Mechatronic Engineering program faculty Meltem Elitaş received first prizes in the 11th National Oncology Research Symposium and the 8th Surgical Research Conference.

Faculty of Engineering and Natural Sciences Mechatronics Program Assistant Professor Meltem Elitaş and Anadolu Medical Center's Oncology Specialist Professor  Serdar Turhal, MD, won the first prize in the 11th National Oncology Research Symposium with a project proposal titled "Design and production of a high-precision microfluid device to study the effects and tolerance of Sorafenib in liver cancer cases."

The 11th National Oncology Research Symposium seeks to bring together specialists from all disciplines to develop multi-centered projects, find solutions to problems in the field, share clinical study data, and promote a medium of dialog for the advancement of scientific studies.

Assistant Professor Meltem Elitaş won another prize in an "Invention Contest." Elitaş and Anadolu Medical Center General Surgery Specialist Associate Professor Tuğrul Tansuğ, MD, presented their invention "Continuous Laparoscopic Surgical Stapler" in the 8th Surgery Research Congress held by the Turkish Surgery Society and won first prize in the invention contest held during the congress.

Molecular Biology, Genetics and Bioengineering doctorate program graduate Ayşe Kumsal Tekirdağ won the "Turkish Molecular Biology Society Achievement Award" established this year.

Molecular Biology, Genetics and Bioengineering doctorate program graduate Ayşe Kumsal Tekirdağ won the "Turkish Molecular Biology Society Achievement Award" established this year for having published her PhD studies under advisor Devrim Gözüaçık in scientific journals with high impact factors, and for her outstanding contributions to the field of molecular biology through her work.

A. Kumsal Tekirdağ will be making a presentation in the IV. International Congress of the Molecular Biology Association.

Biological Sciences and Bioengineering Program 2010 graduate Ceren Özek will be a member of the stem cell research team at the Harvard University Medical School Stem Cell Institute led by Dr. Lee Rubin to work on slowing the ageing process.

Biological Sciences and Bioengineering Program 2010 graduate Ceren Özek, who had received the International Obesity Society's Young Researcher award last year, will continue her studies in neuroscience at Harvard University.  Ceren will be a member of the stem cell research team at the Harvard University Medical School Stem Cell Institute led by Dr. Lee Rubin to work on slowing the ageing process.

Ceren's story of joining two important scientific research teams in the United States despite her young age of 28 was extensively covered by the Milliyet daily. Ceren is the fourth generation of medical professionals in her family.  She graduated from Robert College and went on to complete the Biological Sciences and Bioengineering Program at Sabancı University and receive her PhD in neuroscience from the University of Pennsylvania Medical School.

Ceren's postdoctoral studies focused on the proteins in the brain affected by the PTP1B enzyme, which is known to be correlated to obesity and diabetes. 

Ceren joins a Harvard University team

Last year, Ceren Özek won the Ethan Sims Young Researcher Award given by the International Obesity Society, leaving behing two American, one Canadian and one British scientist. Ceren is now preparing to join the stem cell research team at the Harvard University Medical School Stem Cell Institute led by Dr. Lee Rubin to work on slowing the ageing process.

We will find "solutions" to neurodegenerative diseases

Ceren had the following to say about her future work in Harvard University: "We will seek to diagnose and find solutions for neurodegenerative diseases that arise as a factor of ageing. In the long term, we will also experiment with stem cells to come up with treatments for neuropsychological disorders like schizophrenia. In a way, I am a member of a team that will seek the formula to slowing down the ageing process through stem cell treatment. The lab in Harvard is one of the best research centers in the world. Many positive results have been obtained in stem cell research until now. It has been observed that transfusing certain blood factors in a young guinea pig to an older specimen slows the ageing process in the brain and other organs of the recipient. This research and the associated scientific experiments are designed for the long term. If experiments yield the desired results, we will also be able to slow ageing in humans via stem cell treatments."

"The human brain is still a black box"

Ceren Özek said there was still very little insight into the mystery of the human brain, continuing “The brain is an unsolved mystery. It is nothing short of a black box and we have scant knowledge of the brain. There is a shortage of brain and neuroscience research in Turkey. Once my work in the United States is complete, I want to come back and contribute to the field."
Speaking about the research on the interactivity between obesity, diabetes and the brain, Özek said, "I was on the team that studied metabolic disorders and the connection between the brain and the metabolism. If a successful treatment to inhibit the PTP1B enzyme can be developed, we can gain significant headway into the treatment of obesity and diabetes."

Story: Mert İnan

Source: 24. 11. 2015 Milliyet gazetesi

Istanbul Policy Center-Sabanci University-Stiftung Mercator Initiative and the Centre for Turkey Studies (CEFTUS) organized a public forum and roundtable on “Post Election Turkey” on November 17-18, 2015 in the Houses of Parliament, London, UK as part of a series of talks between IPC and CEFTUS.

Catherine West, MP for Hornsey and Wood Green, hosted the open panel on Tuesday, November 17 at the House of Lords. After the keynote speech from IPC Director and Sabanci University Professor Fuat Keyman, Dr. Ayla Göl from Aberystwyth University moderated the roundtable. Lord William Wallace of Saltaire, Lord David Owen, and Lord Peter Hain gave speeches on Turkey’s political momentum, specifically looking into topics such as Turkey-EU relations, the peace process, and regional politics, as well as Turkey’s economic and social prospects.

On Wednesday, November 18, Baroness Jan Royall chaired the roundtable held in the House of Commons. Professor Keyman, Sabanci University Professor Izak Atiyas, and Lord Peter Hain gave speeches on Turkey’s domestic dynamics and foreign policy following the November 2015 general elections.

The next talk in this series will be held in Istanbul on Friday, January 15, 2016.

The Sabancı University Gender and Women's Studies Forum held a symposium titled "International Gender and Esthetics: Art, Film and Literature" from November 6 to November 8, 2015.

The symposium at the Karaköy Minerva Palas began with introductory remarks by Banu Karaca. Banu Karaca spoke on “War, Gender and Visual Literacy." Karaca said that war was not a distant possibility in Turkey, and that while a war raged in the Middle East, Turkey was living in its own brand of war with news of death arriving on a daily basis.

Banu Karaca continued, “If we are not in a warzone itself, we witness war by the caskets that arrive. We are living proof of the argument that history consists of images. Rocking back and forth between extreme value or stark disregard attributed to images has always been under criticism. One such criticism has to do with the limits of visuality."

Karaca explained that some studied how images of war were being produced and consumed, and argued that the limits of war images had to be enforced.

Banu Karaca said, “Angela Davis says that such images are extremely complex and it is unimaginable that an image represents unadulterated truth. Davis argues that all images are created and viewed in a given economy. She has said that lack of visual literacy works for torture and sexual abuse. Failing to establish a frame and imposing limits on this perception will cause issues. It will lead to people not seeing what they don't wish to see."

Karaca also referred to Susan Sontag, specifically: "There is no war without photography. Consequently, there is no war without cameras and rifles. Technological advances spread war. All photographs are examples of this, from the American Civil War to the satellite images ot today." Karaca said that a similar trend was observed in violence against gender, arguing that the advancement of technology could serve to spread state violence. Karaca continued, “Nevertheless, one is the representation of war, and the other is a war on how war will be represented. These two wars are interlocked."

"The consequence of wars is social and political chaos with gender at the center."

Banu Karaca discussed the victimization of women when visualizing war and said that women were not outside of mobilization when in a hostile environment. Explaining that women took their places in battlefields and factories for the length of the war, continuing, "As soon as war is over, they are isolated from social life. Their experience is silenced and made invisible. They are never seen as warriors; they are depicted as wives and mothers."

Karaca said that in Western performing arts, the man was center stage and women only existed around them as images, and argued that the visibility of women was used to legitimize war. Karaca continued, "It is considered warmongering when young and beautiful women were portrayed in military uniforms just prior to the onset of war in Croatia. This is a call for the protection of women. Gender-based violence occurs in every war. Women warriors are always the part of the same eventuality. The use of women as symbols for power is time-sensitive. The outcome that awaits them is self-sacrifice." 

Banu Karaca argued that the consequence of wars was social and political chaos with gender at the center, mentioning the rise of issues related to masculinity as well.

Karaca said that the "war on terror" started a war on images, continuing, "There were restrictions on the imagery of the Afghanistan and Iraq wars. Caskets coming back home were almost never shown. This is because such visuals had been used extensively by anti-war activists in the aftermath of Vietnam. War is the most irresistible type of imagery, both today and in the past."

Karaca argued that anti-war documentaries too were unable to leave the war genre behind, concluding "Visual literacy has to do with what visual representation is capable of doing. Creating images must be subject to some rules of engagement. One must avoid images that are too vivid."

"Sisterhood is at the heart of storytelling."

The closing lecture of the symposium was given by Feride Çiçekoğlu from Bilgi University. Çiçekoğlu's lecture was titled “Five Sisters and No Mr. Darcy" and discussed three works of literature and cinema telling the stories of five sisters.

Feride Çiçekoğlu said that sisterhood was at the heart of storytelling and that reality was an area which remained mostly vacant until Jane Austen decided to change things. She said that the two important issues in the beginning of a narrative were identity of the lead character and through whose perspective the story is told.

Çiçekoğlu said that the plot in Austen’s "Pride and Prejudice" was used in numerous Hollywood productions, and went on to discuss how the issue was handled differently in the book and in films, continuing "In the film, the lead character Elisabeth is revealed in the first scene and the story is told from her perspective."

Feride Çiçekoğlu then discussed the book "The Virgin Suicides" and its film adaptation.  The story is about the five daughters of the Lisbon family, and although the story is being told by a group of young men 25 years after the incidents, the lead characters are the girls. Feride Çiçekoğlu commented, “From the beginning, there is confusion about who the protagonist of the story is. Whose is this story, and who is telling? If the story is told through someone else's perspective, how do we know that the protagonists have been wronged? Why don't we hear the voices of the protagonists?"  

Finally, Feride Çiçekoğlu discussed the film “Mustang.” Çiçekoğlu noted the fact that the film tells the story of five sisters and has no male subjects.  Çiçekoğlu also mentioned that director Deniz Gamze Ergüven’s first film was aptly titled. Commenting on the film, Çiçekoğlu said, "The director is passionate about women becoming subjects that act, instead of being acted upon. The women here both want to survive and to be free."  

Panel sessions during the symposium discussed the perception of gender, women and men across a wide range from cinema to plastic arts.

Symposium sessions were titled “The Philosophy of Feminist Knowledge”, “Gender and the Fiction of Nations”, “Masculinity in Literature”, “Gender and Sexuality on the Axes of Class and Genre”, “The Esthetics of Passion”, “Voices of Women in Literature” and “Re-Producing Gender.”

Panelists included distinguished academics and artists from Turkey and abroad.

Burçin Bozkaya authors a new book on Big Data

School of Management Faculty Member Burçin Bozkaya coauthored a new book with his colleague Vivek Kumar Singh of the MIT Media Lab, titled “Geo-Intelligence and Visualization Through Big Data Trends.”

The last decade has seen dramatic increase in the collection of digital data regarding personal and professional life. There is an increasing number of cognitive approaches to the analysis of this data as well as growing interest in the visualization and interpretation of the data. Geo-Intelligence and Visualization through Big Data Trends provides insight into the latest developments, application examples, visualization and analytics of big data, and an overview of location data and analytics. The book discusses emerging trends and latest applications in this dynamic field, and aims to be an innovative resource for both professionals and academics in the industry.  The studies explained in the book are along parallel lines with the efforts of the Behavioral Analytics and Visualization Lab established this year in Sabancı University in partnership with MIT.

For more information about the book: http://www.igi-global.com/book/geo-intelligence-visualization-through-big/123852

Our students, alumni, employees and Friends of SU took part in the 37^thIstanbul Marathon on Sunday, November 15 for the benefit of the Sabancı University Scholarship Fund.

Thanks to their supporting families and friends, we raised TL 2.820 for the fund.

The fund will be used for the monthly stipend of 9 of our successful students who are in financial need, and the balance will go towards the scholarship of another student.

We would like to thank all supporters, financial or otherwise, for making a difference and creating awareness.

Our donation campaign continues until November 30, 2015 so that we can assist even more students in financial aid.

Click here to donate online!

For wire transfers:

Akbank

“Sabancı Üniversitesi” Branch

Sorting Code: 713

Account: 30727

IBAN: TR870004600713888000030727   

SU Istanbul Marathon entrants:

Ahmet Atakan Demir

Aybüke Külünk

Bensu Ateş

Birden Tuluğ Siyahi

Can Kartoğlu

Ceren Ahisha

Çağatay Yılmaz

Dilek Tekdal

Ethem Utku Aktaş

Fatih Turhan

Gökşin Liu

Hacer Ezgi Karakaş-schüller

Ines Karmaus

İpek Özdemir

İzel Özman

Mahmut Asım Elliiki

Muhammed Burak Alver

Müge Erdem

Özlem Karadeniz

Pelinsu İçil

Peter Schüller

Reyhan Süzen

Senem Avaz

Sevgi Ceyda Şairoğlu

Umut Barut

Yaşar Mert Harzadın

Yunus Emre Bahar

Zeliha Algül

Supporters of Istanbul Marathon entrants for the benefit of the SU Scholarship Fund:

Abdülkadir Can Karaca

Armağan Kuru

Arzu Kıran

Aslı Tuan  Acer

Ayla Gürleyen

Bahadır Tavusbay

Banu Ayşe Kerse

Bensu Ateş

Cem Berksun

Ebru  Özgür Katı

Elif  Gülez

Engin  Peker

Ethem Utku  Aktaş

Fatma Kılıç

Fatma Onat

Gökhan Sezginer

Gülekşen Ulusoy

Gülseren  Caşın

Haluk Bal

Hüseyin  Şairoğlu

Kemal İnak

Mariam Öcal

Mehmet Akif Akçal

Meltem Kurt

Merve Duran

Müge Özbir Yılmaz

Neşe Uslu

Özden Caymaz

Özgür Algül

Pınar Kalaycı

Salih Arıman

Selin Kanyas

Serpil  Gürbüz

Sezen  Gülşen Kama

Sinem  Adik Alkan

Sinem  Kural

Sinem Eskin

Süreyya  Güneş

Şule Aktaş

Tezcan Yalçın

Tuğçe Kalyoncu

Tümer  Arıtürk

Uğur Kaan  Karşılıklı

Ümit Emre Erdoğan

Yasemin Birben

Zeliha Algül

Zuhal Tümay

Dr. Burcu Saner Okan, one of SUNUM’s researchers, and Prof. Yusuf Menceloglu from Faculty of Engineering and Natural Sciences won the 2nd place award among 60 projects with their project entitled as “Graphene production by recycling process and its use as a reinforcing and weight-reducing agent in automotive plastics” in the Project competition about new technologies in automotive sector organized by Yıldız Technical University Technology Transfer Office on November 18, 2015.

Their project was also granted by TÜBİTAK Technology and Innovation Grant Programs.

The Workshop for Business Against Domestic Violence Policy Development and Implementation Guide Draft Assessment was held at the Sabancı Center on November 4, 2015 as part of the "Business Against Domestic Violence" Project of the Sabancı University Corporate Governance Forum.

41 delegates from 30 institutions took part. Introductory remarks were delivered by Corporate Governance Forum Director Melsa Ararat. Melsa Ararat said, “We aim to ensure that woman employees and companies are not affected by domestic violence and policies are developed without injustice to women." Speaking on the workshop agenda, Melsa Ararat said that the Guideline would be revealed to the public on December 15, 2015.

Ayşe Yüksel from the Sabancı University Gender and Women's Studies Forum as well as representatives from the UN Population Fund, TÜSİAD and participating companies reviewed the draft guideline and submitted their recommendations.

The CDP 2015 Global Water Report and Turkey results compiled with the support of Garanti Bank were disclosed.

The Global Water Report issued by CDP, the world's strongest and most effective environmental civil society organization, and the results achieved in Turkey were revealed at a meeting in Salt Galata on October 27, 2015.

According to CDP’s Global Water Report titled "Accelerating Action," eight companies worldwide were included in the CDP Water A List for their approach to water management. There are no Turkish companies in that list.

This was the first year that Turkish results were disclosed, and 36% of the respondents report having been exposed to water-related adverse effects in the last financial year. 64% of the companies note that water has become an important risk for their business, while 86% report that water creates opportunities for their companies.

The CDP Water Program was implemented in Turkey for the first time in 2015 by Sabancı University Corporate Governance Forum and with the support and cooperation of Garanti Bank. In addition to the outputs of the CDP 2015 Global Water Report, the CDP Turkey Water Results Report prepared with the support of Deloitte Turkey to analyze the responses of companies from Turkey was revealed to the public at the meeting in Salt Galata on Tuesday, October 27. 

Introductory remarks to the main outputs of the CDP Global Water Report and the results of the CDP Water Program in Turkey were given by Sabancı University Vice President Professor Sondan Durukanoğlu Feyiz and Garanti Bank Assistant General Manager Ebru Dildar Edin. Following a video message by CDP Water Program Director Cate Lamb, Sabancı University Corporate Governance Forum Director Dr. Melsa Ararat presented the CDP Global Water Report and Turkey results.

"Calculations suggest that the business-as-usual approach will cause Turkey to be among nations that experience water shortage rather than water issues by 2030."

Sabancı University Vice President Professor Sondan Durukanoğlu Feyiz said, "Calculations suggest that the business-as-usual approach will cause Turkey to be among nations that experience water shortage rather than water issues by 2030.  As individuals, public institutions and private companies, we all have responsibilities in preventing this outcome.  Water is the greatest consumption input of almost all industrial sectors. I am certain that initiatives like the CDP Water Program will help to increase sensitivity to water issues in Turkey, and I know that the support of contributing companies will create awareness in business circles to create good and sustainable business models."

"Our support to the CDP Water Program aims to expand the outreach of integrated water management in Turkey and to help the private sector assume risks related to water resources."

Garanti Bank Assistant General Manager Ebru Dildar Edin said, "The CDP Global Water Report makes stark revelations about the situation of water in Turkey and indicates that if the present consumption habits were to continue and no measures were taken, water will soon become a global crisis affecting national economies, and as a result, societies. As Garanti Bank, we believe that the fundamental principle of responsible and sustainable banking is putting in thought to the consequences of any steps we take before we take them. Businesses must go beyond efficient use of water to apply precautions across their entire value chain. Therefore, our support to the CDP Water Program aims to expand the outreach of integrated water management in Turkey and to help the private sector assume risks related to water resources. We are also proud that 15 companies responded to the CDP Water Program in its first year in Turkey. We intend to increase this number year after year to join our forces for conserving water resources and preventing the devastating effects of water shortage on the society and environment."

"It has been a challenging year for water with the worsening water security and supply crisis being ranked as number one or the greatest risk facing society in terms of impact by the World Economic Forum this year."

CDP Water Program Director Cate Lamb said, "It has been a challenging year for water with the worsening water security and supply crisis being ranked as number one or the greatest risk facing society in terms of impact by the World Economic Forum this year. This year, water risk was number one; less than three years ago it wasn’t even in the top 20.  I believe that is the reflection of the increasing business awareness of this issue and the necessary steps that will be required in order to secure a more stable, resilient and growing economy into the future. What was recognized in our analysis this year that despite the fact that leading companies are breaking away from the rest of the pack, there is a significant gap in performance overall. Many companies still fail to address water risks in any meaningful way. CDP provides a framework that has been used by a large number of companies to change this business-as-usual approach."

"Our reason for starting the CDP Water Program is to mediate to reveal water risks in a more comprehensive and systematic way, and establish a reputable platform for dialog on the reestablishment of water security."

Presenting CDP Water Report outputs, Sabancı University Corporate Governance Forum Director Melsa Ararat said, “Water-related risks have been gaining more and more weight among the climate change risks that companies have been reporting under the CDP Climate Change Program since 2010. It has been frequently said lately that Turkey is among high-risk countries with respect to water security. The reason for starting the CDP Water Program as part of CDP Turkey this year was to mediate to reveal water risks in a more comprehensive and systematic way, and establish a reputable platform for dialog on the reestablishment of water security."

CDP 2015 Global Water Report main outputs 

CDP has the world's most comprehensive corporate dataset on water risks and opportunities compiled through water questionnaires and responses. This year 617 institutional investors asked 1,073 of the world’s largest publicly listed companies across industry sectors with high water vulnerability or impacts to disclose how they are adapting and responding to worsening water security.  CDP’s new global water report analyzes the 405 company responses to this request, including those from Turkey.

CDP disclosed the results of CDP Water Ratings given to responding companies for the first time this year.  Asahi Group Holdings, Colgate Palmolive, Ford Motor Company and Toyota Motor Corporation are among the global corporations achieving an A rating for their efforts to improve water security and being included in the CDP Water A List. No Turkish companies were on the A List.

Key findings of the global report:

- Acting to improve water security remains a fundamental business imperative for many companies. Corporate water stewardship is becoming better understood, particularly by large corporations. Almost two-thirds of responding companies report exposure to water risk, with reported financial impacts in 2015 totaling more than US$2.5 billion.

- Oil and gas companies showed the least transparency to investors despite high exposure to water risk. Only 22% of the world’s largest publicly listed energy companies disclosed their water management strategies.

- The eight companies in the CDP Water A List will help to drive performance in the market. Analysis of responses over five years illustrates considerable progress in water management – but also serious areas of weakness. Supply chain risks, incomplete water risk assessments, a lack of meaningful water policies, and far from universal disclosure, all need to be addressed as a matter of urgency.

- Tackling water challenges remains an issue and action is urgently needed to close the gap between large companies and others. Despite increasing investor involvement, the market is not transparent enough: Only 38% of the 1073 companies responded to CDP's disclosure request.

- Water stewardship offers clear benefits to at-risk companies. Transforming business as usual operational approaches to water management into strategic water stewardship efforts reduces risk, enhances strategic preparedness, improves investor appeal and makes businesses more resilient.

CDP Turkey 2015 Water Program Results

The CDP Water Program sent disclosure requests to 51 companies traded on the BIST-100 index that operate in sectors most vulnerable to water risks. In addition to 8 of these companies responding, 7 additional companies voluntarily disclosed data despite not being requested by CDP to do so, for a total of 15 respondents this year.

Key Findings:

- Turkish companies have a very low rate of response to CDP. 84% of the 51 companies receiving requests failed to respond to the CDP Water Program in 2015. On the other hand, 7 companies voluntarily disclosed their water data. The low rate of responses may be tied to many factors such as receiving a request from CDP for the first time, lack of an effective water policy, lack of water-related data, and the nonexistence of a national water strategy.

- 36% of the respondents report having been exposed to water-related adverse effects in the last financial year.  

- Water security is a key business issue for many Turkish companies. 64% of the respondents report that water has become a significant risk for their business.

- No company in Turkey has an effective and comprehensive water policy. Such a policy requires that water-related strategies are integrated into the overalls strategies of the company, performance standards are established for direct operations and supply chains, action steps are clearly defined, and water, health and hygiene are recognized as fundamental human rights.

- Physical risk factors like increasing water shortage or stress, degrading water quality and droughts are the risks most frequently reported by respondents. Three quarters of the 35 different water-related risks reported are physical risks.

- 86% of the respondents report that water presents operational, strategic or economic opportunities. The most important opportunities are in cost savings and increased water efficiency. Many companies believe that reducing water consumption may bring cost savings.

- There are great gaps in water risk assessment. Only 14% of these companies have completed a general risk assessment that covers their direct operations and supply chains. The majority of Turkish companies are yet to define comprehensive policies that involve suppliers in their value chains in the water issue.

- 79% of the respondents report that water policies, strategies and planning, or corporate water management as a whole, is handled at the Board level.

- Half of the respondents have set targets regarding water. 79% of the companies have set qualitative targets for improving water management, while 50% have set quantitative targets.

Among key quantitative targets are "reducing the quantity of water drawn," "improving the monitoring of water usage" and "reducing water intensity." Qualitative targets include "sustainable agriculture," "customer education" and "stronger ties with the communi

Click for Global Water Report 2015.

Click for CDP Turkey 2015 Water Program Results.