Dear Students,

2014 - 2015 Academic year for FALL Term tuition, dormitory fees and payment dates please CLICK.

Best Wishes

Students Resources Unit

Designed to provide high school students with an authentic university experience, the fourth Sabancı University Summer High School had a rich and varied content from natural sciences to management, arts, social sciences, languages, and informative seminars on university and career choices.

Sabancı University Summer High School had students from all over Turkey as well as international students from Germany, United States, Azerbaijan, Austria, UK, Cyprus, Saudi Arabia and United Arab Emirates.  The academically and culturally international environment enabled high school students to develop themselves further.

The fourth Sabancı University Summer High School, held to provide high school students with a glimpse of university life, ended with a ceremony held at the Performing Arts Center.

Sabancı University Summer High School was attended by 817 students from 39 provinces in Turkey (Adana, Afyonkarahisar, Ankara, Antalya,  Aydın, Bolu, Bursa, Çanakkale, Denizli, Diyarbakır, Düzce, Edirne, Erzurum, Eskişehir, Gaziantep, Hatay, Isparta, İstanbul, İzmir, Karaman, Kayseri, Kırklareli, Kocaeli, Konya, Kütahya, Manisa, Mardin, Mersin, Muğla, Niğde, Ordu, Osmaniye, Rize, Sakarya, Samsun, Şanlıurfa, Tekirdağ, Tokat and Zonguldak), and abroad from Germany, United States, Azerbaijan, Austria, UK, Cyprus, Saudi Arabia and United Arab Emirates.

The curriculum of the first semester of the Sabancı University Summer High School included courses on Molecular Biology, Genetic Engineering and Nanomedicine; Brain, Science and Magic; Mechatronics, Flying and Floating Robots; Astrophysics and Metaplanets; Research, Development and Market; Augmented Mechanics I; Education and Industries in Engineering Branches; Economy, Finance, Money and Your Future; Law and Economics; Psychology and Philosophy; Turkey, Europe and America; Miracle Growth in the Sino-World: China, Singapore, Hong Kong, Taiwan; Great Works of Western Art, Classical Music and Drama; Visual Communication, Design and Art; Artistic Photography and Videography: You Too Can Do It; Creative Intellect and Creative Activity; Society and Culture; Economy and Government; Wirtschaft und Verwaltung; and Gesellschaft und Kultur.

The second semester’s courses included Molecular Biology, Genetic Engineering and Nanomedicine; Science, Entrepreneurship and Public Service; Research, Development and Market; Augmented Mechanics II; Mechatronics and Humanoid Robots; Education and Industries in Engineering Branches; Society, Economy and Politics; Turkey, Middle East and North Africa; Energy Production and Management; Psychology and Philosophy; Great Works of Modern Art, 20th Century Music and Opera; The History of a City: Constantinople/Istanbul; Visual Communication, Design and Art; Society and Culture; Economy and Government; Wirtschaft und Verwaltung; and Gesellschaft und Kultur.

Basic English II courses were offered in both semesters.  The Universities and Professions: Information, Choice and Success seminar was also offered in both semesters, where subject matter experts spoke to students on their jobs and industries.

Extracurricular activities in the Sabancı University Summer High School included fitness, tennis, volleyball, basketball, football, group exercises, dance, creative drama, percussion workshops, certified first aid training, diving training (theory), bridge, fine arts (painting, ebru, ceramics), Civic Involvement Projects’ Çayırova Love Homes, and Civic Involvement Projects’ Metin Sabancı Spastic Children’s Rehabilitation Center projects.

Our student Nilay Düzen writes on the Tour of SUNUM with Tolga Sütlü ’04 at the 2014 Homecoming

Products containing nanoparticles, smart materials, artificial organs, artificial intelligence, touchscreens, pocket-sized computers, self-cleaning buildings, cures for terminal diseases, new ideas for using energy…  All these mind-boggling technologies are undeniably parts of our lives in the new century.  Merely following and using this rapidly-developing world of innovation is no longer an advantage though.  The key to the future glints in the hands of the people, institutions and countries that contribute the most to this world, and invest the most time, work and money.  How, then, is our situation in this world of fierce technological and scientific competition?  For instance, how well do we know SUNUM (Sabancı University Nanotechnology Research and Application Center) which is practically next door?  Do we have any idea about what happens in this building which hosts projects that will shape the future?  The Homecoming Organization Committee must have asked the same questions, because they arranged for a tour of SUNUM –a magnificent building that towers on what used to be a parking lot until 2010– for all alumni.  Better yet, this tour was guided by Tolga Sütlü, one of the first graduates of the Biology and Bioengineering Program, a key scientist in artificial organ transplantation who is recognized nationally and globally, and a scholar who is part of the reverse intellectual migration movement.  Here are my notes on the tour of SUNUM:

We gathered in front of Fasshane for the tour, and entered SUNUM led by Tolga Hoca.  Our first impression was that of a sci-fi movie set with the architecture and the general environment.  SUNUM Director Volkan Özgüz greeted us and started giving an overview.  The nanotechnology building’s architecture is inspired by the human cell.  Helical stairs, a large column at the core of the building, diamond-shaped panes that are reminiscent of the cell membrane, and the cylindrical structure that harkens to carbon tubes, the building block of nanotechnology, all tell us a story.  Volkan Bey cannot emphasize enough that SUNUM is a very “green” building.  In fact, it is the only building in Turkey that has received both UK and US certification, and has 155 solar panels to contribute to its heat-energy exchange.  Although some trees were cut during construction, the building has been surrounded by plants endemic to the Marmara region.  Inside, SUNUM occupies an area of 7368 square meters, has 12 laboratories on 1500 square meters, clean rooms measuring 850 square meters, and 2400 square meters of office space and common areas.  SUNUM competes with the leading research centers abroad, and its first and overarching objective is to provide ample research space and facilities for nanotechnology applications in material sciences, food safety and agriculture, medicine, and biology.  The plan is to reduce Turkey’s import-dependency in these areas and make groundbreaking inventions.  Every piece of technological equipment imaginable has been procured, from atomic and sub-atomic capable electron microscopes to fast DNA compilers, and systems that create metal or semiconductor sheets that are 1 to 2 atoms thick.  We walked through the long corridors of the building to have a better idea of the labs.

The first ones we saw were bioengineering and tissue engineering labs.  Tolga Hoca told us all about them: These labs are equipped with double doors and pressurization systems, and the work here concentrates on human cells, human cell waste, immune cells that may be used in cancer studies, and artificial organs.  The critical projects are the production of tissues as an alternative to animal testing of drugs, the growth of cells into artificial limbs, and the production of live tissue by 3D printing.  Another laboratory works on the wheat genome project, which is regarded one of the most ambitious projects to help alleviate the issue of nutrition globally.  Another noteworthy project in this section is the EU Flagship Human Brain Project, which is one of the most ambitious neuroscience projects so far, is composed of over 130 prestigious research institutions, and is funded by the EU.  Sabancı University is the only Turkish partner of the project, and hosts efforts on the understanding of the human brain, and the guidance of health and informatics research accordingly.
In addition to biosciences, SUNUM also hosts groundbreaking projects in material sciences, physics and chemistry.  One such effort is the Graphene Project.  Graphene is a new material that won Nobels to its discoverers – it is the only two-dimensional atomic crystal known in the world, and is both the thinnest material and the hardest substance on earth (even lighter and harder than diamond!).  It is an excellent conductor of heat and electricity, and is extremely flexible, which make Graphene one of the most crucial factors in revolutionary research on everything from fuel cells to DNA sequencing, biotechnological and medical applications, and tissue engineering.  The efforts at SUNUM focus on the use of this material as a fuel cell. 

This research portfolio is supported by energy and surface chemistry, advanced microscopy and cell culture, and echoless room facilities at SUNUM.  The Clean Room is one of the most interesting places.  This is a room designed for nanoelectronic and microelectronic experiments, and understandably we were only able to view it from the outside.  The entire air in the room is circulated through special filters 20 times an hour to remove all dust and particles.  The foundation of the room is separate from that of the facility, and is placed in a dedicated pit to protect against external factors.  The room houses 20 different pieces of equipment, and to go in you must change your clothes and pass through a gate that cleans all the dust off of you.

Our tour ends there and we go out into the courtyard.  We are speechless – except everyone hopes for the best outcomes and thanks everybody who works here on million-dollar projects to help us become a leader of technology and science rather than a mere follower.

Nilay Düzen
Student, Material Sciences and Engineering

APPLICATION FORM

To the attention of students who will take the September 2014 ELAE Stage-1,

Information about which rooms students will take the exam in will be posted on the doors of faculty buildings on Thursday August 28th 2014 at 5:00pm.

STAGE ONE EXAM DATE AND TIME.

Monday, September 1, 2014 / 10:00 pm – 11:30 pm

Important Reminder:

For the identification check to be done in time, we ask that students who will take the exam be at the exam hall half an hour before the exam starts and that they bring some official identification which includes their photograph (such as a passport, identification card, driver’s license) with them.

Students should also make sure that they bring a pencil, eraser and any other necessary pieces of equipment with them.

The results of the Stage 1 will be announced on the external web page of Sabancı University through the SU web-page. The results will also be posted on the doors of the School of Languages building. These results will be announced on Monday, September 1st at 9:00 pm.

Students who receive  unsatisfactory grade (UL) will be placed in the Foundation Development Year at either Route 1, Route 2 or Route 3.

Students who do not take the exam (NA) will be placed in the Foundation Development Year at Route 1.

Therefore, even if an ELAE candidate feels that their English level is not high enough, they are still advised to take Stage 1 and to answer as many questions as they can so that their English level can be measured accurately.

Students who will take stage 2:

• Those who receive satisfactory grade (SL grade) from ELAE Stage 1,
• Those students who hold proficiency exam rights, because their status is inactive,
• Undergraduate students who are transferring from Turkish-medium universities,
• Graduate students who have received approval from their faculties.

Exam location information: Information about which rooms students will take Stage 2 of the exam in will be posted on the doors of faculty buildings and will be announced on our website on Tuesday, September 2nd 2014, at 15:30pm. 

 STAGE 2 DATE AND TIMES:

Wednesday, September 3rd, 2014, 09:30-15:00 (details below)

9:30 – 11:00 Writing

11:00 – 12:00 Listening

12:00 – 13:15 Lunch break

13:15 – 15:00 Reading

Important Reminder:

For the identification check to be done in time, we ask that students who will take the exam be at the exam hall half an hour before the exam starts and that they bring some official identification which includes their photograph (such as a passport, identification card, driver’s license) with them. Students should also make sure that they bring a pencil, eraser and any other necessary pieces of equipment with them.

The results of the second stage will be announced on the external web page of Sabancı University through the SU web-page. The results will also be posted on the doors of the School of Languages building. These results will be announced on Friday, September 5th at 9:00 pm.

Graduate students will be informed of their ELAE results by their faculties.

No results will not be given out over the telephone to avoid any misunderstandings.

There is no make-up for the ELAE.

ELAE results are announced as letters of the alphabet.*

SL – Satisfactory from the ELAE,

UL-Unsatisfactory from the ELAE; 

NA- Non-attendance, 

UL – Unsatisfactory. 

As stated in our regulations, no results are released as numeric values.

*SL and UL scales are only available for the second stage of the ELAE

SL (Satisfactory):  ‘A-SL, B-SL, C-SL’,

EL  (Exempt from the ELAE),

UL (Unsatisfactory): D-UL, E-UL, F-UL,

NA (Non attendance/ evaluated as UL)’

 Scales are as below:

Students who receive less than 65% (UL) will be placed in the Foundation Development Year at either Route 3 or Route 4.

Students who are successful in Stage 2 of the exam, those who receive SL, will be eligible to start Faculty classes in the 2014-2015 Academic Year.

We recommend that all students who will take the exam check this link.

We wish you every success in the exam.

School of Languages

Details of application for undergraduate and graduate students who wish to use dormitory facilities in the 2014-2015 Academic  Year are given below.

• Please first log on to the student information system (bannerweb.sabanciuniv.edu) to access the application form.
• Applications will begin on 11.08.2014 at 10:00 and end on 02.09.2013 at 14:00.
• Dormitory applications just can be make on the online system and placement results of all students applying online will be announced on the web on 05.09.2014 at 14:00.
• When selecting roommates, please ensure that the roommate you have selected also selects you. Otherwise the system will disregard one-sided selections and may assign you to different rooms.
• You can update and even cancel your online application until the deadline.
• In the event that enrolled students who are assigned a room wish to terminate their dormitory occupancy without a valid reason, they will be charged a fee equal to the annual deposit fee.

Dormitory fee payment information:

The dormitory fees for our undergraduate and graduate students in the first semester of the 2014-2015 Academic Year are listed below for as a reminder and the payment required to be paid to between the dates 05.09.2014 and 10.09.2014under this system.

Dormitory Fees (September  2014 - June 2015) / Per person (VAT included)

Undergraduates            1. Semester        2. Semester        Total Annual Fee

4 person rooms            2.500 TL                2.500 TL              5.000 TL

2 person rooms            3.675 TL                3.675 TL              7.350 TL

Graduates                    1. Semester        2. Semester        Total Annual Fee

2  person rooms            3.675 TL                3.675 TL            7.350 TL

1  person rooms            5.250 TL                5.250 TL           10.500 TL

Studio apartment          5.500 TL                5.500 TL          11.000 TL

Deposit 850 TL (Undergaduate&Graduate, paid once when entering.) 

Three Research Papers by Sabancı University Featured in Science

The International Wheat Genome Sequencing Consortium (IWGSC) published the draft genome sequence of bread wheat in the international journal Science. Three of the four articles printed in the journal were authored by Sabancı University faculty members.

Sabancı University Faculty of Engineering and Natural Sciences Biosciences and Bioengineering Program professor Hikmet Budak, who published an article in the Science journal and is the only Turkish implementer of the International Wheat Genome Sequencing Consortium, said: “We prepared the first draft of the wheat genome and published this as a Special Issue of Science, one of the world’s most influential journals.  Sabancı University was cited in three research papers published by the Consortium in the journal.”  Hikmet Budak and his team had received €1 million in funding from Bayer CropScience for physical map completion.

Wheat genome is being revealed
Final step before full genome sequencing

Wheat is a staple of diet.  Wheat crops cover a greater area than any other crop, and with over 215 million hectares of crop area and 700 million tons of global yield annually, it is the third most-produced grain after maize and rice.  Wheat is the greatest source of vegetable protein in human consumption and has higher protein content than maize or rice.  Wheat can be cultivated in a wider range of climate conditions, making it more versatile.

The chromosome-based draft of wheat’s large and complex genome will shed light into the structure, organization and evolution of wheat as one of the most critical and widely cultivated crops in the world.  Genetic sequence of wheat is very important to wheat scientists and breeders, who will have the tools to place specific genes in all chromosomes of the genome for the first time.
The draft sequence is a critical point in the IWGSC’s efforts for obtaining ultimately a complete reference sequence of the hexaploid bread wheat genome.  Another paper in the same issue of Science provides the reference sequence for 3B, the largest chromosome in wheat.  This proves that sequencing other chromosomes is within reach, and provides a template.  IWGSC scientists estimate that the complete reference sequence will be ready in three years.

“With the draft gene sequence for each of the bread wheat chromosome and the first reference sequence of chromosome 3B, we have reached a great milestone in our roadmap,” said Catherine Feuillet, IWGSC co-chair. “We know now the way forward to obtain a reference sequence for the 20 remaining chromosomes and we hopefully will be able to find the resources to achieve this in the next three years.”

With a chromosome-based full sequence in hand, plant breeders will have high quality tools at their disposal to accelerate breeding programs and to identify how genes control complex traits such as yield, grain quality, disease, pest resistance, or abiotic stress tolerance. They will be able to produce a new generation of wheat varieties with higher yields and improved sustainability to meet the demands of a growing world population in a changing environment.
The draft sequence is already providing new insights into the history and evolution of the wheat genome and genes involved in grain development, as exemplified in two additional publications appearing in the same issue of Science.

About IWGSC:
The IWGSC, with more than 1,000 members in 57 countries, is an international, collaborative consortium, established in 2005 by a group of wheat growers, plant scientists, and public and private breeders. The goal of the IWGSC is to make a high quality genome sequence of bread wheat publicly available, in order to lay a foundation for basic research that will enable breeders to develop improved varieties.

For more information: www.wheatgenome.org

In honor of the late Sakıp Sabancı, Honorary Chairman of the Board of Trustees of Sabancı University, the Sakıp Sabancı International Research Awards are given each year in the field of Social Sciences.

THIS YEAR’S THEME IS:

Living Together, Dialogue & Cooperation within Diversity in Turkey

Few would disagree that one of the most pressing issues facing Turkey today concerns living together, dialogue and cooperation within diversity. Following the trajectory of modern nation-states, the Turkish Republic imagined a community sharing a common language, ethnicity, religion, cultural tradition, and social philosophy. However, the Republic was founded upon the ruins of a multilingual, multiethnic, multireligious, multicultural Empire characterized by great diversity. Everyday practices of living together between different communities were disrupted by war and mass violence. During the last few decades, the Pandora’s box of the past has opened, and citizens of Turkey are faced with the task of coming to terms with the past in order to achieve coexistence and peace. What are the lessons of the past for devising contemporary ways of living together? What can be learned from the experiences of particular communities and economic/social groups, especially those that have suffered violence, discrimination, and exclusion in the past and/or in the present? Widespread public debate and successful mobilization on the basis of identity politics and human rights by/for diverse peoples of this land in recent years demonstrates the robustness of civil society in Turkey. Yet the experience of violence and the inflexibility and resistance of the nation-state, whether at the level of the military, governments, the mass media, or individuals and groups in society, has led to greater polarization, making the possibility of living together ever more difficult. What are the political, economic, social, historical, and cultural factors that contribute to polarization and stand in the way of engaging in constructive dialogue and cooperation? How can political, legal, economic, social, cultural, moral, and affective structures and practices be mobilized to mend the rupture among groups and individuals? How can dialogue and cooperation between institutions and individuals representing different political and social persuasions be enhanced? 

Essays providing path-breaking theoretical analyses and innovative suggestions on this theme are welcome.

The deadline for submissions is Thursday, January 15, 2015.

The Sakıp Sabancı International Research Award entails a Jury Prize of 25,000 USD. The Jury Prize will be awarded to an individual who has made distinguished contributions on the above-mentioned theme. An independent and international jury will select the Awardee.

In addition to the Jury Prize, Essay Awards will be given to researchers under 45 years of age. This category includes 10,000 USD for each of the three award-winning essays selected by the same jury from among submitted essays.

For further information:

http://award.sabanciuniv.edu

Conditions for the Essay Award competition are:

• All entries, which may be coauthored, must be new and original works, not published previously in any form.

• Essays must be of the format and size of a regular academic journal article (25 to 35 pages, in double-space format, including references).

• An abstract of 500 words embedded into the original essay and a short CV of the author(s) are required.

• Entries must be submitted in English, in the form of a Word document to the following address: http://award.sabanciuniv.edu/submityourentry/

Dr. Meltem Sezen got involved in the Management Committee of the COST CM1301- Chemistry for Electron-Induced Nanofabrication (CELINA) Action as the Turkish Delegate, leading her TUBITAK 2515 COST project on the “Development of Functional Surfaces on Polymeric Materials using Electron and Ion Beam (FEB-FIB) Modification”

Sabancı University School of Management faculty member Çağrı Haksöz spoke to the Southeastern Europe Times regarding the fourth assembly of the Turkic Council.

The highlight of the meeting was the agreement of the heads of Turkic states to rebuild the Silk Road in order to encourage tourism and regionwide social interaction.  Sabancı University School of Management faculty member Çağrı Haksöz was interviewed by Southeastern Europe Times about the meeting. 

Cagri Haksoz, told SES Türkiye that the modern Silk Road concept needs to include the dynamics of information, capital, and people flowing through highways, railroads, airways, water routes, internet and financial backbones in order to succeed. 

"These interacting flows need to be coordinated in a self-organised fashion without centralised decision making due to their uncertainty, especially in this fragile region of the world," Haksoz said. 

Haksoz also pointed out that the border crossings between the countries should be easy and quick to encourage the flow of people for profitable tourism activities. 

"Member states should aim for a no-visa agreement so that the diverse population can be encouraged for cross-region movement," he said.