Sabancı University Faculty of Engineering and Natural Sciences Faculty Member Ogün Adebali and his team studied the spread and evolutionary background of the SARS-CoV-2 virus in Turkey. The study revealed that the novel coronavirus entered Turkey from several sources independently. 

Sabancı University Faculty of Engineering and Natural Sciences Faculty Member Ogün Adebali and his team consisting of Sabancı University students Aylin Bircan, Burak İşlek, Berkay Selçuk, Zeynep Kılınç, Berk Turhan and Defne Çirci studied the evolutionary background, mutations and spread of the SARS-CoV-2 virus in Turkey. 

Designed to understand the pathways and mutations of the virus, the study conducted phylogenetic analyses of 15277 virus genomes worldwide, 30 of which were sequenced in Turkey.

The virus may have entered Turkey before the official first case date
The analysis suggests that the SARS-CoV-2 virus may have entered Turkey before the date on which the first case was officially identified.

The virus had been classified into types L and S in a previous study, and 29 of the 30 genomes sequenced in Turkey were found to be type L. A genome isolated one week after the first official case was determined to be an intermediary form between the S type, or hereditary, virus, and the L-type virus that is thought to have emerged later and spread in Europe, which may indicate that the virus entered Turkey before the officially identified date.

It also revealed that the virus genomes in Turkey are not limited to a specific cluster, showing that the virus had multiple, independent points of entry. Nevertheless, two genome clusters are more widespread in Turkey. 

Virus entry from North America, Australia and Europe
Ogün Adebali and his team checked genomes sequenced since December 2019 and observed that 2 mutations occurred per month on average. The phylogenetic distribution of the 30 genomes showed that the virus had been introduced from China, North America, Australia and Europe. Viruses linked to the virus types circulating in Saudi Arabia were identified in two cities. The study showed that the European-based viruses were the most prevalent in Istanbul. Genomes in 5 different cities in Turkey were found to be linked to Ankara. 

Researchers stated that a greater number of sequenced genomes would be required to run further and more comprehensive analysis of the spread and evolution of the virus.

SARS-CoV-2 Epidemiology Interface is now online on the TÜBİTAK COVID-19 portal. As new genomes become available, infection pathways originating from Turkey will be added to the application.

The study, supported by EMBO, TÜBİTAK and Academy of Science, will be published in the COVID-19 special issue of Turkish Journal of Biology. The pre-print version of the paper is available.

Project Team 

The project team is led by Faculty Member Ogün Adebali and includes Sabancı University Molecular Biology, Genetics and Bioengineering Program PhD students Aylin Bircan and Burak İşlek; MSc student Berkay Selçuk; Molecular Biology, Genetics and Bioengineering - Computer Science and Engineering Double Major students Zeynep Kılınç and Berk Turhan; and Material Science and Nanoengineering - Computer Science and Engineering Double Major student Defne Çirci.

The 2019 Turkey results of CDP, implemented in Turkey by the Sabancı University Corporate Governance Forum Since 2010, were announced to the public at the "CDP Turkey Climate Change 10th Year Conference" held online on Tuesday, June 9, 2020.

The keynote speaker of the conference was Mayor of Istanbul, Ekrem İmamoğlu.

CDP, the world's largest environmental reporting platform whose Turkish leg is implemented by the Sabancı University Corporate Governance Forum, celebrated its 10th year in Turkey with the CDP Turkey Climate Change 10th Year Conference held online on Tuesday, June 9, 2020. Presented in the conference were the annual work of CDP Turkey, whose main sponsor is Garanti BBVA and reporting sponsor is Deloitte Turkey, as well as the CDP Climate Change and Water Program 2019 Turkey Results and CDP Turkey Leaders.

Introductory remarks were given by Sabancı University Corporate Governance Forum Director and Chief Researcher Melsa Ararat and Garanti BBVA Assistant General Manager Ebru Dildar Edin.

Sabancı University Corporate Governance Forum Director and Chief Researcher Melsa Ararat said, "We introduced the CDP project to Turkey 10 years ago. We began by helping companies realize climate change risks and manage them. We regularly reviewed the data and information companies disclosed through the CDP platform to analyze how they manage risks and opportunities, see change over time, and identify trends. We shared results publicly. Today, Turkey is home to global leaders in the area of climate change. In ten years, climate change will evolve into an organizational transformation theme where companies experience systemic risks and new ways of doing business, and adapt these experiences to other areas. The transformation will be a process with which companies that are sensitive to community and social impact, responsible towards all stakeholders, and view profitability as the natural outcome of an organized effort towards a social outcome will create the building blocks of an alternative economic and financial system."  

Garanti BBVA Assistant General Manager Ebru Dildar Edin said, “As climate change-related risks and opportunities rise in significance every day, we are delighted to celebrate the 10th year of the world's largest environmental reporting platform CDP in Turkey. We have been among the greatest supporters of CDP since it began in Turkey in 2011. We have only 10 years left to limit the rise of temperature to 1.5 degrees. If we were to make the mistake of going back to the old, linear model of profit- and growth-focused economy, we will lose at least 2 or 3 years, and the decisions we will have to make to offset the lost time will be more radical and challenging. What we need to do as businesses is to take action together, immediately. With this responsibility in mind, we committed to reducing our carbon emissions by 71% until 2035, which is in line with 1.5 degrees as stated by the CDP initiative Science Based Targets. We understand the urgency of climate change and plan to achieve and even exceed this target by the end of 2020. We contribute to Turkey's fight against climate change and transition to a low-carbon economy with innovative financing models that encourage sustainable business models. We would like to thank all companies that report to CDP Turkey and play their part in this fight, and wish for many more 10 years where we turn targets into actions."

KEYNOTE SPEAKER MAYOR OF ISTANBUL EKREM İMAMOĞLU

After introductory remarks, the keynote speaker was Mayor of Istanbul Ekrem İmamoğlu. Ekrem İmamoğlu said, "The world expects care and respect from us. As the relationship of humans to nature is reimagined with the spur of the pandemic, the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality decided to join the C40 Climate Leadership Group for the first time. This was very well received. We signed a protocol that envisions respect for nature and humans, and joint struggle against climate change. We also made a commitment to implement all aspects of the fight against climate change by the end of 2021. We are taking action in all areas. We will establish an Istanbul Planning Agency in Florya, which will have a section that we call Vision 2050. We plan to do this entirely transparently. The fight against climate change dominates our roadmap in this regard. I would like to thank Sabancı University for their contribution through CDP Turkey."

CDP CLIMATE CHANGE AND WATER PROGRAM 2019 TURKEY RESULTS ANNOUNCED

Sabancı University Corporate Governance Forum - CDP Turkey Projects Director Mirhan Köroğlu Göğüş shared the details of the CDP Climate Change and Water Program 2019 Turkey Results Report. Mirhan Köroğlu Göğüş stated, “This crisis showed us once again how important resilience is to supply chains and business models. Measuring, managing and transparently disclosing environmental risks are essential for the preparedness of companies against all systemic risks that may occur. So it is even more important for companies and cities to continue reporting even during and after the pandemic. We at CDP will continue to work to ensure that reporting processes flow smoothly." Mirhan Köroğlu Göğüş also noted the increase in the number of high-performing Turkish companies on CDP's global rankings, saying that the increase showed not only the growth in the number of Turkish companies that report, but also the improvement in reporting quality over the years.  

CDP TURKEY LEADERS AWARDS PRESENTED

CDP has developed one of the most reliable rating methodologies in the world. All companies that report to CDP from around the world are evaluated according to this global methodology. In 2019, seven Turkish respondents were in the leadership category. These seven companies received their “CDP Turkey Leaders” awards at the CDP Turkey Climate Change 10th Year Conference.

Speaking at the ceremony, TÜSİAD Chair Simone Kaslowski said, “It is a great pleasure to present awards to our companies in the 10th year of the excellent platform that is CDP Turkey. These companies fulfill another critical mission by helping to spread awareness as well. I wish their continued success and congratulate them for their outstanding contributions."

Eti Soda was among the 72 Global leaders rated A in the CDP Water Program, and became Global Water Leader. CDP Turkey Climate Leaders were Arçelik, Aselsan, Brisa Bridgestone, Migros and Tekfen Holding, while CDP Turkey Water Leaders were Tekfen Holding and Yapı Kredi Bank. Brisa was also the only Turkish company to be rated A and included among global leaders in CDP’s newly-launched Supplier Engagement Rating (SER) category.

Sabancı University Executive MBA program (EMBA) advanced by 5 positions to 66th place on QS Global Executive MBA Rankings, and became the only Turkish university in the top 100. 

The Executive MBA professional master's program offered by the Sabancı Business School ranked 31st among European schools. Only two Turkish universities were included in the rankings with Sabancı University leading. 

The rankings are open to business schools that have AACSB, AMBA, EQUIS or EPAS accreditation, and included 161 EMBA programs this year.  The QS world rankings ranks EMBA programs according to their score in 9 categories which include criteria like career development and wage increase, reviews of employers and academics, and number of woman students.

Sabancı Business School Dean Professor Nihat Kasap said, “At Sabancı University, we develop MBA programs along the university's vision of international research, which will ultimately train highly qualified people for the world of business. This is one reason why the Executive MBA program is of great value to its participants, for which we are proud to have international recognition."

Please visit the link below for the full QS Global EMBA Rankings 2020: https://www.topmba.com/emba-rankings/global/2020

Sabancı University 2nd year student Ali Eren Ak was among the 6 students from Turkey eligible to participate in the 155-billion-dollar Apple developer ecosystem this year. 

The Apple Worldwide Developer Conference brings together millions of creative and innovative developers from around the world to provide insight into the future of Apple platforms to its users. Prior to the beginning of the WWDC on June 22, the results of the Swift Student Challenge held by Apple for student developers to design their own Swift game spaces were announced. 

Sabancı University 2nd year student Ali Eren Ak and his project "iSemanticSpace" were among the 6 winners of the Swift Student Challenge from Turkey, and were eligible to participate in the WWDC this year. The interview with Ali Eren Ak is below. 

Hello and congratulations. Can you tell us about yourself? What do you do at Sabancı University? What are your areas of interest?

A.E.K.: My name is Ali Eren and I was admitted to Sabancı University in 2018. I'm now in my second year. I'm planning a double major in Computer Engineering and Economics. I developed an interest in coding and computer science during the prep year. I took online courses to improve myself. I was also working on blockchain during that year. My friends from Sabancı and I took part in Turkey's first blockchain hackathon as a team, and were among the finalists who presented their projects to the jury.

In addition to coding, I'm actively involved in the Music Club, CIP and IEEE at Sabancı University. I play drums in the Music Club. I am a social responsibility projects supervisor for CIP. One reason I joined CIP was to develop social responsibility projects in new technologies and coding to make a difference.

“We are trying to foster a culture of creating together”

I would also like to talk about the IEEE Engineering Club, where I was co-president of the Computer Society last year. I am an active member of IEEE, where we hold extracurricular activities, workshops and meetings to improve ourselves in the engineering areas of our interest. The friends I met at IEEE and the events we held greatly expanded my vision in my field. As club members, we take many courses together to help each other out in areas that may be difficult, and we are trying to foster a culture of creating together. These activities, in addition to the courses I took at Sabancı, were greatly effective in my personal development. 

How did you hear about Swift Student Challenge? What made you apply? 

A.E.K.: I started learning the Swift programming language to realize a few projects I had in mind. I looked into alternatives and decided that learning Swift was the most reasonable thing to do if I were to bring those projects to fruition. During the semester break of the 1st year, I took my first steps in Swift with a 72-hour Udemy course. This was my first encounter with iOS Development, and I liked the coding language in terms of both documentation and API. With the wide Framework network that Apple offers developers, there was no limit to what we could do using Swift. The break was over but I stuck with Swift, and I heard about the challenge in an email sent by Apple. I went over it and I decided that I could work on it in all of my free time even though it was finals week. The challenge was slightly higher on my list of priorities due to my interest in the Apple universe and Swift, and that is why I made time for it amidst the finals.  

Can you talk about your submitted project? 

A.E.K.: My experience in a project I joined for the PROJ 201 course in the first semester of my Freshman  year helped me to discover my interest in Natural Language Processing (NLP). My submission was about "Semantic Spaces", which is an area of NLP, where computers can recognize the meanings of words. I coded an educative, gamified interactive content where people could create their own word spaces. The project's aim was to visualize and explain the Semantic Space subject through gamification. The project was called "iSemanticSpace". 

What does it mean to be eligible for Swift Student Challenge? What are the facilities and perks offered by Apple? 

A.E.K.: Swift Student Challenge is a competition among students worldwide that has them compete against each other while learning about the ecosystem. I enjoy being a part of this ecosystem and I will be able to gain a closer look at the WWDC 2020 (Wordwide Developer Conference), which I am now eligible to join. Other winners and I wil have the chance to have 1:1 talks with over 1000 Apple engineers. It is a great chance to meet Apple Engineers and know more about Apple departments where I want to work in the future. The event would be normally held at Apple Park San Jose, but will be online this year due to Covid-19. Finally, I am eligible for a scholarship for Apple's 1-year Developer Program, where I can request technical support for my project ideas and publish my applications on App Store. 

You won Swift Student Challenge and participated in the four-day Apple Worldwide Developers Conference. What are your impressions of these four days?

A.E.K.: The conference began on June 22 with a presentation by Tim Cook. This was a public session where he spoke about updates to Apple products and new developments. It was a breathtaking presentation and it was particularly important for the ecosystem because Apple introduced its own ARM-based processor for Macs. The second session was “Platform State of Union”. Here, Apple introduced the new APIs for its own developers. One thing that was introduced in this section was App Clips, which works with NFC technology and camera code, that got me excited. Other than that, developments in SwiftUI and improvements to the LiDAR scanner were introduced to us for use in our own applications in the coming months. These extensions were quite exciting for the Swift community as well. 

The remaining days featured a number of presentations by Apple engineers on their own departments, and personal labs. I had submitted a reservation to the Location Technologies Lab for the first day to ask questions I had in mind, and received a confirmation in a few hours. This was something Apple offered Swift Student Challenge winners to have them meet with Apple engineers in labs of their choice. I made requests for 3 labs in total, and asked questions about the projects I am thinking on. I was impressed by how the question was viewed from different angles and the root cause was analyzed instead of simply focusing on a solution. For example, I could approach a problem I had with Apple's map APIs from the confidentiality perspective, which gave me a different view of the subject, and these aspects were the most satisfying. I had made a reservation for the Machine Learning Lab on the 4th day because it is an area that I am particularly interested in, and I was able to ask questions about my problem as well as the Lab in general. This was the most valuable part of the conference for me. Although having it online due to COVID-19 was a different experience for everyone, there were no technical issues. Nevertheless, I do intend to submit a project to WWDC21 and hopefully go to Apple Park this time. 

In addition to Labs, presentations were published online at developer.apple.com and each was delivered by an Apple engineer in their respective fields. I had the chance to see and experience the new extensions developed by Apple in the CreateML and Vision Frameworks (Action Classifier and Body Part Detection). I must say that the new extensions in these Frameworks are quite exciting. New features have been added to Apple's cross-platform interface API SwiftUI that it launched last year. I am particularly fond of the new extensions because of the practicality and the ability to view changes live on the screen while coding. Finally, because the event was online this year, all presentations other than personal Labs were free of charge and open to all developers. Anyone who wishes to know the Swift community and develop something in this ecosystem can join. The videos are available to everyone at https://developer.apple.com to tell more about this wonderful ecosystem. 

What are your plans ahead? What are your goals for university and beyond? 

A.E.K.: Although I haven't yet chosen a program at Sabancı University, I am thinking about double majoring in computer science and economics. I want to develop myself in a multidisciplinary way and pursue graduate education abroad at a good university. Right now my main areas of interest are Deep Learning and NLP, and I will be working on NLP for Sabancı University Undergraduate Projects (PURE) next summer. I want to keep working in this area after PURE and take any opportunities I may find. I plan to apply to research internships offered by companies like Apple, or an internship in a European Lab with an Erasmus+ program. The PROJ 201 course I took in my first semester, and my professors played a great part in shaping this career objective.

Sabancı University 1st year student Musa Sadık Ünal developed an online platform at salgitsin.com for university students to buy and sell second-hand items on campus and through a secure marketplace. The platform launched at Sabancı University and quickly reached more than 500 users. The platform is growing and expanding into other universities.

Sabancı University student Musa Sadık Ünal said the following about the platform: “We made an online marketplace for students to buy and sell second-hand items on campus. It is a secure marketplace because students have to create accounts using their university email addresses. They can then advertise books, electronic goods or household items they no longer need on Salgitsin. Other users who wish to purchase these items contact the seller through the platform. It provides a quick and reliable way to shop. The platform works on all devices. We invite everyone to take a look at salgitsin.com.”

App Store: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/salgitsin/id1516801798?ls=1

Play Store: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.salgitsin.android.sl

Sabancı University Mechatronics Engineering Doctorate Program 2013 alumni Zeynep Temel was chosen to the World Economic Forum - WEF 2020 Cohort of Young Scientists. 

World Economic Forum is a platform that brings together leaders from business, academics, politics and art to create synergies which will build a better future. The Cohort of Young Scientists aims to bring an evidence-based and scientific perspective to these efforts. Every year, 25 young scientists are chosen among nominees submitted by academic institutions around the world for a three-year term.  

The interview with graduate Zeynep Temel on her selection to the 2020 Cohort of Young Scientists and her work is below. 

Can you tell us about yourself? We know you are a Mechatronics Engineering Doctorate Program 2013 graduate. What led you to pursue a PhD in this field? How did your paths cross with Sabancı University? 

Z.T.: I am a graduate of Istanbul Technical University Mechanical Engineering. In my last undergraduate year, I chose the System Dynamics and Control branch when we split. I then completed a master's in mechatronic engineering, and decided to continue onwards to a PhD. I found dealing with the mechanical design, electronic design, and control aspects of a system interesting. I still do. 

My sibling had just begun an undergraduate program at Sabancı University when I was looking into PhD programs, and sent me the ad for the Mechatronic Engineering PhD program. Although I had the chance to study in Germany, I wanted to be in Turkey, so I applied to Sabancı University. For four years after that, the two of us took different courses from the same professors like Prof. Serhat Yeşilyurt, Prof. Asıf Şabanoviç, Prof. Berrin Yanıkoğlu, Prof. İbrahim Tekin, Prof. Güllü Kızıltaş Şendur, and worked on different projects at the same time :) My doctoral advisor was Prof. Serhat Yeşilyurt, and I worked on the behavior of bacteria-inspired swimmer microrobots.  

What did you do after graduating from the Sabancı University PhD program? 

Z.T.: After graduation, I continued to work at Sabancı University as a postdoctoral researcher with my advisor Prof. Serhat Yeşilyurt. In 2014, I received a postdoctoral fellowship from TÜBİTAK and went to Brown University for one year, where I was with Prof. Kenny Breuer, studying the swimming behavior of micro-organisms in different environments.  

Towards the end of my project, my good friend and fellow Sabancı University Mechatronic Engineering PhD graduate Dr. Merve Acer introduced me to Prof. Rob Wood. As we spoke about our research and areas of interest, he mentioned a postdoctoral position. So I began working on the design and production of new actuators for microrobots at the Harvard University Microrobotics Lab in 2015. The project involved collaboration between six teams from different universities to understand extraordinary movements in nature, and analyze them using engineering platforms. This enabled me to work with a large team composed of individuals specialized in robotics, biology, physics and materials science for three years. As an outcome of my project at Harvard University, I developed a high-speed delta manipulator capable of millimetric precision, and a mechanism inspired by leaping ants that is able to leap up to 100 times its height.  

Encouraged by my professors, I started looking into assistant professorships at the end of my second year in Harvard. I was especially excited by the facilities of Carnegie Mellon University and the attitude of the academic community. So I have been in Pittsburgh for a year and a half; I started building my team and lab a year ago with my first PhD students.  

Can you talk about your current projects at Carnegie Mellon University? 

Z.T.: I now have a team that consists of four PhD and one master's candidate, and we focus on the dynamic behavior of small-scale robots. All of my PhD students have projects on subjects that I have worked on before. We work on four main subjects: Precision manipulator systems, swarm robots for search and rescue, dynamic Origami, and shapeshifting robots. We answer questions related to fundamental sciences and develop application-focused systems. 

You are among the 25 members of the World Economic Forum - 2020 Cohort of Young Scientists. What work or criteria were considered for your inclusion among these 25 people, and what does this mean to you? 

Z.T.: World Economic Forum is a platform that brings together leaders from business, academics, politics and art to create synergies which will build a better future. The Cohort of Young Scientists aims to bring an evidence-based and scientific perspective to these efforts. Every year, 25 young scientists are chosen among nominees submitted by academic institutions around the world for a three-year term. Selection criteria includes the scientific work we do as well as our interaction with our surroundings and community. Being chosen as a member of the Cohort of Young Scientists to represent my country and university is a great pride and responsibility. 

What are your goals for your career and life in the years to come? 

Z.T.: My first goal is to ensure that my colleagues and teammates experience a pleasant education and research process, and that they have the chance to do effective academic research like I had. Another important and ongoing purpose to my life is to explain our work and achievements on different platforms, encouraging the youth to science, curiosity, to question and to learn.  

Finally, what advice do you have for students or graduates just beginning their career? 

Z.T.: I'm also just beginning my career; I hope we always are. Being a good person, being curious, paying attention to my surroundings, chasing my dreams and never tiring of experimenting opened many a door to me - I hope they help to guide you into the path that is right for you. 

Is there anything you wish to add? 

Z.T.: Thank you for contacting me. I would like to thank everyone, first and foremost Prof. Serhat Yeşilyurt, for guiding me during my years at Sabancı University, and send them my warmest regards.

Sabancı University Computer Science and Engineering Program 2008 graduate Özgün Demir was featured in the PM360 Elite 100 list compiled by the influential US-based marketing journal PM360. 

Özgün Demir, who has been the Digital Strategy Director of Novartis since 2017, was included in the PM360 Elite 100 list highlighting the most influential people in the medical industry in 18 different categories. Özgün Demir won the award in the Digital Crusader category for approaching strategies employed in the medical industry from another perspective, and taking the marketing activity of the industry to a higher level through the use of new technologies and platforms. 

Our graduate Özgün Demir had also been listed among the top 40 leaders of the medical industry by the MM&M organization in 2018. To revisit the news, please click here.

The fourth webinar in SU Gender's "Sexual Harassment, Gender-Based Violence and Discrimination: Research, Action, Narrativization" series on sexual harassment and gender-based violence, diversity and inclusivity was delivered by sociologist Jessica Cabrera from the University of California Irvine. 

Titled "The Feminist Playbook for Winning Back Title IX: A Focus on Title IX Anti-Harassment Law in U.S. Higher Education", Cabrera's webinar focused on the development of the law and its issues in practice.

Cabrera gave historical background on the adoption of the federal civil rights law Title IX in education across the United States in 1972. Cabrera said that the law aimed to achieve gender equality in schools and started to be implemented in the early 1980s, only to be systematically dismantled by male rights-advocate conservatives according to their own interests from 2018 onwards.

Noting that Title IX was not enough to effect a change in behavior as wealthy individuals or institutions can simply afford to settle or pay legal fees rather than change their behavior, Cabrera continued: "You can achieve change in behavior by changing the way people think. For that, we need education programs that will provide a wide and inclusive perspective on sexuality and gender, and spark action. Changing behavior by law is only possible by making new laws, expanding existing laws, and modifying the interpretation of laws by lobbying and lawsuits. In order for law to work as a punitive measure, persons must be punished until they change their behavior; individuals and entities must be handed out punishments that ensure compliance, or the harassing individual must be removed from the entity."

Cabrera concluded that the feminist movement in the US was too focused on the enforcement of the law in schools, but lagged behind in calling attention to the vulnerabilities in the interpretation of the law.

The "Workshop for Domestic Violence Policy Development and Implementation Guide for Municipalities" was held in association with the Union of Municipalities of Turkey as part of the "Business Against Domestic Violence (BADV)" Project of the Sabancı University Corporate Governance Forum supported by the United Nations Population Fund and Sabancı Foundation, and executed in partnership with TÜSİAD.

The workshop was held online on July 16 and was attended by representatives of 14 municipalities.

The workshop began with introductory remarks by Union of Municipalities of Turkey Project and Finance Manager Cemal Baş and BADV Project Manager Sevda Alkan, and continued with information given by Sabancı University Corporate Governance Forum Director Melsa Ararat.

Parallel sessions were held to exchange ideas about workplace policies to be developed by municipalities, and the first steps towards the policy development guide were taken.

Sabancı University is a member of the Erasmus+ Student Exchange Program and Global Exchange programs, and has exchange and collaboration agreements with over 280 institutions in 53 countries.

Sabancı University partners with international research institutions and leading universities to provide opportunities to students for keeping up with the latest in science, culture and education while expanding their view of the world. Students who have recently visited high-ranking Far Eastern and Asian universities share their experiences and impressions with gazeteSU readers.

Sabancı University Faculty of Engineering and Natural Sciences Industrial Engineering major - Psychology minor student Elif Su Horasan talks about her Erasmus experience at Tokyo Rikkyo University.

"Japan is a very expensive place, so it was difficult from a financial perspective, but it is also one of the few countries that issues work permits to foreign exchange students, so I took a part-time job there and lived some of the most different experiences of my life. Going to Japan and living there for 5 months was an unforgettable thing. It is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to live and experience a culture so far and different from yours, among its own people. I was intrigued by the Japanese culture, history, lifestyle and language. Doing as they did, adapting to the way they lived was a unique and enchanting experience that broadened my vision. Japan made a lasting impression on me with cities where technology blends into nature and there is something new to discover behind every corner. I most certainly recommend it to everyone and I'd like to thank my school for this opportunity."