In cases where sufficient dynamic rigidity is not provided, problems caused by vibrations reduce production quality, and also damage the spindle itself and the machine. Thermal deformations due to excessive heat caused by high-speed rotation lead to dimensional quality problems. Therefore, both thermal and dynamic aspects of high-speed spindles will be investigated in the project by analytical and numerical methods, considering the impacts of bearings, cooling system, rotor geometry, etc. These methods, which will be used in the optimal design of the spindle, will be experimentally verified. For this purpose, a high-speed spindle based on the best design will be produced and its advanced features will be shown in different aspects.

In addition to the academic output from the project, it is also aimed to build knowledge and infrastructure on the design, production, and use of high-speed spindles of strategic importance for sectors such as aerospace, energy, medical, etc. Emre Özlü will participate as a researcher in the project to be carried out in coordination with Prof. S. W. Hong and his team from Kumoh National Technology Institute. In addition, postgraduate and doctoral students will also work in the project in different work packages.

Sabancı University Sakıp Sabancı Museum (SSM) Youth Board Members for the 2020-2021 period who come together to produce ideas and projects on different topics on the past, present, and opportunities of art representation have been elected. 

What is SSM Youth Board? 

The board selected from Sabancı University students aged 18-25 will produce ideas and projects on the past, present, and opportunities of art representation under the guidance of the SSM team. Throughout the academic year, the Board members will meet with mentors on various topics, develop common ideas and projects with learning about museum and exhibition practices around the world. Additionally, in the light of their departmental and academic concentration, the board members will have the opportunity to think about creative, sensitive to the evolving needs of society, and viable processes by doing research on worldwide exhibition practices and digital initiatives. 

SSM Youth Board’s works will continue in the coming academic years with the election and participation of new members. 

Ceyda Güzelsevdi

“I'm Ceyda, a sophomore psychology student. Art has always had a special place for me, it has part of every project or work I have produced and contributed to. For this reason, being a part of the SSM Youth Board is invaluable to me. I hope that we can add value to SSM's original work by implementing special projects with valuable team members of the SSM Youth Board.” 

Doruk Soypaçacı

"Hi, I'm Doruk Soypaçacı. I was born in Erzurum, and I’m 21 years old. I completed my primary education in various schools in Erzurum, Düzce, and İzmir. I graduated from İzmir Science High School. Currently, I’m a junior student at the Computer Engineering Department of Sabancı University. Sports, art, and history are the areas I'm most interested in. Additionally, computer games and software have taken up a significant part of my life. Although I’m not talented in painting, contributing to the creation something graphically and visually pleasing is one of the things I enjoy the most. Therefore, I enjoy following developments in art.” 

Eylül Bektur

“I’m a junior student at the Computer Sciences Department of Sabancı University. I want to work in the film industry on computer-generated visuals. I’m a graduate of Izmir American College. I like to do research on places to visit, activities to attend, and dishes to eat, explore as much as possible, plan and learn something from people in the process. In this semester, I love sailing, painting, and taking analogue photographs the most.” 

Gönül Zeynep Perek

"Hello, I’m Gönül Zeynep Perek. I’m a sophomore student at the Faculty of Engineering and Natural Sciences and I’m in my second semester. I’ve participated in various clubs and projects during my undergraduate studies, and I‘ve been a supervisor in Civic Involvement Projects (CIP) for 3 semesters. I'm so happy to find the chance to be involved in this community, I'm excited to get to know beautiful people.” 

Hande Pamuksuz

“Hello! I'm Hande Pamuksuz. I’m a freshman student at Sabancı University. I’m from Ankara and graduated from ODTÜ Kolej in 2020. I like to spend my time when I'm not busy with my classes and club activities looking after my cacti, reading books, researching things deep down on the internet, trying to learn languages, and watching TV series and movie analysis videos. I feel very lucky to have been given the opportunity to become a member of the SSM Youth Board; I am very excited to both learn about the presentation of art that I’m interested in to society and to gain practical experience throughout the year.”

İrem Karacan

"I’m Irem Karacan, a junior student at the Industrial Engineering Department. Since I started Sabancı University, I have been working to develop myself in my areas of interest and gain experience in different areas. I enjoy traveling and learning about different cultures, drawing, visiting exhibitions and museums. Although I’m an engineering student, I’ve always had an interest in art, and I keep developing my wealth of knowledge on this subject by conducting research, taking courses. As a young member of the 2020-2021 SSM Youth Board, I look forward to learning new things about museology and listening to different perspectives on art and exchanging ideas.” 

Sabanur Mete

"I'm a junior student at the Materials Science and Nano-engineering Department. Additionally, I’m doing a minor in art theory and criticism because I’m interested in art history and philosophy. I want to stay in R&D once I graduate. I also work on a research project because I enjoy working in the laboratory. Since high school, I’ve worked as a volunteer in and implemented social responsibility projects. My hobbies include diving and yoga. It's also one of my hobbies to do research and talk about STEM subjects. I intend to continue the dance lessons I started when I went to Erasmus a year ago and to get myself informed about film work.” 

Yiğit Karataş

“Hello, I’m Yiğit, I have discovered my interest in art through my transfer to Vefa High School, which has trained many masters in the art ecosystem throughout history. I started working in the fields of photography and ceramics, and I was also involved in my first exhibition work during this period.  Then, at Sabancı University, where I study at the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, I tried to create an online auction platform with my entrepreneurial spirit and interest in antiques. Today, I still actively pursue readings and current collections to specialize in classical period works while trying to deepen my knowledge in film and photography. By not separating art and aesthetics from his life, I joined the Sakıp Sabancı Museum Youth Board to contribute to the museology approach of the 21st century. In this journey, I take Bedri Rahmi's interdisciplinary productivity as a role model."