Materials Science and Engineering 2009 master's graduate Canan Dağdeviren spoke at the UN General Assembly on occasion of February 11, International Day of Women and Girls in Science. 

Canan Dağdeviren was invited to make a speech at the third International Day of Women and Girls in Science, established by the United Nations in 2015 to increase the role of women and girls in science and encourage participation in STEM education and research at all levels, where she stated that her greatest influence on her successful journey in science was Atatürk, the founder of the Republic of Turkey, and his statement that "If one day science contradicts my words, then science must prevail."

Discussing her passion for science since early in her childhood, Dağdeviren said that she frequently visited Turkey to meet with children and teenagers to motivate them to take up scientific studies, and kept in touch with them over social media.

Click below to watch Canan's speech.

We have been accepted to the membership of SEFI (European Society for Engineering Education), the largest communication network among engineering education actors in Europe.

European Society for Engineering Education (SEFI, https://www.sefi.be/about/ )

With the SEFI membership, Sabancı University now has a place in a platform where concrete plans are developed and implemented to improve and expand engineering education in Europe.

The network provided by SEFI, where our Vice President Şirin Tekinay is a Member of the Board of Directors, will enable our students and faculty to make use of cooperation or long-term exchange programs between institutional members.

Benefits of SEFI institutional membership include:

• The participation in the political debate on higher engineering education and therefore, becoming an actor in the discussions on higher engineering education policies in Europe
• The promotion of our institution to a European and international audience through wider publicity for our events, new courses and programs
• Access to new innovative and best practice and to knowledge sharing
• Participation in European frontier activities in the SEFI Working Groups
• Networking opportunities
• Participation in general SEFI activities (Standing Working Groups and Ad Hoc Task Forces), annual Conferences (with reduced registration fees), Deans Conventions, International Cooperation, and International Projects
• The SEFI Publications, for free or with a special price reduction

About SEFI

Founded in 1973 as non-profit international organisation, SEFI, the Société Européenne pour la Formation des Ingénieurs (European Society or Engineering Education), is the largest network of higher engineering education actors in Europe.

SEFI maintains official relationships with UNESCO and the Council of Europe, as well as with many other engineering organisations all over the world.

SEFI is a founding member of EuroPACE, IACEE and of IFEES. At the beginning of 2011, in cooperation with IFEES, SEFI established the International Institute for Developing Engineering Academics (IIDEA).

SEFI is also a founding member of ENAEE, the European Network for the Accreditation of Engineering Education, which is the first example of a European Engineering Education Accreditation body.

Sabancı University Faculty of Engineering and Natural Sciences (FENS) member Meltem Elitaş won funding from the EU Horizon 2020 Marie Sklodowska Curie International Fellowship and Research Exchange Actions.

Being competitive and hard to enter, MSCA programs are considered the pinnacle of international funding and a great prestige for the scholar and their country.

The 24-month Horizon 2020 Marie Sklodowska Curie Action project titled "Development of Microfluid Devices and Mathematical Models for Measuring the Individual Antibiotic Reaction of Cells" is implemented by FENS Faculty Member Dr. Meltem Elitaş with FENS Faculty Member Dr. Ali Koşar as advisor, and was chosen for support under the Individual Fellowships of the MSCA by the Reintegration Panel (RI).

The subject of Dr. Meltem Elitaş’s project:

Antibiotic resistance is becoming a severe public health issue as it causes infections that were believed to have been eradicated, and because alternatives to replace antibiotics in use cannot be developed. One of the key shortcomings in the field is the lack of adequate, suitable devices and mathematical models to investigate the resistance developed by germs agains antibiotics. This project aims to develop mathematical methods and laboratory equipment that will be used to study antibiotic resistance and develop new drugs for treatment.

Marie Skłodowska Curie Actions seek to improve human potential in research and technology, support the careed development of researchers, encourage researcher mobility between countries and industries, and develop Europe and Turkey into a center of attraction for researchers.

MSCA Individual Fellowships provide opportunities to experienced researhcers within and outside Europe to learn new knowledge and disseminate what they learn. In particular, the program provides support for researchers who had worked in Europe before and seek to return and become reintegrated. The Intra-European Exchange Component provides exchange opportunities between the universities or industrial companies in EU Member States and associated countries like Turkey, which are part of the Horizon 2020 program.

Computer Science and Engineering PhD graduate and visiting faculty member Duygu Karaoğlan Altop won the inaugural "Cyber Security Doctorate and Graduate Dissertation Prize" given in association with the Public Cyber Security Society. 

Duygu won the prize with her dissertation under advisor Professor Albert Levi on Security for Body Area Networks. In her dissertation defense, our graduate emphasized the importance of security among the sensor nodes that receive, store and communicate sensitive personal information, highlighting an example where a hijacking the EKG signal of a cardiac pacemaker can allow perpetrators to give an electic shock to the wearer of the pacemaker. Altop said that not only could these devices be targeted for attacks, but also could compromise the security of personal information.

We spoke to Duygu about the intricacies of personal information security and her award-winning research.

Can you briefly discuss your dissertation?

The title of my dissertation is "Secure Intra-Network Communications for Body Area Networks". Body Area Networks use widely-available communication techniques to enable real-time, continuous and remote monitoring of an individual's health. 

What was the system you developed? 

Using wearable sensors, these networks monitor the vital signs of their users without disrupting their daily lives. Since these sensors collect sensitive medical data about individuals and transmit them over wireless networks, their security is critical. But the security capabilities of these sensors is quite low unlike our phones or computers, so the methods used in other applications cannot be used here, and system-specific models are required. We developed a system where sensors can generate cryptographic keys from physiological signs that they monitor, such as EKG, blood pressure and pulse rate. 

In other words, the keys that encrypt the communication among sensors that measure physiological signs were created out of the very signs they measured.  This eliminates the need for the user to remember a password, and creates a truly unique and personal encryption key. We discussed the results of our study in three conference papers and three journal articles.

What would you like to say about the prize you won?

I think it will motivate people who work in this area. I was happy and proud to be recognized by an important organization. My advisor, Professor Albert Levi, deserves much credit for his unwavering support throughout my studies.

Cybersecurity is a critical factor nowadays.  Is there anything you would like to say about this matter?

Cybersecurity is becoming increasingly popular lately. We should have been paying attention all along. With our extensive use of the virtual world, security has become a critical area. Concerns that had been overlooked in the beginning are slowly coming under the limelight. Universities are now addressing this issue, and here at Sabancı University, we are now accepting students to a non-dissertation master's program on cybersecurity.   

Dear Sabancı University Community,

We remember our Founding President, the distinguished scientist Tosun Terzioğlu, on the second anniversary of his passing, and commemorate this emotional day with the inauguration of the Tosun Terzioğlu Mathematics Chair.

The objective of the Chair will be to support and develop research in Mathematics.    

In addition to the Chair, a Visiting Program will be endowed to improve collaboration opportunities and boost the research potential of the Sabancı University Mathematics Group. The Chair will reflect our university philosophy of building an organization that is participatory, application-oriented, sensitive to student and stakeholder needs.

We are working to find an ideal candidate for the Chair, who will have outstanding influence in their field, possess superior research skills, and be able to cooperate in areas beyond Mathematics. We will share information about their areas of research and projects when the position is filled.  

We are confident that the Chair will produce studies that honor the memory of Tosun Hoca, who will always be in our hearts with his pioneering spirit in generating and disseminating scientific knowledge, and we are always ready for support. 

Sincerely,

Hasan Mandal 

Acting President

Call for Instructor Proposals - ECON Courses

Sabanci University Summer School (June 25 - August 17, 2018) has job
openings for university instructors concerning the following
undergraduate courses in economics:

ECON204 Microeconomics
ECON301 Econometrics

The courses will be conducted in English. For more information about the
courses, please visit Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences website:

http://econ.sabanciuniv.edu/

The applicants should have previous teaching experience of these courses
at the undergraduate level and should send a package containing their
C.V., and evidence of teaching ability to:

Sena Balkaya
Summer School Office
E-mail: summer@sabanciuniv.edu

Accommodation for accepted instructors will be provided at the Sabancı
University campus. Moreover, associated economy class return flight
tickets of accepted instructors will be reimbursed upon confirmation.

Application deadline is March 8, 2018. The evaluations will start
immediately.

An article on HarvestPlus-HarvestZinc project published in Turkey's #1 newspaper Hurriyet on February 7, 2018 

Prof. Ismail Cakmak has been travelling for 9 years, from country to country, field to field, to train farmers to tackle hidden hunger, which affects 2 billion people worldwide. 

Rice field in India

Prof. Ismail Cakmak, a faculty member of the Faculty of Engineering and Natural Sciences at Sabanci University, has been travelling from country to country, field to field, for 9 years, to fight hidden hunger. The major donour to this fight against hidden hunger is the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.  As a consequence of the modern varieties that spread with the green revolution in agriculture, agricultural productivity increased significantly, although the proteins and micronutrient content of the food we eat has diminished.  There are still 815 million people facing hunger, i.e. do not have access to food, in the world. 2 billion people suffer from hidden hunger, even if they have access to food. 

Maize field in Zambia

MICRONUTRIENT DEFICIENT

Hidden hunger occurs because the foods consumed by these people are deficient with respect to micronutrients which are essential for a healthy life. CSOs, universities, scientists and fertilizer companies collaborate to tackle hidden hunger, which affects women and children the most. Micronutrient deficiency affects children’s cognitive and physical development, and immune systems of all. HarvestPlus one of the global projects fighting against hidden hunger.  HarvestZinc project is under the umbrella of HarvestPlus and is led by Sabanci University. The aim of HarvestZinc project is to biofortify staple crops with zinc. Sabanci University has received USD5.5 million for this project up until now. 

Rice field in Thailand

BIOFORTIFICATION IN THE FIELD

To date Prof. Ismail Cakmak has given seminars in about 45 countries on this research topic. The national and international projects he has led, have received over USD16 million in funding. Prof. Ismail Cakmak, the winner of the the 2016 World Academy of Sciences Prize in Agricultural Sciences, said that; “In developing countries, specifically in rural areas, people meet a huge part of their daily energy needs from staple foods. Therefore a simple solution for tackling hidden hunger is to biofortify in the field the staple crops consumed every day. This is achieved via breeding and fertilization. We are trying to teach this by reaching out to the farmers. In the project countries, this process is supported through farmer subsidies. It is more cost-effective to fortify staple crops, than to tackle deficiencies through supplements. In developing countries, 5% of the domestic income is lost to hidden hunger. This is not only a health issue, but also an economic development issue”.

Hurriyet Journalist Mesude Erşan and Ismail Çakmak

Farmer pays USD15 for 1 hectare

Prof, Ismail Cakmak said that the process of micronutrient fortification via fertilization costs the farmer 15 dollars for 1 hectare of land. He stated that “This is not a high cost and is covered by all means by the yield increase. Farmers are incentivized when they realize that the micronutrients in their grains are valued”. The projects differ across countries, based on the most commonly consumed staple of each country. For example in the context of the project conducted in Zambia, farmers are trained to fortify maize with zinc during planting. 

Planting rice in Thailand

TURKEY’S SOIL IS DEFICIENT TOO

Prof. Ismail Cakmak reminded that the iodine and other micronutrients levels are low in crops in Turkey, and that these levels need to be increased. He explained as follows, “Wheat consumption in Turkey is very high Soils in Turkey are micronutrient deficient. Hence, fighting hidden hunger should be among the top priorities. We never discuss hidden hunger in Turkey, but we should discuss it at least as much as we discuss obesity”.

WE FOCUS ON INCREASING IRON AND ZINC

Prof. Ismail Cakmak has been implementing the HarvestZinc Project in 12 countries, including Turkey, over 4 phases. Prof. Ismail Cakmak stated that “in the forthcoming three-year phase of the project, we will continue to conduct research activities in China, Thailand, India, Pakistan, Mozambique, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Brazil, Mexico and Turkey. We have partnerships in the universities in these countries. We focus on increasing iron, zinc, iodine and selenium levels in commonly consumed staple crops in these countries.”.

Rice field in China

Resource: http://www.hurriyet.com.tr/dunyanin-gizli-aclikla-savasinda-tahilin-efendisi-40733534

Academic Support Program is pleased to announce the FUTURE Seminar Series Schedules for 2017-2018 Spring Term.

Seminar Programme:

• 21 February 2018 - Volkan Özgüz - "From Neurons to Computers: An Engineer's Attempt to Comprehend the Human Brain" 
• 7 March 2018 - Özlem Taştan Bishop - "Bioinformatics: At the Heart of Modern Biology Genomes to Diseases to Tools and Databases"
• 14 March 2018 - Ali Rana Atılgan - "To be a part of a network or not to be"
• 18 April 2018 - Stuart James Lucas - "Designer Food: How will we feed the World in 50 Years' Time?"
• 2 May 2018 - Erkay Savaş - "Crypto Revolution: Blockchain, Crytocurrencies & more"
• 16 May 2018 - Andrew Berry - "Genomics and Your Brain: Mutation and Aging in Nerve Cells"

Sabancı University Istanbul Policy Center Climate Change Studies Coordinator and Senior Expert Ümit Şahin Reveals "Carbon Lock-in in Turkey" Report 

Turkey still has considerable opportunities to avoid a deepening carbon lock-in

Sabancı University Istanbul Policy Center Climate Change Studies Coordinator and Senior Expert Ümit Şahin revealed the "Carbon Lock-In in Turkey: A Comparative Perspective of Low-Carbon Transition with Germany and Poland" Report. The report argues that Turkey still has significant opportunities to avoid a deepening state of carbon lock-in, and states that "Although Turkey is mostly fossil-dependent in energy consumption, it has advantages resulting from its developing electrical energy generation and transport industries which may be used to its benefit."

The Sabancı University Istanbul Policy Center (IPC) continues its efforts in enhancing knowledge about climate change with the concept of "carbon lock-in." The Center's Climate Change Studies Coordinator and Senior Expert Ümit Şahin revealed the "Carbon Lock-In in Turkey: A Comparative Perspective of Low-Carbon Transition with Germany and Poland " Report at an event held in Karaköy Minerva Han. The study compares Turkey, Germany and Poland with respect to their energy policies and attitudes to the global trend towards transition based on the concept of carbon lock-in.  The comparison investigates why Turkey has been unable to switch from a fossil fuel-dependent economy and energy system to low carbon. 

Carbon lock-in: High carbon emissions brought by technological or political factors
The study defines carbon lock-in as "political inertia." Lock-in occurs when there is a structure that prevents decreasing, or even increases, carbon emissions due to technological, economic, political or social factors. 

Speaking at the event, IPC Climate Studies Coordinator Ümit Şahin said,

The contrast between Germany, a pioneer in the transition to a low-carbon energy system despite being a heavily industrial country, and Poland, which is mostly dependent on coal for energy and seems determined to continue this dependency, as well as the comparison of these two countries with Turkey, give us an idea about transition dynamics. All three of these countries have economic systems that are dependent on fossil fuels, and either continue or seek to reduce this dependency." 

Turkey may transition to a low-carbon system through policy changes

Ümit Şahin argued that Turkey still had significant opportunities to avoid a deepening state of carbon lock-in, and stated that "Although Turkey is mostly fossil-dependent in energy consumption, it has advantages resulting from its developing electrical energy generation and transport industries which may be used to its benefit. It is far easier for Turkey to manage a rapid transition to renewable energy in electrical production compared to large and industrialized countries." 

Commenting on the fast growth of the road and construction sectors in Turkey, Ümit Şahin said that policy changes to ensure transition to a low-carbon system could reduce emissions from transport and buildings. Şahin continued: “Turkey still has the chance to skip polluting development and make an ecological leap. Such a political decision may help the country avoid carbon lock-in, which may cause great economic loss in the future. This policy change will also be a good opportunity for businesses to discard risks associated with abandoned assets." 

Ümit Şahin emphasized the following points about the comparison among Germany, Turkey and Poland when discussing policy recommendations to avoid carbon lock-in: 

ENERGY POLICIES IN GERMANY, POLAND AND TURKEY 

The report includes following determinations regarding Turkey’s, Germany’s and Poland’s energy policies: 

•          Germany’s large share in the world economy, its power system, and GHG emissions make its energy transition (Energiewende) extremely significant for international climate and energy policies. Furthermore, the current shift in Germany’s energy structure represents a viable example of transitioning to a low-carbon economy and escaping carbon lock-in. On the other hand, Germany faces many challenges. The continuing high share of coal in electricity production and the difficulties encountered by other sectors such as transportation and heating make it difficult for Germany to reach its targets. 

•          The main objective of Energiewende is to transform German energy policies from a fossil fuel- and nuclear-based system to a low-carbon system based on renewables and energy efficiency. Today, Energiewende has four pillars: phasing out nuclear power by 2022, mitigating climate change, improving energy security, and amending industrial policies targeting competitiveness and growth. 

•          Poland’s energy system and power production is largely dependent on coal -particularly, domestic coal. Despite a 2.7 percent drop in production figures over the last decade, the country is the biggest coal (hard coal and lignite) producer in the European Union, with a total production of 52.3 million tons in 2016. Polish hard coal accounts for 72 percent of all extraction in Europe and boasts of the largest share of fossil fuels for electricity generation after Australia.  

•          Furthermore, it holds sixth place for the lowest share of renewables in electricity generation among IEA member countries. Coal constitutes 79 percent of the country’s energy production and 51 percent of total primary energy supply (TPES). As for the development of renewable energy policies in Poland, this is mainly limited to its involvement in short-term EU policies. The country does not have any other energy transition plan to shift its energy sector from fossil fuels to renewables, including medium- and long-term targets for 2030 or 2050. 

•          Turkey’s energy system is dominated by fossil fuels, coal and natural gas in particular. Natural gas accounted for 34 percent, coal for 31 percent, hydropower for 24 percent, wind for 6 percent, geothermal for 2 percent, and other resources for 3 percent of electricity production. The basis of Turkey’s official energy strategy is to reduce energy resource imports. The aim is to reduce natural gas and coal imports used for electricity production and increase the share of domestic coal and particularly water as well as renewable resources such as wind and solar. 

•          However, looking at the increasing and ongoing subsidies provided by the state to fossil fuels, it can be deducted that Turkey does not have a policy to reduce fossil fuels in energy production. Even though coal’s share in electricity production has increased considerably in recent years, there has been no significant increase in the use of domestic 

sources. Turkey intends to increase domestic coal’s share in electricity production as well as the number of new renewable energy plants. It aims at keeping the share of renewable sources (including hydropower) at one-third by 2023. Since currently renewable sources account for approximately 32 percent of electricity production, we can see that Turkey intends to increase renewable energy capacity but does not foresee an increase in renewable’s share in electricity production. 

•          Turkey’s carbon lock-in situation is becoming increasingly tighter. Poland is a country with a long history of carbon lock-in and appears to further aggravate its situation. As for Germany, it embarked on the path to break carbon lock-in but has slowed down and been sidetracked in recent years. Some experts have even commented that Germany is back on a trajectory toward carbon lock-in. Nevertheless, out of the three countries Germany appears to have the best chance to escape from carbon lock-in, while Poland seems to resist. 

•          Turkey’s situation appears to be somewhere in between. Turkey has many opportunities to escape lock-in; however, it does not make the necessary efforts and even adheres to policies that will further aggravate the problem. Therefore, Turkey will probably find itself in a stronger carbon lock-in situation in the coming years. 

Sabancı University Istanbul International Center for Energy and Climate (IICEC), which promotes exchange of ideas and developments in energy and climate areas, continues to host important figures from these fields. Robert McNally gave a seminar titled as "The Return of Boom Bust Oil Prices” at Sabancı University Minerva Palas in Karaköy. McNally, consultant and President of the Washington-based energy market, policy, and geopolitical consulting firm Rapidan Energy Group, previously served as Senior Director for International Energy at the White House National Security Council.

"Price stabilization in oil is vital"

McNally began his presentation by saying that oil is the lifeblood of the modern world, and he added that all economic dynamics are in fact dependent on oil prices, i.e., fluctuations in oil prices caused important problems for growth indicators, central banks, air transport, military planning, etc.

McNally said that these fluctuations in oil prices are in the nature of oil and he expects unusual price fluctuations to continue, hence we must be prepared for volatility. McNally explained that there has been need to take measures against price fluctuations since the 1880s. The Rockefeller family’s, the Texas Railway Commission’s and the OPEC's role as price regulators, were highlighted. McNally noted that the United States quitted its role as a regulator in 1972, and that the prices fell sharply with the oil Saudi Arabia launched on the market in 1986. The fluctuations after 2006 were devastating for economies after the relatively routine price trend from 1986 to 2006.

"Today's fluctuations are unusual; be prepared for $20 - $150 "

Indicating that the fluctuations in today's oil prices are not normal compared to previous periods, McNally said:

"Everyone is wondering what the ‘new normal’ is. Today's fluctuations are not normal. There are various expectations. We should not be deceived by the stability of oil prices in the last 3 years. In terms of delicate balances of the market, it is necessary to be prepared for a new normal range of $20 to $150."

"Demand for petroleum-powered vehicles is high despite green policy"

McNally explains that the use of electric vehicles is going to increase, but this trend will not reduce the demand for oil. "States are setting very sharp targets that emphasize the use of electric vehicles and are taking steps to implement those targets. On the other hand, in very fast developing economies such as China and Central Asian countries, we see that oil-powered big vehicles are preferred over electric cars, even if ‘green policies’ are emphasized. So, as these countries grow, petroleum demand increases. "

Referring to the International Energy Agency's forecast of oil demand between 2015 and 2040, McNally noted that OECD countries are on a stable demand line, but the remaining countries have a growing demand. In conclusion he finished his presentation by stating: "I have doubts that we will use oil less."

After Mr. McNally’s informative presentation, a Q&A session leading to fruitful discussions was held. Energy industry executives, high level representatives from energy related associations and Energy Technologies and Management (ETM) MSc students attended the event, and a cocktail followed the talk.     

https://youtu.be/VY5RC8XOJ8o