Turkey’s only academic award in social sciences

About “Sakıp Sabancı International Research Award" 

You can find further information about Sakıp Sabancı International Research Award from award booklet and award website.

The Science Academy announced the winners of the 2019 Young Scientist Awards Program (BAGEP). Four members of the Faculty of Engineering and Natural Sciences (FENS) and three members of the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences (FASS) won awards.

Awards will be presented to FENS members Eralp Demir in mechanical engineering, Ogün Adebali in biology, Özge Akbulut in material science and engineering, Turgay Bayraktar in mathematics, and to FASS members Ahmet Faik Kurtulmuş in philosophy, Hakkı Yazıcı in economics, and Mustafa Oğuz Afacan in economics.

The objective of The Science Academy Young Scientists Awards (BAGEP) is to identify and reward outstanding young academics, support them in their future research, encourage young individuals to undertake scientific studies, and to reward exemplary individuals.

The BAGEP Awards by The Science Academy are given to academics under the age of 40 and entail a cash prize of TL 15,000 per year for a duration of two years to support research.

Faculty members will receive their awards at a ceremony to be held on Friday, April 26.

Sabancı University Center of Excellence in Finance (CEF) hosted Chris Skinner, a prominent figure in financial technologies.

Sabancı University Center of Excellence in Finance (CEF) established with the founding sponsorship of Akbank held another seminar as part of its series with one of the most influential names in finance. The speaker in the event was Chris Skinner, one of the most prominent figures in financial technologies. Independent analyst Chris Skinner, known for his financial markets and fintech blog thefinanser.com and bestselling books Digital Bank, ValueWeb and Digital Human, gave a seminar titled "Digital Activities of Banks - Lessons from Leaders" in Istanbul. 

Skinner, who is also the President of the Europe-based The Financial Services Club and Nordic Finance Innovation, spoke at the Sabancı Center on Friday, March 15, 2019. Attending Skinner's lecture on the process of digitalization in the global banking system were members of bank treasury departments, intermediary institutions, import-export companies and trading desks, in addition to faculty and students from various universities.

Skinner said, “There is a small group of banks that are transforming into digital banks. We can all understand that doing so is a great challenge for banks that have been established decades ago and have thousands of employees and millions of clients. What are they doing right? How do they do what they do? How do we know they are digital banks? Is there any way to follow them?" 

 "CEF organizes certificate programs and seminar series on finance"

Sabancı University Chair Professor of Finance and CEF Founding Chairperson Özgür Demirtaş expressed their pleasure to host an influential analyst and writer like Chris Skinner, who is widely regarded as the "most powerful name in financial technologies." Professor Demirtaş continued, "CEF organizes certificate programs and seminar series on finance. CEF has already become a leader in finance education in Turkey", and emphasized the potential contribution of attending a lecture by Chris Skinner to the audience. 

CoSpace is hosting Turkey's first CS50x Puzzle Day this year! Come, join us and celebrate together!

Harvard has announced this year's CS50x Puzzle Day and you're invited to join us at Collaboration Space at Sabanci University Information Center to take part. While the worldwide event runs all weekend, we will be hosting a day-long on Monday, April 1st event where you will be challenged to solve several non-programming logic problems. Start working individually or with your team for the weekend to solve as many of the problems as you can.

See https://medium.com/@cs50/this-was-cs50x-puzzle-day-2018-22d95a48615 for last year's results and sample puzzles.

What is CS50x

Harvard University's introduction to the intellectual enterprises of computer science and the art of programming for majors and non-majors alike, with or without prior programming experience. An entry-level course taught by David J. Malan, CS50x teaches students how to think algorithmically and solve problems efficiently. Topics include abstraction, algorithms, data structures, encapsulation, resource management, security, software engineering, and web development. Languages include C, Python, SQL, and JavaScript plus CSS and HTML. Problem sets inspired by real-world domains of biology, cryptography, finance, forensics, and gaming. The on-campus version of CS50x, CS50, is Harvard's largest course.

The last of the Sabancı University Gender and Women's Studies Center of Excellence (SU Gender) events to commemorate March 8 International Women's Day was held on Thursday, March 21, 2019 at Studio X.

Organized in association with Columbia Global Centers | Istanbul, Hrant Dink Foundation, and Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung, the event began with a keynote presentation by Marianne Hirsch titled “Women Bearing Memory: Stateless Figures”. The presentation was followed by a discussion with panelists Aylin Vartanyan and Ayşe Gül Altınay.

Sharing her own story of being stateless, Marianne Hirsch said, “Being stateless is a condition where you are deprived of all your possessions, including your identity." She added that the word, evoking a need to belong and take shelter, was also emancipating for her.

Hirsch pointed out that the number of stateless individuals worldwide was on the rise, and that they did not know when they would be able to return.

Marianne Hirsch also said that, despite all negativity, being stateless also offered opportunities. According to Hirsch, a stateless memory was able to transcend boundaries and nations, harnessing the prospects of an existence beyond the nation-state.

Saying that being stateless made different transitions possible, Hirsch continued, "It is possible to deal with painful, sorrowful stories in different times and settings. Being stateless may build bridges between today's individuals, citizenship, nations, and identities."

A panel discussion with questions from the floor on gender, memory, art, body, identity and boundaries followed the presentation.

FASS/VAVCD Faculty member, Yoong Wah Alex Wong’s video and photography work Vanishing White, received the prestigious HIPA 3rd place award from His Excellency Zaki Anwar Nusseibeh, Minister of the State, Dubai at the international renowned photography award which is organised by the Hamdan Bin Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum International Photography Award (HIPA). 

Her Highness Sheikha Latifa bint Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice Chairman of Dubai Culture and Arts Authority also attended the award gala held at Dubai Opera on 12th March, 2019. “Hope” is the theme and concept of 2018-2019, the eighth season international competition. This year there are 149 countries participants, with more than hundred thousand works participated. Each participant can only send one entry per category.

This season’s surprise comes in the shape of an aerial challenge set out to photographers, which is the ‘Aerial Photography’ video category. This challenge opened the door for thrill-seeking lovers of aircraft photography and videography to produce unforgettable works that will no doubt transcend reality by imagination.

http://www.hipa.ae/en

Current work in progress and part of The Aesthetics of Climate Change - Vanishing White series, can be visited in FASS Art Gallery from 6 - 22 March, 2019.

https://vavcd.sabanciuniv.edu/events-detail/20243

Vanishing White series depicted the arrested moments of epic encounters of the frozen landscape, Lake Baikal. This video intend to investigate the exceptional formation and condition of the oldest and deepest existing fresh water lake on earth during the coldest period in winter (around minus twenty to forty Celsius). It is believed to hold one fifth of the world’s fresh water. From far away distance, the white splashes seems like sea waves. However the entire lake surfaces freezes in winter, leaving the surrounding village a lifeless wonderland. In this search, the cracks, textures and broken pieces of ice forms the perfect intricate canvas. The frozen layers are moving, breaking, thawing, retreating and daunting, just as the frozen lake is solid on the surface, yet fragile when the water currents flows underneath it. Human activities slow down when the temperature drops. The chilling, unfriendliness and extreme weather condition keeps people away, and I find it harsh and hostile yet strangely beautiful. It endures my presence, but it is rarely welcoming. I believe in and aspire to bring a new perspective of photographing and videographing landscape we already know well, an epic cinematic and composition that is not possible before. With the frosting snow and ice blanket, the deep silence sounds like eternity. As such, these marvelous yet temporary ice layers vanishes when the temperature rises.

Sabancı University Program for Undergraduate Research (PURE), is now accepting students for the 2018-2019 Summer Term. Projects will run between  June 24 and August 9, 2019 and will accept undergraduates from both Sabancı University and other national and international universities. Application deadline for PURE 2018-2019 Summer Term is April 8, 2019.

Sabancı University Program for Undergraduate Research aims to start equipping undergraduates with state of the art scientific research skills and to start preparing them for successful graduate research, R&D and professional careers at an early stage. 

To apply for a PURE 2018-2019 Summer Term Project, you need to register at PURE Website and select research projects offered by Sabancı University faculty members and researchers. You need to complete the application form latest by April 8, 2019. Applicants will be assigned to projects on the basis of project supervisors' approval and applicants' project preferences. 

To register and login to PURE Website, you need to click on "My Account" at the upper right corner of the main page and follow the instructions. 

For 2018-2019 Summer Term Project List, please click here. 

For rules and regulations about PURE and detailed information, please visit the Application Page. 

Registration and accommodation is free of charge for PURE 2018-2019 Summer Term for admitted applicants.

For your questions, please contact pure@sabanciuniv.edu.

IPC Climate Cafe Talks continued with "Global Climate Change and Emissions Trading: Recommendations for a Green Economy Design"

In order to improve the effectiveness of policies like Emissions Trading System, understanding the preferences of the institutions to be affected should be a priority

The March meeting of the Climate Cafe Talk series, a bi-monthly event held by the Sabancı University Istanbul Policy Center, featured Istanbul Bilgi University Environment, Energy and Sustainability Research and Application Center Director Associate Professor Ayşe Uyduranoğlu. The research team discussed their "Green Implementation Practices Index" and recommendations about emissions trading and green economy design based on their ongoing studies. 

The March meeting of the Climate Cafe Talk series, a bi-monthly event featuring scientists and academics working on Climate Change to cover climate change-related issues from politics to atmospheric sciences, economics and psychology, was held by the Sabancı University Istanbul Policy Center. 

The speaker in the March Climate Change Talk of the series was Associate Professor Ayşe Uyduranoğlu, Director of the Istanbul Bilgi University Environment, Energy and Sustainability Research and Application Center, whose lecture was titled "Global Climate Change and Emissions Trading: Recommendations for a Green Economy Design". 

The speakers also discussed a project supported by TÜBİTAK and the support provided to the Emissions Trading System. Based on the "Green Implementation Practices Index" designed by Istanbul Bilgi University Environment, Energy and Sustainability Research and Application Center Director Associate Professor Ayşe Uyduranoğlu and Catholic University of Portugal Faculty Member Assistant Professor Zahide Eylem Gevrek, recommendations were made on emissions trading and green economy design.

Some highlights of the presentation:

“The World Economic Forum named failure in fighting global climate change one of the top five threats to the world's economies. Meanwhile, Paris Accords emphasize the critical importance of keeping global warming limited to 2°C by the end of the year. To achieve this objective, not only developed countries, but also developing countries, including Turkey, must take responsibility. Carbon pricing and emissions trading are among policies that may prove effective in fighting climate change. Based on available data, the “Green Implementation Practices Index” shows that companies which prioritize ecological sustainability and green practices are more likely to support emissions trading. Since emissions trading is a new policy instrument, businesses also want it to be designed as to minimize uncertainties during rollout. “

Turkish Policymakers: Climate Change Policy

Ayşe Uyduranoğlu continued that the Climate Change Action Plan prepared by the Turkish Ministry of Environment and Urban Planning in 2011 was the most extensive study completed to date, and emphasized the necessity for building an emissions trading system (ETS) in Turkey and linking it to other global/regional systems, while the report issued by TÜSİAD in 2016 called policymakers to consider the preferences of businesses when designing an ETS.

Emissions Trading System Preferences of Global Industries

Ayşe Uyduranoğlu said that the survey they conducted with 1250 individuals in 23 provinces was the first study on industrial ETS based on preferences, explaining that they adopted a holistic approach as the issue concerned the entire industry, and explored what properties a carbon tax would need to have in order to garner acceptance.

Uyduranoğlu continued that the study, based on choice modeling, was conducted in 13 Turkish provinces including Istanbul, Bursa and Gaziantep with 404 companies operating in the glass, steel, cement, iron, energy, paper, metal and ceramics industries.  According to the responses given to choices composed of different combinations, businesses prefer an ETS where:

l  Past emissions volumes are taken as baseline for each company;

l  Quotas have an expiry of 3 years;

l  Businesses can purchase as much as they want;

l  Fluctuations in quota prices are regulated by the government.

Uyduranoğlu concluded that, since ETS is a system that is not yet implemented, businesses would prefer that the design minimizes uncertainties in the early phases of implementation. She explained that the pilot implementation of ETS in the European Union (2005-2007) led to considerable improvement in the system based on experience. 

About Ayşe Uyduranoğlu

Ayşe Uyduranoğlu has a bachelor's degree from the Istanbul University Faculty of Economics. She pursued a PhD in economics at the University of Exeter from 1994 to 1999. Since 2000, she has been a member of the Istanbul Bilgi University Faculty of Administration. She is also the director of the Environment, Energy and Sustainability Research and Application Center (ÇESUAM). Uyduranoğlu has published articles in environmental economics in national and international journals. Her areas of interest are environment taxes, sustainable transport, climate change, and green budgets. 

About Climate Cafe Talks 

Climate Cafe Talks was launched by the Sabancı University Istanbul Policy Center in the 2017-2018 academic year. So far, the series held 5 events and received 200 guests, and plans to hold another 5 events in the 2018-2019 academic year. 

The bi-monthly event is a venue for scientists and academics working on climate-related issues to to reveal and discuss their work. Climate Cafe Talks provides an interdisciplinary environment to cover climate change-related issues from politics to atmospheric sciences, economics and psychology. 

On Wednesday, March 13, Sabancı University received a delegation of executive-level visitors from ASPİLSAN Enerji A.Ş., one of the leading Turkish energy storage and solution providers, including General Manager Ferhat Özsoy.

ASPİLSAN General Manager Ferhat Özsoy and Sabancı University President Professor Yusuf Leblebici

Sabancı University President Professor Yusuf Leblebici and Vice President of Research Professor Mehmet Yıldız provided an extensive briefing to the ASPİLSAN delegation about the research activities of the university. The visit continued with a tour of laboratories, where the ASPİLSAN delegation received more information about the work done in SUNUM and FENS from faculty members involved in various research projects. 

ASPİLSAN General Manager Ferhat Özsoy said that the visit was the first step towards intensive collaboration between Sabancı University and ASPİLSAN in the near future, adding that preparations for the signing of a collaboration protocol were underway.

The Sabancı University School of Management hosted a meeting of the EMBA Consortium for Global Innovation, of which its EMBA (Executive MBA) Program is a member.

Representatives of 11 universities from 10 countries convened at the Sabancı University Sakıp Sabancı Museum on February 25 and 26, 2019. Representatives provided information about their respective schools and EMBA programs.

The first day of the meeting included a review of 2018 and discussion of 2019 targets. Representatives shared best practices and experiences from their schools and discussed new courses that could be added to their programs. Also on the agenda were cultural activities, alumni relations and risk management as part of the program.

Sabancı University School of Management faculty member and EMBA Program Coordinator Ahmet Esen said, "It was strongly confirmed that the EMBA Consortium is a significant academic and cultural exchange program that improves the international recognition and prestige of Sabancı University and other members of the consortium all around the world, and underpins academic development in these institutions."

About EMBA Consortium for Global Innovation

As one of the international cooperation programs of the Sabancı University School of Management's EMBA Program, the EMBA Consortium allows candidates to visit one of the 11 schools in the consortium for one week, gaining firsthand knowledge of the history, culture and business environment of the host country. 

The consortium is composed of Sabancı University, Bologna Business School (Bologna, Italy), COPPEAD Graduate School of Business (Rio de Janerio, Brazil), Cranfield School of Management (Cranfield, UK), ESAN Business School (Lima, Peru), The Alvah H. Chapman, Jr., Graduate School of Business (Miami, US), Indian Institute of Management (Ahmadabad, India), Keio Business School (Yokohama, Japan), The Moscow International Higher Business School (Moscow, Russia), The Lucas Graduate School of Business (California, US) and University of Stellenbosch Business School (Cape Town, South Africa).